What if I told you that the dopest lyricist in the game, has never released an album?

You would probably call me crazy and point me to the nearest exit. Before you do any of that and after you finish cussing me out in your head, just breath for 5 minutes and read. After that youtube some ish, do some research and treat yourself to some musical diamonds.

Ladies and gentlemen please by my guest and get acquainted to the most slept on rhyme spitta, CYHI THE PRYNCE.

Who is CyHi The Prynce and why does the world need an album from him? Simple, he’s the most lyrically gifted rapper ALIVE. That’s right, I TayJordan just wrote the truth and nothing but the truth. I stand behind, I guarantee it. (Denzel Voice). Sure I am aware that a Compton kid by the name of Kendrick Lamar is alive and well. Yes, if my memory serves me correctly there is also a college graduate from North Carolina, with a NY inspired flow, that’s pretty nasty on the mic too.  In fact the two emcee’s  just broke the internet with their Black Friday samples, which featured K dot wrecking Cole’s, Tale of 2 Cities beat and J Cole putting his spin on Kendrick’s Alright track. Aside from both of those lyrical geniuses and honorably mentioning cats like Big Krit, and Ab-Soul, CyHi is the voice that the world needs to hear from. The difference between CyHi and Kdot is that Kendrick has a light that can positively spark the black mental but CyHi maintains the switch that can illuminate everyone. Those dark spots where Kendrick loses audiences with his complexities and unconventional flows, CyHi gains them by being able to communicate with the streets, through his relatability, his easy delivery and also his gift of spreading knowledge without preaching to his listeners. I imagine those are grand remarks, referencing a guy with no album released yet, but with tracks like, Napolean, Mandela and Weak People, Cyhi has proven to be deserving of such remarks.

Y”all know that I’am the best/but I swear y’all in denial and they don’t wanna say it cuz I’m better than your idol/got the mind of a disciple when I’m rocking a revival~Cyhi The Prynce on Mandela

CyHi hails from Stone Mountain, Georgia or Decatur where it’s greater. The lyricist with the southern twang caught the ear of Good Music’s boss, Kanye West a few years back. Kanye featured CyHi’s music on his blog, during the 2011 run of Good Fridays and signed The Prynce to a deal in 2010. CyHi was released from his Def Jam contract  this past August, then he released a strategically calculated, Kanye West bashing track called, Elephant in the Room. That single was supposed to be the lead single on his rumored, debut album but after the release, his situation with GOOD Music seemed to be on the rocks. The Prynce has since cleared the air, as he repeatedly claim that he and Yeezy are on good terms and that the track was not intended to be a diss to Ye. If the terms are good and GOOD Music is still the staple then that leaves many fans asking, “where’s the album?”

CyHi, released a dope a** mixtape this past February, titled The Black Hystori Project: NAACP. That tape was a follow up to his epic 2014 mixtape release, The Black Hystori Project. The Hystori Project was rightfully a LOUD announcement that probably was drowned out by all the Drake and Future boisterous distraction. In more related circles, the K Dot and J Cole noise probably also outshouted CyHi’s efforts. If that wasn’t enough, GOOD Music releases from Kanye, Big Sean and Pusha T put any noise from CyHi on the backburner. If you weren’t searching for The Prynce, then you probably never found him unless you luckily stumbled upon it. His last two installments of The Black Hystori project were actually album quality products. Cyhi goes in bar for bar on many of the tracks, offering eloqulently worded gems and revolutionary commentary. His content is challenging, humorous, thought provoking and critical.

Y’all ain’t no Black Panther/you wasn’t there with Newton/You ain’t marched with Martin tryin to better humans/instead of all these rappers we need some better students/it’s time to rebuild the neighborhoods that we help to ruin/and the NAACP y’all need some help recruiting/F*** a resolution, lets get some retribution~ Cyhi on Weak People

His rhymes are sharp, clear and clever but also eye opening and necessary. Simply the perfect music to vibe to. His production, samples, and metaphorical bars feeds those hungry for that early 2000’s sound and feeling, but he also serve’s the rap game’s current appetite for street talk and heavy bass lines. CyHi is so clever that he can show his ATL roots, and take his rhymes to the streets to capture the ears of trap kings and street hustla’s but his lyrical depth and intellect allows him to swoope the backpackers and hip hop heads along with the way, at the same damn time. Finally a rapper that can take you to the trap, through the history books and provide you a glimpse into a better future. He addresses pressing issues, but not without supplying a resolution and solution. Black consciousness, human consciousness and it’s not boring. How cool is that? 

Check his dynamic flow over the genius track, Barry White. On this track he paints an accurate and vivid story with his words, to help listeners navigate the realities of the harsh drug trade in inner cities across the country. CyHi has proven with his last two mixtapes that he is lyrically a problem. With a healthy output of mixtapes, he’s shown his growth and improvement in his song writing reflects that. In current Hip Hop, with artists such as Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan dominating air waves, it is difficult to gauge if Cyhi is a victim of circumstances hailing from being a generation too late, or a generation too premature. Perhaps his success would have been a no brainer during the Roc-A-Fella, G Unit, and Ruff Ryder era or maybe he will have to wait for the future, when more record companies may possibly be willing to allocate real resources and support to lyrical artists.

