YoungKio

Kiowa Roukema (born 3 December 1999), professionally known as YoungKio, is a Dutch beat producer. He is known for producing "Old Town Road", by American rapper Lil Nas X. Since the rise in popularity of "Old Town Road", YoungKio was signed by beat producer CashMoneyAP.

2016–2018: Early career

YoungKio first started producing beats in 2016. He began producing on the popular digital audio workstation FL Studio, which his friend gifted to him. YoungKio's early and current influences include producers Wheezy and TM88. In his interview with Forbes, he stated, "In my opinion, I became good at it pretty fast." He began posting his type beats on YouTube and sold leases for US$30. With this money, he saved up to purchase a year-long membership to the beat store hosting platform BeatStars.

2018–present: Old Town Road

In 2018, one of YoungKio's beats was leased by Atlanta rapper Lil Nas X. The beat sampled the Nine Inch Nails song "Ghost IV – 34". The song was released independently on December 3, 2018, and gained popularity on social video sharing app TikTok.

Since the rise in popularity of "Old Town Road", YoungKio has done interviews with Forbes, GQ, and many other publications. He has also flown to Los Angeles to work with producers like CashMoneyAP, and to appear in the “Old Town Road” music video.

YoungKio has since been 'hit up' for beats from prominent artists like Lil Pump and Rico Nasty.