We recently had the chance to connect with DeQuann Piner and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning DeQuann, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I must say this year definitely been eventful and I have been enjoying it: early this year I got the opportunity to appear on a game show called The 1% Club where the smartest people in the world compete for a chance to win $100K: At first that was the highlight of my year until I decided what was really next to come, I turned 30 and I definitely can say this was hands down my best birthday yet, I got the chance to travel to New Hampshire and meet a great friend/ supporter of my brand & that was a great experience, finally meeting someone who has been there since the beginning of my journey but that’s not all: that same week my cousins planned a Pisces birthday party weekend and included me in the celebration which was during Mardi Gras weekend and they treated this as a returned favor. But if I can say my proudest moment recently I will say just deciding to continue to do my thing and get recognition; I GOT INVITED TO THE BET AWARDS 2025!!! Ain’t No way this is really happening to me? I’m not a rapper, I’m a music producer and an Actor although I still have not had my speaking role how did I manage to get this invite? Someone is watching me and something is working but that’s what you call consistency and hardwork. How do I explain this to my family, friends, and job? They were all so proud and happy for me they weren’t even shocked: This event however didn’t start off a cake walk, my flight got delayed and I had to sleep overnight at the airport and the award show was the exact same day I flew in, not only did I miss check in to my hotel: the owner of the hotel also tried to scam me and my party claiming that because we didn’t check in that night before we would have to rebook and pay a fee? Nah fam, Thank God I have the gift of Gab and got myself together and was able to find somewhere else cheaper and more convenient: with just a few hours until showtime when I arrived to California for the show I knew I felt at home; everyone was there to have a good time, laugh, meet celebrities, and most of all see the show in person. What can I say: Turning 30 definitely didn’t hurt. I also had the chance to play my music for an A&R music executive in which they described my latest project as “the future of music”, 15 years of making beats, my hardwork is really starting to pay off, who knew making beats would get me this far? The BET Awards must’ve heard “Escape Plan”.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
The year is 2010 I have been carrying a username since 2006 “YungBart” which first was just used for my MySpace account which I wasn’t old enough to have at the time, this username became a brand for my lifestyle: in middle school to even throughout high school I kept this name but I finally decided to do something with it, being a lover of music and being on the computer I decided to start making beats, I downloaded FL Studio 11 and started watching YouTube videos on how to make beats and even experimented with DJing at one point, “DJ YungBart” was my username but eventually I decided to just go by YungBart; which is a play on my favorite cartoon character Bart Simpson. A year later I decided to walk away from making beats and focus on what I really wanted to do when I grow up which was become a Chef: everything from cooking classes in high school to watching family members cook was how I learned and my passion for cooking began: In 2014 when I graduated from High School, I packed my bags with little to under a stack and moved to Atlanta, Georgia for Culinary School: 2 years later I got that Degree while at the same time I returned to music production: Trap Music was taking over and I was inexperienced, thankfully I had some friends in Atlanta I had just made who were able to get me up to date on sounds and I had started back making beats again. 2016 after my lease was up in my apartment I decided I wanted better and moved to Colorado to train and become a Chef, not only am I working hard in real life and starting my career i’m also building a name for myself on Social Media: my hometown was super impressed and supportive. I would say the most unique thing about my brand is Quality; my food will always look as great as it tastes, my beats will try to tell a story even without words attatched (I have 6 Beat Tapes on all streaming platforms as of today), and my YouTube channel you will always stay up to date with whatever I am currently working on or experienced. Currently I am unloading my hard drive of unheard/ unreleased beats on my YouTube Channel using the “type beats” formula (YungBartTV) and collaborating with other musicians and content creators, I will not just work with anyone: I prefer hardwork and talent not just trendy moments, I hope in 2026 to finally get my acting career off the ground and finally have my “Big Break”.