Young Dru cuts a new rap CD and career
Barber shop opens today on Springs Road
By RICH FREEDMAN/Times-Herald staff writer
Andrew Nickolatos of Vallejo is mixing a new career as a barber with his other career as "Young Dru," the rapper. Two new ventures begin for Nickolatos as he opens his barbershop on Springs Road in Vallejo and he debuts a new rap CD in February. If Andrew Nickolatos told any of his friends at Vallejo High School that he would eventually become a barber, they would have thought it was shear lunacy.
Music was his thing then. And, roughly a decade later, it's still his thing as rapper Young Dru.
But hey, the man's married with two kids who eat. And Nickolatos understands his responsibilities, which explains today's official opening of Dru's Barber Shop at 1815 Springs Road.
"I'm just here trying to do something positive and to show the youth that you can make it if you try," Nickolatos said. "Don't give up."
With his wife, Grecia, sitting close by, Nickolatos talked about his new venture earlier this week. It's the reward after a disciplined year of driving from Vallejo five days a week, eight hours a day, to an Oakland barber college.
It wasn't easy, Nickolatos said, dedicating all that time with no immediate financial reward.
"No money was hard," he said. "The rent and the bills don't stop coming just because you're going to school. And it's hard to be away from my family for song long every day without making money."
With his license propped proudly on the wall, Nickolatos takes on customers from the previous barber who operated out of the building and new clients who may or may not be Young Dru fans.
The place is clean, with movie posters from Scarface and the Godfather watching over the barber. There's a TV and DVD player for interested clients.
Nickolatos said he won't likely play his solo rap CD or the one he did with long-time Vallejo pal, JayTee.
"I won't play anything obscene or profane," he said. "The radio will be on low volume so older gentlemen can feel comfortable here as well. Whatever you want, we'll cater to the client. Whatever he wants to do, that's OK with me."
It still appears odd for Nickolatos to believe he's now a professional barber.
"My whole life, all I wanted to be was a rapper, even when I was little," he said. "I never really knew other than that what I wanted to do with my life."
Then, one day, Nickolatos watched the cash exchanged between a barber and customer.
"It seemed like a whole bunch of money," Nickolatos said. "I thought, 'Wow, they're really making a lot of money just cutting hair.' "
The barber gave some advice to Nickolatos "and here I am," he said. "I felt this was the fastest way for me to learn a skill and stay relevant with my music, stay close to the streets and be able to
promote my music. It works best for me with my schedule."
JayTee believes his bud will make it in the competitive world of haircuts.
"I've known Dru since he was about 10 years old," JayTee said. "My dad and his dad were friends, so I always felt like I had to look out for him. I've been trying to lead him in the right direction for years, and think he finally is trying to do right."
Nickolatos said hard work is the key to success, that young people don't need to be "selling drugs and doing bad things with their life."
"If you stay in school, you can eventually graduate and own your own business some day," Nickolatos said, adding that he expects one familiar face to be his first customer today: His father, Andy Nickolatos, who helped paint the shop.
"My edge in this barber game is that I do music," Nickolatos said, thrilled that rap fans are close by at Springstowne Middle School and Hogan High School.
"I'm showing the youth you can make it if you try," Nickolatos said.
Sometimes, career paths have to be altered, he added.
"When we were young, everyone wanted to be a football player or baseball player or rappers," he said. "And everyone wanted to be a musician. e all have big dreams here. Sometimes, it doesn't work out for a lot of people, so they have to fall back on something. I tell the kids to never give up on their dreams, never give up on their goals, but always stay in school and choose a skill."
Not that Young Dru has given up the rap business. Hardly. Another CD, "Block Star," is out in February.
"I'm still in it to win it in music," he said. "Basically, this is another way to feed my family."
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Barber shop opens today on Springs Road
By RICH FREEDMAN/Times-Herald staff writer
Andrew Nickolatos of Vallejo is mixing a new career as a barber with his other career as "Young Dru," the rapper. Two new ventures begin for Nickolatos as he opens his barbershop on Springs Road in Vallejo and he debuts a new rap CD in February. If Andrew Nickolatos told any of his friends at Vallejo High School that he would eventually become a barber, they would have thought it was shear lunacy.
Music was his thing then. And, roughly a decade later, it's still his thing as rapper Young Dru.
But hey, the man's married with two kids who eat. And Nickolatos understands his responsibilities, which explains today's official opening of Dru's Barber Shop at 1815 Springs Road.
"I'm just here trying to do something positive and to show the youth that you can make it if you try," Nickolatos said. "Don't give up."
With his wife, Grecia, sitting close by, Nickolatos talked about his new venture earlier this week. It's the reward after a disciplined year of driving from Vallejo five days a week, eight hours a day, to an Oakland barber college.
It wasn't easy, Nickolatos said, dedicating all that time with no immediate financial reward.
"No money was hard," he said. "The rent and the bills don't stop coming just because you're going to school. And it's hard to be away from my family for song long every day without making money."
With his license propped proudly on the wall, Nickolatos takes on customers from the previous barber who operated out of the building and new clients who may or may not be Young Dru fans.
The place is clean, with movie posters from Scarface and the Godfather watching over the barber. There's a TV and DVD player for interested clients.
Nickolatos said he won't likely play his solo rap CD or the one he did with long-time Vallejo pal, JayTee.
"I won't play anything obscene or profane," he said. "The radio will be on low volume so older gentlemen can feel comfortable here as well. Whatever you want, we'll cater to the client. Whatever he wants to do, that's OK with me."
It still appears odd for Nickolatos to believe he's now a professional barber.
"My whole life, all I wanted to be was a rapper, even when I was little," he said. "I never really knew other than that what I wanted to do with my life."
Then, one day, Nickolatos watched the cash exchanged between a barber and customer.
"It seemed like a whole bunch of money," Nickolatos said. "I thought, 'Wow, they're really making a lot of money just cutting hair.' "
The barber gave some advice to Nickolatos "and here I am," he said. "I felt this was the fastest way for me to learn a skill and stay relevant with my music, stay close to the streets and be able to
promote my music. It works best for me with my schedule."
JayTee believes his bud will make it in the competitive world of haircuts.
"I've known Dru since he was about 10 years old," JayTee said. "My dad and his dad were friends, so I always felt like I had to look out for him. I've been trying to lead him in the right direction for years, and think he finally is trying to do right."
Nickolatos said hard work is the key to success, that young people don't need to be "selling drugs and doing bad things with their life."
"If you stay in school, you can eventually graduate and own your own business some day," Nickolatos said, adding that he expects one familiar face to be his first customer today: His father, Andy Nickolatos, who helped paint the shop.
"My edge in this barber game is that I do music," Nickolatos said, thrilled that rap fans are close by at Springstowne Middle School and Hogan High School.
"I'm showing the youth you can make it if you try," Nickolatos said.
Sometimes, career paths have to be altered, he added.
"When we were young, everyone wanted to be a football player or baseball player or rappers," he said. "And everyone wanted to be a musician. e all have big dreams here. Sometimes, it doesn't work out for a lot of people, so they have to fall back on something. I tell the kids to never give up on their dreams, never give up on their goals, but always stay in school and choose a skill."
Not that Young Dru has given up the rap business. Hardly. Another CD, "Block Star," is out in February.
"I'm still in it to win it in music," he said. "Basically, this is another way to feed my family."
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