CyHi’s talent is evident with his body of work through his NINE released mixtapes, however his label situation has left him in current rap purgatory. Don’t get it twisted, The Prynce is not JR Writer, Jae Millz or your average mixtape rapper but CyHi, AKA Cydel Young seems to be no closer to any release date for his debut album. This sad fact is not only a disservice for Hip Hop fans but its also is a loss for the culture. CyHi’s poetic persona and witty metaphors has been displayed across radio stations and internet shows around the globe for more than five years but yet still no album. He’s been making waves with his bars since 2008 when he was signed to a group deal with Jazze Pha. He’s had offers from Cash Money and fellow ATLien’s, Jeezy and TI. Beyonce even endorsed him to Jay-z and Kanye West, which ultimately led Ye to sign CyHi to his GOOD Music imprint in 2010. The 31-year-old lyricist, has  been signed with Akon’s, Konvict Music and Kanye’s GOOD Music for multiple years now but still no album.

CyHi has made a way for himself by penning lyrics for Kanye and others. He’s even been nominated for a Grammy, for his work on Kanye’s joint, New Slaves. The Prynce gave the world a glimpse into his greatness, when he shined on GOOD Music’s 2011, compilation album, Cruel Summer. 

I don’t know what GOOD Music’s promotional team is doing, but they certainly aren’t getting out any dreams for anybody other than Big Sean and the big boss, Kanye West. Instead of CyHi getting a major push from his association with Yeezy, it looks like GOOD Music missed the wave by not executing CyHi’s positive momentum from, Cruel Summer. Now they are looking a lot like Bad Boy street team, when they couldn’t work The Lox. That’s a Ye’ bar by the way.

CyHi’s infrequent guest appearances keeps fans on the edge but still no album has surfaced. I am a firm believer that fans should not be forced to settle to watch old, Sway interviews and other youtube video’s just to hear the Prynce spit ether on tracks. We ALL need an album and we need that joint ASAP!

CyHi appears to be in rap limbo, with his label situation about his identity. Musically his growth is evident when comparing his earlier mixtapes to his latest efforts but his identity as an artist seems to be a challenge, especially when labels try to box him into categories that limit him. CyHi hails from East Atlanta and the fact that he comes from humble but loving beginnings, further adds to his duality as an artist.

Grew up in the church, but don’t think I ain’t street wise~ CyHi on Believe

He’s no stranger to the streets, but he’s also no trap rapper and that is where the dilemma arose for Def Jam. CyHi is not your typical ATL rapper. He’s Jeezy in tune with his Afrocentric roots, TI but a little less hyper, and Andre 3000 with his witt and double meanings. He’s Nas but from the south, he’s Jay-z with his delivery and flow and Dipset with his confidence. He’s lethal like, Kanye with his consciousness, special like Pusha T with his bars and deep like Common, but with a little more street credibility. CyHi is the product of street influence and book influence. I will go further to say that he is lyrical everything Kendrick Lamar and J Cole are plus more, minus a Dr. Dre and Jay-z support system. Most people probably figured a Kanye push would work just as well, except that push never came.

When it comes to Kanye West pushing artists, it’s no secret that he struggles in that regard, just ask Teyana Taylor and Pusha T. He’s not as terrible as Jeezy (CTE anyone?) but he’s not as successful as a Rick Ross (Maybach Music) or Lil Wayne (YMCB). Even Jay-z has shown improvement promoting artists, with the success of J Cole (Roc Nation). When it comes to running a team, Yeezy’s mismanagement of GOOD Music may be like Jordan’s mismanagement of the Wizards, Bobcats and now the Hornets. For an artist to succeed, it is imperative that the bigger artist pushing him, learns the science of getting out of the way. Yeezy hasn’t learned that science, as he apparently grapples with one for in the spot light and a half of foot into advancing his artists. Maybe he likes, Big Sean better or maybe Def Jam did.

Rather or not any label finds an identity or strategy to run with for CyHi, the people needs to hear the music. No record company needs to dictate what an artist ought to be. Did we not learn that with Lupe Fiasco? Instead the label should just hold up their end of the bargain by giving the resources needed to push an album, while the artist hold’s up his/her end of the bargain by delivering dope a** music. CyHi has excelled in that regard, on the mixtape circuit.

Kendrick’s TPAB and Cole’s, no lead single experiment on his last album, shows us that people just want the music. The push by record companies to have artists produce radio friendly records, or girl tunes, and the obvious encouragement to have artists duplicate this “sing a riddle on the hook formula” is played out. Just release the album and let THE PEOPLE decide what’s hot and what’s single worthy. Who’s A&R’ing anything now days anyway? The Hip Hop community didn’t really need Def Jam to jam an artist into another Budden scenario, just because they lacked the sense and savvy to push him appropriately. The culture really doesn’t need another lyrical beast abandoned and left for dead like Quan from years ago. Please, please don’t AZ, CyHi. His bars needs to be embraced now, not just later. If the Joe Budden effect showed us anything, it showed us how important it is to let an artist find himself and be himself.

If Cyhi wants to express his Jeezy influences today and show his intellect and Nas influences tomorrow, it is okay. Why shelf that? The record industry needs to stop with the culture vultures and let the music breathe. Kudos to TDE and Dreamville. Good Music could use some of their staff. Or maybe CyHi just needs to pull the plug on GOOD Music, and hit up Columbia or Epic…Or he could always let me manage him. hahahaha, but I’m so serious tho.

Feeling some type of way about what you just read? Be sure to leave comments below. Don’t be afraid to sip the JUICE!

~TayJordan

@bucketsANDmusic

@theblack_juice