Cyhi the Prynce

Cyhi the Prynce
Cyhi the Prynce performing in June 2014
Background information
Birth name	Cydel Young
Also known as	Prynce Cyhi
Born	(1984-09-15) September 15, 1984 (age 32)
Origin	Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, songwriter
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Ivy State, GOOD, Sony (current) Def Jam (former)
Associated acts	Akon, Kanye West, Pusha T, Yelawolf

Cydel Young (born September 15, 1984), better known by his stage name Cyhi the Prynce, is an American hip hop recording artist from Stone Mountain, Georgia. In 2009, Young signed his first major-label contract with Konvict Muzik, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. In 2010, he signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music label imprint. Young went on to appear on West's highly acclaimed album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and has released nine mixtapes, with the latest being BHP II: NAACP (2015), a conscious hip hop concept mixtape about the history of black people in America and the sequel to Black Hystori Project, released in February 2014. He was released from his Def Jam contract in August 2015.

Growing up in Georgia, Young played various sports including football, basketball, and track and field, in addition to singing in school choirs and participating in school plays and dances. He was raised Baptist by strict parents, who didn't allow him to listen to hip hop music as a youth. However, Young cites his parents' methods as a foundation upon which he could build himself in character, especially growing up in the area that he was.

In 2009, Young signed a recording contract with Akon's Konvict Muzik label imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. Young first gained major attention in 2010 when he received a co-sign from fellow American rapper and hip hop mogul Kanye West. Young reports that American singer Beyoncé, a friend of West and the wife of his mentor, Jay-Z, convinced Kanye West to sign him to his GOOD Music imprint. This culminated in Young's inclusion on West's weekly free music giveaway GOOD Fridays, and his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).