Beautiful Black Young Genius
How did you start BBYG?
I feel like it’s been in the workings my whole life. I’ve been creating since I can’t even remember. That’s my form of expression taking shape through clothes, music, art, just anything. In 2020, right when the pandemic hit, I was just in a space of feeling like I needed to be more in control of my reality. So BBYG started as a safe space for me to share what I felt was important to share, and to build a platform for others to feel comfortable to share and create and build-- build your own dream world. So that's really that's how it started, with the idea of having a safe space to create as a black woman that I have control over. Nobody's telling me ‘you have to make these products, these rings.’ It’s just what I naturally feel that I should be producing. And then making the space for other people to hold what they produce. Because that's all so important.
What does Black beauty mean to you?
The phrase that comes to mind is just always being unapologetically yourself. I feel like that is almost taboo now. In the age of social media, and just wanting to fit in and be like everybody and do what's trendy, beauty is being able to be unapologetically yourself.
It really starts with loving ourselves and making the space to appreciate all of our beauty in all of its forms. We have so many. We have a huge array of skin tones, dialects, backgrounds. There’s so much to appreciate and love.
You started out modeling. How have you had to navigate that space differently?
I'm not gonna say like, I'm the only dark skinned model. But I'm definitely, like, one of five. But you know, that diversity, and just seeing that we have beauty outside of just what the standard is, is important. But there are so many opportunities for other people to just live and be and they get thrown opportunities. But we have to, we kind of have to be a full package to get the same.
When everything with the George Floyd protests was happening a bunch of brands were reaching out and wanting to work with me, and I would do my research. I'm going through your Instagram, I've been going through your website, I've looked through everything to see just how inclusive you really are. I don't want to say that it has slowed down my work, because I've only turned down a few jobs, but I feel like I needed this break to understand my worth as a black model in this industry.
You’ve started hosting events and interviews through BBYG. What is your vision for the platform?
So for the events I work with this not for profit in Buffalo, called the community garden party. We basically grow herbs and vegetables and fruits in the garden to give people on the East side better access to nutritional foods, because on the East side of Buffalo it’s real ratchet, real ghetto. It’s a lot of liquor stores, there's a lot of fast food, our people are not even in the right mindset to even elevate themselves. And I know how hard it is, because I was that kid looking outside the car at all the lights and the concrete lots dreaming that all that pain could be something, and now through our not for profit, we are creating food for people in the community with healthy alternatives, vegan options. We’re introducing newness, introducing clarity. So we've been doing cleanups, and we even gave away at least 200 meals already, and the summer just started.
With the interviews, I have been thinking about doing interviews with people in the community just because in the media, I feel like there's this caricature of how Black people are. And outside of music and sports, we have a voice and we have real issues and things to work out within our communities. So with the interview series, I really just wanted to highlight how similar we think and how connected we are. Because the world really tries to tear us apart. They don't want us to have Black unity, they don't want us to understand our power. But that's so necessary for a person. It's so necessary for those kids and people who feel like outsiders and black sheep to know that you're not the only one because that mindset is so limiting and lonely and damaging.
Who is someone that inspired you, or helped you feel less lonely?
I’ve been studying a lot of herbs and roots, and I’ve been learning about this herb the past six months, it’s called High John the Conqueror. His story is that during slavery, he was an African Prince. When they were stolen from Africa and brought here, he always had his energy maintained, because he knew that he was royalty. During slavery, through all the bullshit, he would travel through his mind and his spirit, and controled his reality that way. Like, I don't have to sit and endure this pain, I can travel in my mind and go where my soul is yearning to be, where I'm meant to be, instead of inside of this hurt. I relate to that so much because I grew up-- I didn't know if I was gonna say this, but when I grew up I was abused. And that’s a part of my authenticity. I was mentally, physically, like, it’s very intense. I was very abused until age 18 and I moved away instantly to New York, then LA and I’m just now coming back home, and that’s why everything feels so intense for me.
How does it feel to be back home?
I had to dream a lot here. I had to really free myself a lot here. But to come back and be living my dreams, it's just another phase of healing for me, because last time I was here. I was just like High John the Conqueror. I was traveling in my mind, creating my future. So I had to come back and give back, because I’m not the only black girl who had hella traumatizing events and still made something. I’ve created a stage for myself and now it’s time to invite others to the stage to help me, so we can help each other. Because, man, community is everything. I feel like if you don't have your city behind you-- you need your people on the same wavelength as you. I don't know, Buffalo just has a certain energy.
What role did your spiritual journey play in the creation of BBYG?
My spiritual journey started like, I'd say, like 2018. Right after I had gotten into modeling and my self esteem was kind of wobbly, because I was doing castings, and was moving a lot. I felt like I needed to slow down, and really assess what I want out of this world. I was so interested in getting to the deepness of who I am as a person, because people were looking at me from the outside and having their own judgments, because of what I do. So it was very important for me to become extremely solid in who I am as a person and owning my truth so that I don't get played out here, you know. I want to be intentional about what I want to heal in myself, so that I can heal others just by living my life in my authenticity and hoping it inspires other people because that happens to me all the time. I see people being bomb, and I’m like damn bitch, you right! Like, our energy is so transferable.
And that’s why BBYG is a whole lifestyle. This is not just a business that I do on the weekends in between, like I don't work. I don't have another job. This is what I do. This is what I'm passionate about. Because it’s just something in me that don’t let me stop, but man, this is hard. I'll be crying over this shit, like as a small business, building something from the ground up, this shits just super intimate.
You’ve worked in a lot of creative mediums. How did you come to your newest additions to BBYG, the candles and jewelry?
I never want to be just one thing. I’ve just always been interested in a bunch of different things. I went to art school from fifth and twelfth grade and studied music, dance, technology, art, like all of the arts. So that's really like, that's my shit.
But when you do so much, intent is everything. Applying your intention to the simplest things can make you powerful beyond measure, and understanding my power as a person really got me started on my creative journey. I think my favorite thing now is the jewelry. I love wire-wrapping crystals. I love making candles, but candle-making is a very finicky process. When I first started BBYG, I had no clue that I would be making jewelry or anything else, but I just had to start somewhere to really grow it. I’m just a crafty bitch, I can’t even recall the moment that I was like yeah crystals. It just happened so naturally. It just found me.
What’s next for you in your journey and business?
This really is a journey, like, nothing happens overnight. People need to see that too. Oh, man, you will think that something's healed, and then you've got to go back again, really dig deep. I feel like I'm finding my own voice as well, through connecting with my community. And just through building, building period. It's a lot of transformative energy. I feel like I'm leaning more into vocal ways of expressing myself and just using my voice to share my story and experiences, like poetry and making music is very refreshing.
With BBYG it’s about creating that stage, building that stage, bringing in people to build that stage. No, because I do a lot, but I don't do everything. I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who are also super passionate about the same things I am. We're building the stage here. We're building the stage and we’re putting everybody on it.
You did release a song last summer, can we expect another ‘Stuck Up’?
That’s my baby. I got other joints like that, but it's like I need to keep it authentic. I mean it’s all authentic, but there's just so much to break down. I don't want to just be like oh, I'm a braggadocious rapper. I don't want to put myself in a box. I just do too much for that.