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In 2021 I decided to walk away from my career temporarily due to feeling unappreciated and overwhelmed: I had been actively working for a company that was the start of my Chef career and I felt at times that I was overlooked, downplayed, belittled, and excluded: My boss had been verbally abusive amongst myself and others but I had to realize that being a “different person” I was often counted out: He would often times say hurtful remarks, exclude me from events, extremely dismissive and jump to conclusions: Often times there were moments that was said out of anger that he claim he never said until I decided to stand up for myself and my job and remove myself, it’s interesting how no one hears you until you’re no longer chill and speak up, this really showed me in this world that if you don’t put your foot down, people will continue to disrespect you and verbally abuse you, Thank goodness I know my worth and I can honestly say I have progressed and thrived once leaving that place, I don’t believe bullying anyone will help you in any situation and I put a stop to that. The world isn’t always like this however I grew up in the south where I’m used to tough love and this wasn’t the same thing, this was favoritism. On a positive note, the world has shown me that consistency and hard work is how you get rewarded: That same year I started my YouTube channel and when my YouTube channel got monetized, I truly couldn’t believe it but I remembered how long I had been grinding and understood why its so important to be consistent, the algorithm looks out for you as long as you show up faithfully, and that’s with anything. I will say overall the world has been good to me, it seems i’m valued anytime an opportunity presents itself to me.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
As a 90s baby & a country boy at heart, I truly miss the good ole days: I remember when I could keep up with all the Video games, TV shows, Music, and even sports, now I can’t even tell you what my favorite modern day show is, my favorite song from this year, or maybe even the last time I even watched TV: and I’m talking about cable. Can we go back to what the world used to be? Before social networks were invented, streaming services and music platforms: my favorite show was Just Jordan and it got canceled due to the writers strike at the time, This show taught me how to not let people run game on you & that its okay to be yourself: although it was later debunked the real reason, but I truly do miss the days of no social media and just being active in the world. Last year my 3rd beat tape “Escape Plan” had the opportunity to be on Vinyl Records and I thought this was the coolest thing ever, physical media is making a comeback? Even better, that same company was so impressed by my artwork they reposted on their official social media accounts and helped bring traffic amongst my brand, but this moment made me reminisce on how far the world has come and what I truly miss: although I have built a great name for myself online and even in the real world, I wish we can go back to those times: I hope one day I can have a documentary on what I experienced on my success journey and my experience overall in the world, if anyone out there can hear me? That’s what I truly miss, also can I get Just Jordan on streaming services? That would make my life complete.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I love being boxed off and sometimes put away from the world when I have downtime from work and gigs: my close friends know that I am an overachiever but they also know anything I put my mind to, i’ll do it. Alot of my friends are still from high school, The Boys & Girls Club, and even a few chef/ actor friends; they know when I get silent something is “cooking up”. I remember a close friend asked me one time why have I not yet started a catering business and I told them simply “I’m not ready for that responsibility”, and they disagreed with me and told me “I think that’s the only thing you’re missing ”. My friends really push me to be the best version of myself and even times help me out when I feel like I’m falling short, they also utilize me for “my sense of humor” and “speaking my mind”. I don’t believe in being artificial, I think you should always keep it real, but there’s levels to it, I’ll protect my friends especially if I know the feeling is mutual. I had to remove myself in a situation once where I felt that the end was near and my friends had my back and I can never truly repay them for their wisdom when I needed it the most, although my homeboy simply told me “I’m your brother man, that’s what brothers do, I know you would do the same for me”, they know I want to be the best version of myself and make everyone laugh. As far as the philosophy I still live by “You live and you learn”.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
Chillin at home or in the studio Making beats, watching The Simpsons, or whenever I’m cooking on my off days, these activities bring me peace. Also lately i’ve been going on nature walks and traveling more. Fruit Snacks and Yogurt are my comfort foods, maybe one day I can create my own brand I really hope to one day create an original product that represents myself and my childhood memories perfectly. I’m also working on writing my first ever book and hitting the gym, anything that makes me feel better most definitely satisfies my soul.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://beatstars.com/YungBart
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/yungbart__
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dequann-piner-b07800a7
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/YungBartTweets
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/DeQuannP
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/YungBartTV
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dequann-piner
- Other: https://bio.link/dequannp
