CS: How did you get started in the music industry?

CY: AFTER GETTING SAVED, MY BROTHER AND MY BEST FRIEND STARTED A RAP GROUP. AFTER A LACK OF SERIOUSNESS FROM THE GROUP OUR MOTIVATION AND DESIRE TO DO IT LEFT UNTIL I TURNED 23 AND FINALLY GAVE IN TO GOD'S CALLING ON MY LIFE WHICH WAS TO REACH HIPHOP HEADS WITH THE GOSPEL AS WELL AS THE YOUTH THROUGH HIPHOP MUSIC. I GOT STARTED BY WRITING SONGS AT HOME AND THEN EVENTUALLY PURCHASED A TRITON KEYBOARD AND BEGAN TO FORMULATE MY OWN TRACKS TO RAP TO. AFTER DOING CONCERTS IN NEW ORLEANS, GOD BEGAN TO LEAD ME TO ALL THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND ALL THE RIGHT CONTACTS (STIKK, TRE9, SOULFRUIT) WHICH EVENTUALLY LED ME TO THE BIG MOVE TO HOUSTON.

CS: Can you outline the path you have traveled so far to make it to where you are today with a label and an album out?

CY: EXACTLY THREE YEARS NOW. AND NOW I AM STARTING A PRODUCTIONS COMPANY CALLED COMPLEX PRODUCTIONS FOR ARTIST WHO NEED QUALITY BEATS TO FLOW TO.

CS: What is the main focus in your ministry? Teens? The lost? The hurting?

CY: ALL OF THE ABOVE. MY FOCUS IS CHRISTIANS AS WELL AS THE WORLD. ON MY ALBUM THE COMPLEX, I CREATED SONGS FOR EVERYBODY. I WANTED TO BE VERSATILE AND IN THE FUTURE, I PLAN TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SONGS FOR EVERYBODY AND KEEP IT VERSATILE. Why did you decide up on this as a focus? BECAUSE AS A SOLO ARTIST, I DIDN'T WANT TO BE REPETIVE AND BORE LISTENERS. AT THE SAME TIME I WANTED TO CREATE SOME SONGS TO DRAW THE WORLD IN AND THEN HIT THEM WITH THE SOLUTION TO LIFE WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.

CS: Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten? The future?

CY: I SEE MYSELF RAPPING FOR THE NEXT FIFTEEN YEARS AND GROWING A PROSPEROUS PRODUCTION COMPANY. Do you ever worry about getting caught up in the world of show biz? I'M NOT WORRIED, BUT I'M NOT IGNORANT TO THE FACT THAT TEMPTATIONS WILL BE THERE.

BUT I'VE LEARNED THAT AS LONG AS I KEEP CHRIST FIRST, THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD GIVES STRENTH TO ENDURE TEMPTATIONS, AND HE WON'T ALLOW US TO GO THROUGH ANY TEMPTATION THAT IS TO HARD TO BEAR. AS I STAY IN HIS WORD AND SEEK HIM AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, MY DESIRES ARE TO PLEASE HIM AND SERVE HIM AND THE DESIRES OF THE WORLD ARE NONEXISTANT.

CS: What kind of relationship do you maintain with your audiences?

CY: VERY GOOD ONES. I HELP AND DO STAY IN CONTACT WITH THEM.

CS: Do you fellowship with them? Or do you remain distant as the performer?

CY: DEPENDS. MY LOCAL LISTENERS I DO FELLOWSHIP WITH THEM AND THE LONGDISTANCE ONES IN OTHER STATES, I COMMUNICATE BY EMAIL AND PHONE. I DO MY BEST TO MANAGE MY TIME TO HELP MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE, MY FRIENDS AND FANS EVERYWHERE AND TRY TO BALANCE IT ALL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.

CS: When did you feel called to perform like this? AT 17 What made you decide to become a performer and why music?

CY: I ALWAYS KNEW I HAD A GOD GIVEN TALENT MUSICALLY AND IT TOOK A LOT OF PULLING AND DRAWING FROM GOD FOR ME TO GIVE UP ON STAGE FEARS, BEING SOLO, AND JUMPING INTO IT. GOD HAD GIVEN ME BOLDNESS WHEN I WAS ONCE SHY. SO NOW, I AM BOLD FOR HIM AND I USE MY TALENTS FOR HIM.

CS: What is the message you are trying to get across with your music?

CY: I ENJOY GIVING PEOPLE MUSIC BECAUSE MUSIC IS ENERGY. BUT THE MAIN MESSAGE IN MY MUSIC ALWAYS GOES BACK AND CENTERS ON JESUS WHO IS FIRST IN EVERYTHING. BUT I TRY TO DO IT STRATEGICALLY SO THAT I CAN MOTIVATE CHRISTIANS AS WELL AS BE ABLE TO REACH THE LOST WITH IT AND HAVE IT BALANCED OUT SO THAT I DRAW THEM IN, WITHOUT TURNING THEM OFF.

CS: What is the biggest thing you have learned from performing and ministering through music?

CY: THE BIGGEST THING I'VE LEARNED I GUESS IS HOW TO DEAL WITH LARGE AUDIENCES AND SMALL AUDIENCES. IT'S MADE ME A BETTER COMMUNICATOR AND BETTER SPEAKER IN FRONT OF AUDIENCES.

CS: What is the hardest thing about ministering through music?

CY: THE HARDEST THING IS PROBABLY THE VALUE THAT SOME PEOPLE PLACE ON YOU BY ME BEING A GOSPEL RAP ARTIST. THEY WANT YOU AND ENJOY YOU BUT SOMETIMES CERTAIN PEOPLE DON'T VALUE OR THEY HAVE A PRECEPTION SINCE MOST GOSPEL RAP ARTIST DON'T SOUND TOO GOOD, I TRY TO LET THEM KNOW THAT I'M DIFFERENT. I'M ABOUT SERVING GOD WITH HIGH QUALITY AND PLACE VALUE IN WHAT I'M DOING.

CS: Do you ever get criticized for your lyrics or your music style?

CY: NO, I HAVEN'T BEEN CRITICIZED YET. MOST PEOPLE LOVE MY LYRICS AND I'VE GOTTEN AN EXCELLENT RESPONSE THUS FAR. I'M MY BIGGEST CRITIC. :)

CS: Who, or what, are your biggest musical influences?

CY: GROWING UP I LISTENED TO SFC, GOSPEL GANGSTAZ, LPG, FREEDOM OF SOUL, T-BONE, MIKE-E, SO I'VE ALWAYS LISTENED TO GOSPEL RAP GROWING UP BECAUSE MY PARENTS WOULDN'T ALLOW ANYTHING ELSE.

CS: Who are some of the groups you have performed with and what did you think of them?

CY: ENOCK, KNOWDAVERBS, TRE9, SOULFRUIT, STIKK, FBI, HOLSEY, LIL RASKULL, AND MANY OTHERS AND I THOUGHT THEY ARE ALL GREAT PEOPLE.

CS: Do you have an accountability partner or prayer partner to keep you encouraged and uplifted?

CY: MY WIFE IS MY BIGGEST. BUT YES I DO.

CS: Do you have any advice to give to the youth of our world?

CY: IF YOU PUT CHRIST FIRST OVER YOUR DESIRES, HE'LL REPLACE THOSE DESIRES WITH HIS DESIRES AND GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. HE'LL MAKE THINGS HAPPEN FOR YOU ON EARTH, AND GIVE YOU ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN.

To pick up your own copy of Cy's latest album please visit: http://www.dasouth.com/muchluvv or go to your nearest Lifeway store