Music

Sign language versions of tracks by Drake, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, more

by Aaron Zorgel

24-year-old Matt Maxey is deaf, but that doesn’t stop him from rapping. Maxey films himself signing along to popular rap songs and posts them to YouTube, where his videos have been viewed nearly 100,000 times.

In a recent interview with Pigeons & Planes, Maxey explains that music has played a big role in the way he communicates with both deaf and hearing people. Most deaf people are able to enjoy the rhythm and vibrations of a song, especially when it’s hip-hop due to the heavy bass, but the lyrics are harder to pick out. As much as it’s really cool to see Maxey’s signing keep up with rapid-fire lyrics, he’s also giving deaf people another way to interpret the lyrics, without having to resort to following along with lyric videos or Rap Genius.

Check out some of his videos below.

Head to Pigeons & Planes to read more about Matt Maxey, and to see more of his hip-hop ASL interpretations.