The Boxboys are one of the most consistent duos in music right now, putting on some of the best live events that the underground has ever seen. Composed of brothers Yahir and Gio Carbajal, the Boxboys are best known for the creation of one of the biggest music festivals in the underground: Boxfest. I got the privilege of flying out to the latest Boxfest, and got to sit down with Yahir and Gio so they could give me a peek into their world.
This is the ever-evolving story of the Boxboys.
Before the Box
Yahir and Giovanni Carvajal were born in Pasadena but moved to Tustin, California while they were still pretty young. The brothers are ages 19 and 24 respectively, and have shared a love for music their entire life. Growing up, they were avid Suicide Boys fans and shared a huge passion for live music. Both brothers knew they wanted to work in the music industry at some capacity, a discovery they made fairly early into their adult lives…
“I was always into video and film. As I started to make money in the film industry, my love for music continued to grow and I wanted to figure out a way to combine the film industry with the music industry”
– Gio Carbajal
“I was always into music. It mainly started in the 6th grade with the 2016 Soundcloud wave. I was a huge fan of X, Peep, Ski Mask, etc. Something just drew me into that whole atmosphere. I dont know if it was all the crazy stuff that was happening outside of the music or the music itself, but I’m definitely grateful for the passion that sparked out of it”
– Yahir Carbajal
In an effort to delve himself deeper into the music industry Yahir started a tastemaker collective in December of 2019, back while he was still in the 11th grade. Initially the collective fell through, but with his brother Gio coming onto the team 7 months later, the Boxboys were born.
Who/What are the Boxboys?
In the present, Boxboys is a multi-media company that consists of many different branches. These branches delve into areas such as photography, film, clothing/apparel, and most importantly, live music. Throughout the conception of the Boxboys, Yahir and Gio were able to work with numerous artists such as Yvngxchris, Tana, Blueface, and D Savage. These projects are what helped to solidify the name “Boxboys” in the underground, but to the brothers, Boxboys is much more than just a name on paper…
“Box Boys is a lifestyle. To do what one pleases without limits or dare I say; without getting boxed.”
As the Boxboys brand continued to grow throughout 2020 and 2021, Yahir and Gio realized that the potential was endless. They wanted to spread their wings as far wide as possible, so they looked for cracks in the industry, cracks that they could potentially seal and in the process cement the Boxboys brand. They quickly realized that they wanted to move the brand into the live music space, and so they did…
“I always felt like there was something missing with the live events in the music industry. There never seemed to be any hype when it came to artists sharing stages, so we took that and created our own twist on live events.”
– Yahir Carbajal
“Lots of the inspiration came from Rolling Loud and Lyrical Lemonade, and my brother and I collectively came to an agreement that we both were interested in doing music festivals. Luckily we had the right people around us to help us with that.”
– Gio Carbajal
The first Boxfest took place on July 14th, 2021, and the rest was history.
The Story of Boxfest
Funding the first Boxfest was anything but easy. The brothers weren’t exactly rolling around in cash at the time, but they were ready to do anything it took to put on the show that they had spent so much time planning. The brothers got jobs as janitors for a brief stint, and also piled together all of the money they had made from shooting music videos over the years. Once the budget was formed the booking could begin, but the hard part was far from over…
“At the start we only had our close friends like Jasiah, 1nonly, and we also had their friends perform. With so little connections we just had to keep working till we met the right people at the right time. As time went by we were able to network both in-person and through our music videos to bring new artists to the lineup.”
The two biggest fears when it came to the first Boxfest was selling tickets and making sure that everything went smoothly. The brothers would cross their fingers and pray that everything would go to plan, and alas it did. The first Boxfest was a smash success, and paved the way for even bigger shows to take place.
A lot has changed since the first Boxfest. The festival has gotten bigger, better, and continues to gain more and more supporters at a rapid rate. In 2022, the Boxboys threw their biggest shows yet. The LA show on June 23rd was then followed up by the New York City show on November 15th. These two shows changed everything…
“The last LA one and this NY one changed everything for us, just based off the fact that we had our biggest performers to date on the lineup: Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson and SoFaygo. These are heavy hitters in the music industry, and to have them acknowledge and perform at BoxFest goes to show that these artists respect our vision, and want to be a part of it. Basically what we’re trying to say is that real will always recognize real.”
Boxfest continues to grow bigger and bigger with every show. I’ve been told that you guys are in for a special treat with the next one. I would stay tuned.
What’s Next for the Boxboys and the Box Community
For the Boxboys, the fans are everything. Every single project that the Boxboys put together is done for the love of the people that have been supporting them since the very beginning…
“We love the Boxboys community. It’s amazing, seeing all these people from different backgrounds and different fanbases telling stories on how they became a part of this community. We couldn’t have asked for a better fanbase and there’s not a day that goes by that we aren’t grateful.”
– Yahir Carbajal
“Our favorite part about Boxfest is the experience that the fans leave with, and the memories that they all get to share the following day. We watch the recap videos uploaded the next day, and it’s always a fulfilling feeling to see the all of the emotions that are exhibited.”
– Gio Carbajal
As the community continues to grow, Gio and Yahir have plans to expand the Boxboys brand further past Boxfest and continue to break down barriers in the industry. As of right now they can’t say too much, but lock in with them to see all of the new projects/updates coming very soon.
I want a give a huge shoutout to the Boxboys for taking the time to sit down with me and making this happen. I’m linking the Boxboys IG right here so you guys can go and show them some much deserved love. We also spent the whole day of Boxfest with Yahir and Gio, and got to document the entire process/behind the scenes of the show. Check out “A Day in the Life of the Boxboys” down below!
