Cy Young

Cy Young Biography

Originally from the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, Cy moved to North Carolina before relocating in the D.C. area. He began honing his writing skills in New York, and upon his arrival in Maryland, became an integral part of the area's hip hop and spoken word poetry scenes. Cy began to build his reputation as a frequent participant in open-mic sessions, which allowed him the opportunity to practice his skills on audiences. It was at one of these open-mics that Kevin Brown, a producer and emcee with DJ Jazzy Jeff's production crew, A Touch of Jazz, became one of the first people to recognize Cy's ability. After the session, Brown gave the emcee a beat tape. The two have been collaborating ever since. With Kevin, Cy started down the appear-on-a-bunch-of-other-folks's songs-to-further-build-your-reputation" path to success. Cy appeared on the "The Rebirth,"the Brown-produced lead single from Jeff's The Magnificent. (BBE Records, 2002). Heralded by many as one of the tightest records in ages, it was played by hip hop DJs across the globe. Cy appeared on two other Kevin Brown tracks on The Magnificent : "How We Do," featuring Shaun Stockman of Boyz II Men fame, and "We Are," featuring Raheem DeVaughn. Cy continued his collaborative efforts by dropping verses to heat up the remix of Critically Acclaimed's "Flashback" (Up Above Records, 2002), and Kevin's second 12-inch release, "Nitefall" (Up Above Records, 2003). Cy's body of work was already receiving modest commercial radio support when opportunity knocked again. A Wu-Tang Clan affiliate dropped out of the production of a commercial for Downtown Locker Room, a popular urban clothing retailer with more than 30 stores between Baltimore and Atlanta. The chain planned a TV and radio blitz, but without an emcee to rhyme on the radio spots, their plans were in limbo. Cy jumped at the chance to fill in, saving the campaign, and earning himself further mainstream exposure in several markets. Cy loves to perform, putting so much energy into his on-stage presentation that he was once known to lose his voice by night's end. Cy has already appeared on many television and radio programs, has ripped venues and stages on multiple continents, and has received much respect from the critics. Music Monthly claims that "The Rebirth" is one of the best hip hop songs's in ages." Hiphopsite.com declares that Cy's is a name you will be hearing from in the future...[Cy] is en fuego. "Once you've heard him for yourself, we're sure you'll agree.