Raised in a strict household in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Cydel Young wasn't allowed to even listen to hip-hop or rap until he was 12 years old. Despite this fairly late introduction, he immediately took to the genre and began freestyling in high school. After releasing a few mixtapes under the Cyhi Da Prynce moniker, he grabbed the attention of both Def Jam Records and Kanye West. With support from these heavyweights and a joint record deal with Def Jam and West's label Good Music, the rapper received quite a bit of hype surrounding the release of his debut album in 2011.
