In this expansive conversation, writer and creator Prince Shakur traces the evolution of his political, creative, and personal journeys from being a precocious kid entering college early to becoming a sharp, imaginative voice on YouTube and in contemporary literature. Prince reflects on the early days of his channel, how experimenting online shaped his storytelling, and how technical growth allowed him to more fully realize his creative vision.
Across the episode, we examine the pressures of the attention economy, the shifting terrain of journalism and truth-telling, and the responsibilities that come with documenting one’s own life. Prince breaks down the framework and goals behind his memoir, the role primary sources played in shaping his archive, and what he is exploring in his new essay collection. He outlines how hope, discipline, and political intuition shape his decisions, what he looks for in liberatory or emergent spaces, and how he navigates communities that fall short of the futures he imagines.
BOOKS
📚When they tell You To Be Good by Prince Shakur https://bookshop.org/a/109212/9781953534934
📚Black Reader I: On Searching for Radical Connections by Prince Shakur www.amazon.com/Black-Reader-Searching-Radical-Connections/dp/B0D7JPVXN9/
Support independent bookstores by purchasing with our affiliate link on through Bookshop.org.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:43 Who are you?
05:04 what was a young you like?
06:14 How was going into college younger than your classmates?
09:45 what was your early YouTube career like?
11:54 what has your been your journey crafting your channel?
14:56 What made you focus on YouTube as an outlet for your creative vision?
17:01 How has your technical growth impacted implementing your vision for your work?
18:34 How do you feel attention economy side effect are impacting the writing and blogging scene
21:29 what is your read on the Journalistic and truth telling part of the world right now for creators and consumers
24:30 Prince's memoir goals and framework
26:37 When doing memoir research, what primary resources did you find useful and how does that impact the archive you leave for yourself now?
29:02 With your new essay collection, what are two major themes or questions your exploring
30:02 What are you hoping to be surprised by or encounter in this writing process?
31:58 Role of Hope in your decision making
34:30 How do you approach discipline
36:48 What structures and dynamics do you look for in new political and social spaces?
38:41 How do you move through a space that doesn't have what you like to see
40:06 What kind of media scenes do you see The Dugout existing within and in community with?
44:05 What does being a revolutionary mean to you and what impact does that have on your planning?
45:55 What does rising up mean to you?
48:12 what question do you want answered before you pass?
48:23 What do you envision for your late years?
52:15 What infrastructure is needed to make the life you want to happen?
53:44 If you could time travel but only one way when are you going?
1:00:05 Bank Heist Roster: Celebrity & Fictional Character Edition
1:02:08 Last Thoughts
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