Our Essentials

Spending some time in Atlanta,  I'm constantly surrounded by history. I live a few block away from the birthplace of Martin Luther King and the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church. The sense of Black history is strong in Atlanta. More than ever, I am reminded of the rich history of African Americans in this country and their contributions to American culture at large. When we think of African Americans during the civil rights era, we think of great leaders like MLK, Malcolm X, etc. 

Today, however, we are ALL called to be leaders. The time when we as a people looked to one person as a leader of many is in the past. We all need to be leaders now. This, in my humble opinion, is what is so essential to African American survival. As a technologist, I know that technology empowers. Technology affords us power and has given us a voice. I see social media (Black Twitter for example) as a perfect example of that.

MLK reached out, touched, and changed so many lives without the power of technology, a tweet, or a Facebook like. So, what will we do with our newfound power? It is, then incumbent upon all of us to user the power we have at our disposal to each become leaders in our own right.

 We can reach many more people with a tweet or a Facebook post or a website to that we could before. What's essential to our survival is to find new tools to use as aids in activism. Technology can be one of them.

Essentials: What made you want to become a musician?

CyHi The Prynce: I really made the push to become a musician when I realized how many people thought I was above average at rapping. Once I realized it was something I could succeed in and be paid for it, 1+1=2!

Essentials: What does Hip-Hop mean to you? 

CyHi The Prynce: Hip-hop is a place where I can keep my competitive edge (as I was young athlete) as well as a tool for me to relay my message to the world. Not to sound cliche, but I want to make a difference with my music; I enjoy telling stories and rapping about "Sunday-Thursday" (aka the everyday life, not in-the-club-life).

Essentials: Do you have a connection to anyone who has suffered from blood cancer? 

CyHi The Prynce: Not specifically with blood cancer, but I had a sister pass away from breast cancer and mymother is a cancer survivor. However, cancer is cancer and if there is room to save a life, I’m always on board. 

Essentials: Why should African American's care about this campaign? 

CyHi The Prynce: It helps save lives and is something just about anyone can be a part of to help the greater good. It is as easy as a swab in the mouth and you are in the registry… what’s the disconnect?

Essentials: What is the most essential thing to you?

CyHi The Prynce: Life. If you don’t have life, nothing else matters. That is why this campaign is so important; it gives you the opportunity to save a life. 

Essentials: Where can people connect with you?

CyHi The Prynce: Twitter: @CyHiThePrynce

Instagram: @1cyhitheprynce

What are my #Essentials? Sharing our lives and stories with each other.

The stories told throughout the African diaspora have depth, history, diversity, and meaning across all forms of life. While mainstream media tends to focus on small sects of our experience, it is important to understand that health and technology are crucial and must be shared within our communities. Life is less about celebrity and sports it’s about living and sharing how one can overcome adversity. Within the tech and digital industry space, the entities that I support, require assistance in connecting to a broader landscape of an emerging cultural cool. It is not just about race and celebrating our history.  Understanding how to support each other, whether it is through a SXSW panel, and donating your energy to health sustaining causes – we have to encourage our communities to be involved. Without that knowledge and desire to share ourselves – we are looking at a very bleak future. We, the African diaspora, must match to each other’s success throughout the world.

In September of 2013, I had ENOUGH! Working in marketing is never easy, and often times can be extremely stressful. At this point in my life, I was working on a really great project but had little to no support otherwise from the agency I was working at. A series of events caused me to seriously break down, so much so that I wanted to quit marketing forever and go do whatever else. This is when I learned that MENTAL STABILITY is one of my main #Essentials for survival. The pressure of work, family, relationships, NYC, and daily life can really start to wear you down. You have to have mental stability in your life to function and to thrive. So many African-American's are suffering in silence and it can become an internal sickness that causes more harm than good.

So make it a priority in your life to be around people and to do things that make you happy. Find small joys in life on a daily basis and try to laugh and smile as much as possible.