About
Photo by Jeana Lindo
Yared “Boomdraw” Lee is pushing the boundaries of Jamaican music forward. The Grammy-nominated producer, DJ, A&R, and cultural connector grew up with music embedded all around him. With his father, Karlyle ‘Gabre Selassie’ Lee, is the owner of Kingston Dub Club: home of the Rockers Soundsystem and host to a lively weekly celebration of roots, rockers, reggae and dub music. From his interactions in the space, he adopted a desire to champion culture in all its forms.
Inspired by the sample-filled hip hop of the 90s, and the then-burgeoning success of Soulection, he dived into production. As a self-taught producer, he experimented with lo-fi beats dipped in inflections of the musical stylings from his native to create his signature sound.
Lee made his way through school and moved to Miami, Florida to pursue tertiary education. However, he still felt like he was in better service to the culture that birthed him. He continued to create beats and began compiling playlists on SoundCloud. For Lee, the playlists were an opportunity to show the musical breadth, diversity and capacity of emerging Jamaican artists and producers. After curating two volumes of the playlists, aptly titled New Sounds of Jamaica, they picked up traction and were noticed by VP Records, the world's largest reggae music and distribution company.
Taking a chance on himself, the artist decided to dedicate himself to his cultural work, left university and landed a job as a Marketing Consultant for the label. Standing at the cusp of amplifying new sounds, artists and cultural innovators, all while creating an undeniable mark of his own, Lee is steadily carving his own space as being amongst the next generation of Jamaica’s cultural juggernauts.
Press
In the dynamic world of music production, few stories captivate the spirit of triumph as vividly as that of Boomdraw (Born Yared Lee), a talented producer whose beats have found a home in both commercial campaigns for renowned brands like Clarks and the Grammy-nominated album "Royal" by Jesse Royal. We delve into his journey that has shaped his recent successes and the aspirations that fuel his passion for music production.
Boomdraw Discusses Clarks Collaboration and Grammy Nomination
Guided by his personal interests and nurtured by his parents who also work in the music and entertainment industries, Yared “BoomDraw” Lee is a Jamaican music producer, A&R agent and selector who is making his mark on the industry.
Potent Talks: Yared “BoomDraw” Lee
(Potent Magazine)
Twenty-six-year-old Yared “BoomDraw” Lee is living his dream after Jesse Royal’s album Royal was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the upcoming 64th Annual Grammy Awards to be held on January 31, 2022, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Producer Yared ‘BoomDraw’ Lee Thrilled About Jesse Royal’s Grammy Nomination
(Dancehall Mag)
Producer Yared “BoomDraw” Lee is blissful after reggae artiste Jesse Royal's 11-track album Royal received a Grammy nomination in the Best Reggae Album category.
Feeling 'Royal'
(Jamaica Observer)
Titled New Sounds Of Jamaica and curated by Jamaican producer Boomdraw, it chronicled then-emerging artists and producers hailing from the country. It was aural documentation of the changing tide within Jamaica’s musical landscape.
Bakersteez Puts His Own Spin on Culture
(Audiomack)
Lee also added his energy to the event ‘for the culture’. “As an A&R, I’m not only making music I want, but that is culturally relevant, significant, and needed for Jamaica.
Organisers aimed for an authentic dance hall, and executed to an exceptional standard, with speakers stacked.
Royal is a highly complex album, both in message and versatility, and the artists featuring on six of the eleven tracks are nothing short of stunning.