Source: Jake Mayo / IG: @Iamjakewashere
If you don’t know Beau Young Prince, it’s in your best interest to get to know the D.C. creative as soon as humanly possible. The singer-songwriter-rapper is one of the most versatile talents to ever hit the entertainment industry, possessing the kind of work ethic reminiscent of many of music’s greatest names.
The self-proclaimed ‘Groovy God’ has performed alongside the likes of Young Thug, Post Malone, Playboi Carti, and Vince Staples; headlined Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; signed to Def Jam after establishing a cult following in his hometown; and, has officially ventured into cannabis.
Most interesting, in our humble opinion, is how he’s managed to infiltrate the television, film, and gaming industries by way of music. Beau Young Prince has credits on the soundtracks for Coming 2 America, Yes Day, The Hate U Give, and more. In fact, his song “Let Go,” featured in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, earned him a Grammy nomination and went 2x platinum earlier this year.
Get to know BYP more via our quick chat and be sure to follow him on Instagram to stay tuned on his career moving forward.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COwbeOuhYSu/
On How He Came Up With His Moniker ‘Beau Young Prince:’
Beau Young Prince is me. I was born Beau Young. I added “Prince” overtime due to my love for the artist, but also because I was the only boy in my household. In essence, that nickname was given to me by my immediate family. Growing up I loved watching clips of Prince and Michael Jackson performing. I was amazed by the musical ability of Prince and how he could play every instrument, and I loved how Michael was so fluid on stage. I began taking up Bass, Steel Drum, music theory, and learning how to really craft music at an early age ultimately creating Beau Young Prince. I wanted that MJ “King of Pop” title or legendary feel that you get when you look at an artist with a name like Prince. I believe that your name is everything. Beau literally means handsome, or a dandy dresser in French, which I can dig.
On His Greatest Musical Influences (Past & Present):
I have a wide range of musical influences due to my upbringing. I was surrounded by records because my mother had a vast album collection, so obviously I’m influenced by the classics: Prince, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, The Stylistics, Curtis Mayfield etc… Having studied classical music and jazz I loved everything from Coltrane and Ron Carter to Brahms and Henry Mancini. The BYP sound is a mixture of textures inspired by 2pac, Outkast, Tribe, Digable Planets, Kendrick, J. Cole, Cudi, and Ye to name a few.
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On The Moment He Signed To Def Jam:
Signing to Def Jam was years in the making. Basically I had a moment where timing and preparation equaled opportunity. Around 2016/2017 I was really building my legacy in DC. I had booked, promoted, and sold out my own shows locally. I ran a studio in Georgetown previously, which led to connections with artists in the city. I was going back and forth between DC, LA, and NY just figuring this music thing out. In LA I was crashing on couches and working with my longtime producer and friend, TK Kayembe. We made a record called “Price” and TK showed it to an A&R at Def Jam and within a month that A&R came to visit me in DC to see what I was about. After listening to all my unreleased records we talked about me coming over to Def Jam and the how we wanted to execute our visions. I think it was one of the best ways to meet because the A&R came to my city, met my people, got a taste of DC culture and knew we had something special. Shortly after that we made it official and dropped “Kill Moe”. Again, I grew up listening to legends like LL Cool J, DMX, Jay Z, and Run DMC, so to be a part of such a legendary roster is something I’m proud of no matter what happens in the future.
On The Advantages & Disadvantages Of Working With A Major Label:
One of the advantages of working with a major label is having access to what I call the machine — radio, television, you know… bigger ways to really gain exposure and be in front of the eyes you need to be in front of. With that being said, if you are at a certain point in your career a label makes sense. Sometimes it does not. Labels are beneficial when it comes to things like having budgets for marketing and promotions, radio, videos, and larger scale opportunities that are usually reserved for the “bigger” acts in this industry. In some cases an artist may already have great streaming capabilities, a growing fan base, touring, selling merch, and gaining sync placements. In this case you are already doing much of the work and a label can enhance what you are doing, but you may be just fine growing your business to the point where you are stable and can release your music yourself, own your masters, and dictate the direction of your career and gain more leverage. This can only help when you are negotiating. One problem I’ve experienced with labels is that there can be too many chefs in the kitchen, in which case the artist’s interest can be lost. With major labels that have a roster of superstars, being a priority and getting any attention can be one of the main disadvantages. Each case is different and you have to see what works for you.
On Penning Songs For Major Films Like Coming 2 America & What That Process Has Been Like:
Breaking into the TV, film, and video game world has been one of the most exciting parts of my career. I have had placements on video games such as Madden 20, Forza, and The Sims 4, and movies and shows like The Hate U Give, Into The Spiderverse, Yes Day, and All American. Each opportunity I approach differently! Sometimes I have a song already written and then I pitch it to the music supervisor or sync team. Usually if it fits the vibe of the scene they will accept it or have you make changes. Because we are working with film, usually you have to approach the song structure differently in some cases. I always try to think about how the viewer will feel when watching the scene coupled with my audio. Other opportunities have come through the pipeline with a prompt and the music supervisor knows exactly what type of song they are looking for and where it falls within the movie. In both cases I try to create music that draws emotion, has transitions, and diverse sounds.
On Being Inspired By His Hometown, DC:
Growing up in DC was special. We have our own genre of music here called “Go-Go.” Before you ever considered wanting to be a rapper in DC you wanted to be in a Go-Go band. So I also came up influenced by the sounds of the city with bands like Chuck Brown, Rare Essence, Experience Unlimited, Backyard Band, TOB, New Impressions, Reaction, and more. We also are the home of punk music so I kept Bad Brains and Fugazi in rotation. It’s funny because when you come to the city we have our own flavor. We have attitude. DC nature is very countercultural because we see it all up close. We rage at the shows. The politics, the riots, the demonstrations, the government…its all mixed up in a blender. This is what makes up my style. This is what makes up the BYP DNA — how I dress, how I chop, how I talk. it’s all influenced by DC and my experiences. You see the new balances, the Nike boots, the long locs, our beanies rolled. It’s a DC thing.
On Where He Sees Himself In Five Years:
In five years I’m still here. That means I won the grammy. That means I got another Oscar. Longevity. My goal is to continue to grow as an artist. I will grow my accolades, my catalogue, my reach and presence until I am acknowledged as one of the greats in this industry. If I can inspire other artists how some of my influences inspired me, then that’s a job well done.
