This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we published "BLKBND," on the Rise of the Urban Creative, framed by the self-crafted BLK male identity, and the BND of historical brotherhood. See the full editorial here.
Then we asked each BLKBND share a piece of himself.
BLKBND 009
MUSIC ARTIST
Who are you?
I am Larry "Digital P" Ford, songwriter/music artist and CEO of Determined Entertainment. I was born in South Central California. I was raised by my single mother in the streets of Los Angeles in the late 80's.
What words do you live by?
Be determined, reliable, consistent.
Describe yourself, today, in 3 words.
Humble, Quiet, and Motivated.
Describe the man you aspire to be, 3 words.
Strong, Successful, Wealthy.
What do you fear?
I'm God-fearing.
What are you proud of?
I'm proud to be living.
What are you searching for?
I am searching for my purpose.
How will you find it?
By trusting in my Heavenly Father.
Who do you want to become? What do you want to accomplish?
A successful, independent, music mogul. I want to be able to feed the masses the right fruit of the world.
What have you created in yourself, for yourself, and of yourself, to put forth in pursuit of your creative goals?
I have created a self-motivating man within myself that can achieve any goal he puts his mind to.
What's a pivotal moment or opportunity—whether existential or circumstantial—that's brought you to where you are today, as a man and a creative?
Life experiences brought me to the path of music. I have always grown up with an appreciation for music as an art and that appreciation continues to grow within.
As a BLK male, how have you crafted the persona that you present to the world?
I pull on the past and the present and mix that with my own creativity.
Speak to your style philosophy. What does it mean to you?
Clean and bold. I always like to stand out, but remind the world what a gentlemen looks like.
The BLKBND is an agent of life. What code of behavior and knowledge does he/do you use to navigate the world as an agent of the black male identity?
Only those who are there to lose, win. You can't be afraid to fail. If you never try, you've already failed, so it's always worth the shot. This is how I navigate through life.
BLKBND also signifies a brotherhood, the bond between men who understand where they come from, and the mindful positioning of self to create success for themselves. How does that come into play in your life? What signifies success to you?
The places I have been and the experiences that I've had have made a profound impact on my life. Music is an art that I do not just hear; I live and breathe it in my soul. I am fortunate to have found a passion in life that can inspire others to bring change to the world. Success in my eyes is achieving my goals in life, and bringing a positive message to the world through my music.
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