Credit: Courtesy of Def Jam
An up-and-coming 21-year-old rapper from Cleveland, YFL Kelvin caught the attention of Def Jam and inked a deal with the iconic record label last summer. Some of his most popular singles have been “NASDAQ,” “Wanna Flex,” “Blessing” and “Bands on Bands on Bands.”

Tomorrow, Kelvin will release Neva Lookin’ Back, his first full-length album for the label, and he’s celebrating with several events.

Tonight, at True Cocktails on the East Bank, Quincy “Big Heff” Taylor will host a private listening session for the album.

Tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m., Ilthy Workshop will have a listening party and will sell a limited edition collaboration shirt designed by Kelvin and Ilthy’s Glen Infante. Later that night, East End Restaurant will have another listening party as well.

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This article appears in Apr 24-30, 2019.

Emanuel Wallace is a photographer and journalist from Cleveland, Ohio. He has been the staff photographer for Cleveland Scene magazine since 2014. In the past, he has contributed to Cleveland.com, Destination Cleveland and the Call & Post, among other outlets. In his spare time, Emanuel likes to experiment with crafting various cocktails and brewing his own beer.