Backstage at the Austin City Limits music festival in the capital of Texas, PRIDE sat down for a chat with rapper Taylor Bennett!
The artist opened up about his coming out as bisexual, promoting self-love and positivity with his platform, getting pranked by his older brother Chance the Rapper, the massive tour he's about to embark on, and how a Twista and Faith Evans song inspired him to make music.
"There was a song by Twista and Faith Evans, it's called 'Hopeful,'" said Bennett. "I remember being nine or ten and watching that show on MTV or BET and just being like, 'Wow this guy is from the same neighborhood as me.'"
Through the power of representation, Bennett saw a new door open up for him. "Being nine years old on the south side of Chicago, it's very often that you don't know if you're gonna come home or not."
"I have a lot of friends that are definitely dead and I have a lot of friends that are also incarcerated. Growing up in Chicago, that's just a reality for a lot of people. I felt like that music was something that pushed to want to do something different and be something else and be myself at the same time."
Through music, Bennett hopes to inspire his fans. "I want to speak to people and be able to change their perspectives of how they see things and how they see their reality and let them know that they're not alone throughout this existence."
Watch the interview below!
Photo courtesy of Keenan Hairston, Austin City Limits.
