Meet Prophet

We recently connected with Prophet and have shared our conversation below.

Prophet, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Asking “why” so many times I got sick of it. And then I kept asking some more. Then my parents applied pressure. They pushed me everyday to dig deeper and really grasp the reality of my dream: to become a rapper. They did not believe I was cut out for the pitfalls in this industry, the work ethic required to push through, or the sheer guts it takes to commit all the way. In hindsight, they wanted to test whether or not pursuing music would really make me fulfilled and happy in the end. And I’m glad they were relentless. Because I learned so much about my innate connection to music through the process. When I started making music, I felt that my passion stemmed from the profound impact music has had on me since birth; I’ve loved singing and playing instruments for as long as I can remember, so it makes perfect sense to craft a career out of that joy, right? Well, over the years I’ve come to understand that my purpose is actually way deeper than rap: I gradually discovered that forging a lifestyle centered around music and art is the only way I’ll ever be able to fall in tune with my own frequency and be as authentic as possible. Making music isn’t my purpose because it’s a means to an end, it’s my purpose because I am an artist at my core.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Prophet. I am a rapper/singer/producer from San Francisco and I love blending elements of hip-hop, R&B, and Bollywood music into one eclectic fusion. Combining the best parts of the music I grew up on and the music that started a fire in me as I got older, I am carving out my own lane with everything from conscious storytelling to sultry melodies. I take equal inspiration from Drake as I do Mohammad Rafi, and I practice Arijit Singh’s vocal runs just as much as I study Benny the Butcher’s cadence.

For the past 2 years, I have been working on by far the most impactful music I have made so far in my career. The process of working on this project pulled me out of a very dark place and helped me heal through a lot of pain. This story chronicles the challenges of being an independent artist, the anguish of heartbreak, and the confusion that comes with navigating your early 20’s. The last 2 years of my life have especially tested my faith in the process, and have forced me to unearth deeper layers to my own being. Ultimately, I have learned to be more patient with myself and treat myself to as much love as possible, because having that strong internal foundation is the best investment I can make for a healthier future. All that being said, this EP is called “Burden of Royalty” and encapsulates exactly what I feel like everyday. What it feels like to know you are destined for greatness but it feels impossible to get there. What it feels like to navigate carving your own path in unchartered terrain when few people around you can see the vision.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First, you have to be fearless. Fearless with how you carry yourself in front of the world, fearless with how you authentically create your art, fearless with how you invest in your dream. Fearless. Second, you have to be patient with yourself. Once I started logging every hour I spent working on my music, I realized what it truly means to spend 10,000 hours mastering a craft. It takes a while. Like, really long. The process of keeping a log of these hours not only serves as motivation but also taught me to pace myself on this journey. The goal isn’t to become rich and famous, it is to build a musical lifestyle that can bring me wealth, prosperity, and leverage. It takes time to do it right and you won’t end up happy by taking shortcuts, so slow down and enjoy the journey. Three, it’s important to practice being kind, because it helps you build positive relationships with all your connections, and also keeps you in check when things don’t go your way. Treating myself and the people around me with a smile and compassion actually helped me handle rejection and missed opportunities with a lot more composure. And ultimately, being an entertainer requires you to have composure, poise and stage presence.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I’m very proud of myself for learning to manage my own happiness and internal peace despite various major hurdles this year. I made it a point to take each obstacle as a spiritual challenge and teach myself how to regulate my internal balance despite all the external turbulence. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized how much is truly outside my control as an individual, so I’ve learned that the only way to be happy with my life is to build happiness brick by brick every single day. I’m training myself to be such a spiritual warrior that I can be content and fulfilled even if I don’t get anything I want from the outside. Through all the internal battles I’m fighting I remind myself that the only thing I can control is my vatavarana, my internal atmosphere. In Hinduism, a being who can fully control their internal atmosphere can also harness control over the external atmosphere; the two are understood as one and the same. My biggest area of growth has been the ability to regulate my vatavarana under very difficult circumstances, and I’m pushing myself to be sharper everyday.

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Image Credits
Parth Rathi

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