An Interview With Edward Sylvan
The music industry needs to create a genre of music called “clean rap” or redefine the use of the word “clean.” Currently a rap song is either labeled explicit or clean. The “clean” song is essentially still explicit since only certain words are bleeped out. If I had my way, a “clean rap” song would be a track where no words are edited out at all. Think “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X or “Where is the Love?” by Black Eyed Peas or “Summertime” by Will Smith. There are so few options of mainstream PG and positive rap songs (outside of religious rap) and we need more!
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Young Mommy.
Young Mommy is more than a dedicated mother, she is an innovator launching a rap revolution. Breaking barriers with her content, Young Mommy’s brand of non-explicit music has put her at the forefront of what she coins, a “clean rap movement.” This gifted hip-hop talent and mom of 4, is shifting the landscape of what parents can consume with their children around. Her releases are not just for mothers with kids though, her work is for all rap music lovers that are looking for a female rap sound without the hypersexual language and messaging.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
I never thought when I graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in Poli Sci followed up with a PR degree that I’d end up pursuing rap as a career! I realized 7 years into PR and Marketing at various companies that my true calling was actually motherhood. After my first kid I became pregnant with another within a year and never returned to the corporate world. A few years later around 2011 I was at a women’s event in Vancouver, Canada. I was lying on the floor of a downtown loft with about 20 other women. We were asking the Universe why the heck we were here on earth and what our authentic purpose was. I knew it wasn’t PR. In the silent meditation I heard a voice whisper directly in my ear: “create clean rap music.” I haven’t looked back since.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What was the lesson or takeaway you took out of that story?
Last year I got the attention of some prominent people in the music industry who I thought were really going to help advance my dream. It was very slow going but finally after a sporadic six months of Zooms and calls I was invited out to LA to record a single they had lined up for me. I wasn’t consulted on the lyrics and was hoping for a collaborative approach. I didn’t fully love it and voiced my views but was told this was best. We recorded the song at their famous studio where a lot of the greats have made records. I gave it all I had. Due to a Covid blow-up in LA things got derailed and nothing ever happened with the song. The takeaway I learned is that we must always maintain control of our vision and speak up if it doesn’t feel in alignment. Relying on others to move our dream means it only moves when they move. We must be cautious with whom we choose to partner with and make sure it’s a good fit early on! My gut was off a number of times but I let the woo of celebrity override my intuition.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
My top advice to young people is to take the time to figure out your calling as soon as possible. Look back at your childhood. What did you love to do that made time stand still? What do you love to do that you could make a business out of? Once you commit to a direction then stay committed and don’t waver. Don’t let the voice of others be louder than your own. Retain your power. Have a plan. Be consistent. Hire help in the areas you don’t excel in. Hire a coach. Be selective with who you share your dream with. Invest in yourself. Never quit, have faith and keep going no matter what. Bonus: Read “The High Five Habit,” by Mel Robbins as soon as possible!
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
The person who has made the most profound impact in my life is actually my husband, Sean. If I didn’t have someone as God-focused and spiritual as Sean by my side I don’t know where I’d be. I had a very difficult life until my late 20s and after marrying him my life changed for the better. Sean was raised in a solid family and taught me about trusting God with my life and that everything would be okay as long as I prayed and surrendered my life and destiny to God. Sean is extremely successful and respected by everyone he works with. It is an absolute blessing to be married to someone you admire because it provides you with a daily example of how to do life.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
We currently give 10% of our family’s monthly income to causes, people and organizations we believe in. As my Young Mommy brand increases I plan on creating a Foundation to help impoverished children around the world. For example, we have sponsored children with Food for the Hungry for over a decade and I would love to visit some of the communities in Africa and Haiti that we have supported. It is very important to me to teach our children about giving back no matter how much is in our bank account.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
My first 2 kids were about 2 and 3 years of age when the younger one came up to me with a scarf wrapped around her chest saying, “I’m Nicki Minaj!” It was at that moment I realized that my kids were emulating artists they were watching on YouTube. I can’t remember if YouTube Kids was out yet but from then on I made sure they could only watch kids shows and no more popular music videos. I also realized that sadly I could no longer listen to rap music with them around. They were starting to repeat words and phrases even in the “cleaned up” edits of songs (such as “music makes me high”) that were not okay for their age to be repeating. So it truly was my children that sparked my mission to create PG commercial rap.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
One of my top ten life moments happened while emceeing a girls event similar to WE Day called G Day, which celebrates and empowers tween girls as they transition into adolescence. After leading the day-long event one of the participants and her friend came up to me and said they prepared a rap for me! I was so touched and I felt like my rap performance inspired them to create their own. Another more recent event was when I was approached by a school supervisor who asked if I could help her struggling teen. She loved to rap and thought I could help her with songwriting. I was able to provide a safe space for her to share some very graphic lyrics about her wanting to cut herself and the pain of various family challenges. The gravity of her situation was out of my comfort zone at first, but we worked through the lyrics together and it really made an impact on her artistic process.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
- The music industry needs to create a genre of music called “clean rap” or redefine the use of the word “clean.” Currently a rap song is either labeled explicit or clean. The “clean” song is essentially still explicit since only certain words are bleeped out. If I had my way, a “clean rap” song would be a track where no words are edited out at all. Think “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X or “Where is the Love?” by Black Eyed Peas or “Summertime” by Will Smith. There are so few options of mainstream PG and positive rap songs (outside of religious rap) and we need more!
- Music streamers like Spotify, Alexa and Google need to get better AI tech that returns clean rap songs when a user requests it. So many times my kids say, “Hey Google, play such and such song, clean version,” and the explicit version plays. Does anyone else have this issue or is it just me?!
- We need the FCC, YouTube and music audio streaming companies to better protect kids from explicit music. It is way too much work for parents to regulate our kids and what they are watching and listening to. With kids having devices glued to their hands and parents working so much it’s impossible to monitor the songs and music videos our kids are consuming, even with the advent of parental controls. It’s too complicated! We need to start a movement to protect kids from explicit music that is meant for mature audiences.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”
- The road to your dreams isn’t a straight line, expect lots of bumps and detours.
- Believing in yourself needs to be your TOP priority or you’ll always be looking to others for validation.
- Believe it to see it, not the other way around.
- Surround yourself with other dreamers, visionaries and people who support you.
- Heal your childhood crap ASAP through any means or it will hinder your progress.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
See above where I talk about creating a clean rap movement and protecting kids from explicit music!
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
The following quote is my favorite passage of all time. For years I hid my true spirit and desire to perform. I listened to voices outside myself and shrunk to avoid criticism. I made career choices to please others. I chose to honor the world over God’s calling on my life. I’m so glad I came back to myself and this quote helped so much:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Will.i.am, Ellen, Gwen Stefani, PINK, Katy Perry, Will Smith, Richard Branson and any other philanthropists or angel investor who would want to support my clean rap dream and music career!
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Thank you!
Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Young Mommy Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.