How They Came Up: The CyHi Da Prynce Story

It seems like CyHi Da Prynce came out of nowhere in the last couple of years but he has actually been CyHi in the making years before his collaboration with Yelawolf on his ‘I wish’ remix, which followed a co-sign by Kanye West on his blog. Before CyHi gained a major buzz he was signed to Def-Jam through Jazze Pha’s label Sho’nuff Records and then Akon’s record label Konvict Music for 2 years. Perhaps CyHi’s career transformed through luck; or maybe it was it his pure lyricism and originality that allowed him to gain notoriety and prove himself as a powerful MC in the game. You be the judge.

• CyHi Da Prynce was born Cydel Young on September 15, 1984 in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia called Stone Mountain.
• He played football, basketball and track and field growing up.
• He also sung in his school choir, played in a band, and was involved in school plays and dances.
• CyHi’s was raised in a Baptist church and his parents were very strict.
• He was not able to listen to rap music until the age of 12.
• He got kicked out of school for fighting, skipping school, and cussing out teachers.
• Got into rapping through being a good poem writer.
• Says a guy from Philly taught him how to put his poems in song structure and write raps in bars.
• Came up with the name CyHi Da Prynce because him and the Prince of England were born on the same day, same year, and have the same name (since his middle name is Charles), so he took the ‘del’ of his real name and added ‘hi’ from highness.
• His mentor was a DJ named Greg Street who consulted him and introduced him to a lot of people in the industry.
• CyHi was in a group called Hoodlum and signed to Def Jam through Jazze Pha’s label Sho’nuff Records before the group broke up.
• Met Akon in the streets and was signed to Akon’s label Konvict Music for 2 years.
• In 2009 he released his first mixtape named ‘Wat Da Dec Been Missin’ hosted by Greg Street.
• It was his collaboration with Yelawolf & Pill that got CyHi Da Prynce noticed by Kanye West in early 2010.
• In 2010 CyHi released his second mixtape ‘The Prynce of Jacks’ and gained a huge buzz by Kanye posted it up on his site.
• Released his third mixtape in late 2010 called ‘Royal Flush’
• Was featured on Kanye West’s ‘So Appalled’ (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) along with Jay-Z, and Pusha T and on ‘Take One for the Team’ (G.O.O.D. Music leak) also featuring Pusha T, Big Sean, and J. Cole.
• Was then featured on Bobby V’s ‘Outfit (Fly on the Wall, 2011) and on Yelawolf’s ‘Gangster of Love’ (Radioactive, 2011).
• He has also been featured on Kanye West’s ‘Christmas in Harlem’ (featuring Cam’ron, Jim Jones, CyHi the Prynce, Pusha T, Teyana Taylor, Big Sean, and Musiq)
• Was featured as one of XXL’s 2011 Freshmen
• CyHi Da Prince is expected to release his album Royal Flush 2 in 2011 and a short film that he is shooting to go along with the album.
• “Stay focused and level headed, and keep pushing. A lot of artists be like, ‘How did you get signed to Kanye?’ They think I’m the new guy. But I’ve been rapping forever and I always stayed prepared for the opportunity. And when it presented itself, I took advantage and ran with it.” -CyHi Da Prynce
  
  
  Post by: Rosie J