We had the good fortune of connecting with The Cry Baby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi The Cry Baby, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.

Being “happy” has been a lifelong journey for me. My childhood had its dark moments which spun me into a depression through most of my teenage years where I turned to drugs. As a kid, creativity of all types was one of the things that brought me the most joy. Imagination. Creation. Art. At 15, I started making music with friends. We’d throw on a beat and write lyrics inspired by our favorite artists like Nas, Biggie, Eminem, Blackstar & many more. Music is one of my favorite ways to express the inner workings of my mind. I took a long break from it and realized that my life was lacking creativity, and that creativity is necessary for my happiness. Creativity makes me happy.
For anyone reading who is struggling to find it, happiness is all about your mindset. It took me many years to process my childhood — to unwind the scars & build new pathways. Some days, I still struggle with it to this day. Happiness is about our connection as individuals to the world around us. It’s about belonging. For many years, I did not feel a sense of belonging in my community which is why I also call myself “The Black Sheep”. I know now that I had to go through my life experiences to become the person that I am today. I’m here to represent positive social change. I feel it’s my purpose to help bring people together, because unity is the only way forward in our existence. Finding my purpose is also what has brought me happiness — even as I continue to ride the roller coaster of life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My music’s an infusion of lyrical hip-hop with Cali roots reggae undertones. I discovered I liked to sing a couple years ago and have been adding melodies that feel good to me to music that’s intended to provoke thought and help bring about social changes that I believe are beautiful and inevitable for our future. It’s about unity. It’s about respect. It’s about letting go of the past and coming together to create a new world we can all live happily in together. The reason I focus on this message is because I felt disconnected from the community I grew up in most of my life. Feeling a connection to others and sharing in their feelings, thoughts, pleasures & pains is why I make art.

There’s a lot of music out there that aims to strip the possibility of unity away — whether that’s between our communities that fight with one another or beyond it to what is stopping our communities from coming together to a larger extent. Music is subjective and I respect that. I also feel that, overall, we’re in a period of darkness in rap music that’s driven by younger generations who are now focused on things that will not necessarily further themselves fundamentally & morally. I hope my music helps to inspire more artists to make poetry that educates the way the roots of hip-hop always have.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I keep my whereabouts & favorite spots in the city close to my chest, but I’ll tell you I’m a downtown cat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I credit this Shoutout to my childhood friends throughout my teenage years: Key Quality, Funk, C-Ryze, War,, TreuOne & Tadow. We never went to school together. We were the class clowns. The outcasts. The ones that never took anything too seriously or just had a little problem with authority. We had such a hunger for traditional hip-hop that we explored so much together. It was very serious for us. It consumed our minds & united us.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecrybabymusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecrybabymusic

Image Credits
@tcproductionsla @iamprahshanti

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