Haynie

For this Milwaukee-bred artist, the struggle was real. Growing up, Haynie wrestled with insecurity and self-doubt, yet he always found solace in music. Throughout his youth, he turned to music, specifically hip-hop, for therapy and comfort.

“I used to be the kind of person that was shy, and afraid to tell people how I felt” — Haynie
Inspired by 2Pac, Prince, and Michael Jackson, Haynie discovered early on that he can stay independent and still succeed in the music industry. After releasing two albums with his band Generations Field in 2008 and 2015, Haynie stepped out on his own to pursue a solo career. In August 2018 his track “Face Over Fear” successfully completed the Younk Hit Funding stage as an Experts Choice. One of those experts is Don Grierson, co-founder of Younk . Having been Head of A&R at both Capitol Records, where he was Vice-President, and Sony, where he was the Senior Vice-President, he helped discover and nurture many acts who became household names: Celine Dion, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Megadeth, Heart, Cheap Trick, Kenny Rogers, The Jacksons and a long list of others. Now it’s time for Haynie.

Haynie and Don Grierson
Produced and directed by Jensen Reed and Ben Giroux, the “Faith Over Fear” video finds Haynie facing and overcoming his fears with “faith, vision, and courage.” Whether it’s an eviction, a tumultuous family life or a stint in the mental hospital, Haynie inspires and encourages his listeners to embrace the struggle and turn it into victory. Check out the video here:

“You’re gonna have bad days,” he says. “Be aware of that, and learn how to deal with things by believing in yourself and your ability to rise above obstacles. Don’t worry about what other people think. I use my music as therapy, knowing it will help others rise up out of their troubles and realize there is hope.” - medium

Up to 70 percent of the world’s music market is controlled by three major labels — Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. As a burgeoning artist, it almost seems impossible to break into the industry.

That’s where Younk comes in. As the world’s first community music label on blockchain, Younk allows users to participate in creating new hits and be involved in co-producing process.

“In a very few words, blockchain is an inevitable decentralizing power, a new technology which preserves information in smart contracts, the kind of digital vaults, which are extremely difficult to rob,” founder Andrey Dakhovskyy explains to HipHopDX. “Practically, it means that once community agrees on the rules of the game they want to play, it’s put in a smart contract and from that moment, it works automatically, beyond anyone’s control.”

So what are the benefits for artists who join Younk? According to co-founder Don Grierson, who has an extensive history in the music industry, it can provide an ideal launching pad for new music.

“In my many years in the music industry, and in positions where I — as an A&R head — made the yes/no decisions as which artist the label should sign, there has never been a process whereby the public/community were in a position to decide which artist they believed should be signed/supported. Starting with A&R, someone at a label was always ‘filtering’ the creative community.

“Younk changes that. The creative public/community can now upload their music to the Younk platform and the general public can vote via ‘likes,’ which artist should be supported and released. They can support their favorite track with bucks converted to YNK bucks. If that track is successful, based upon the amount of support they funded, they can participate in the bonuses returns of that success.”

Dakhovskyy adds, “The idea of the platform was sparked by decentralization ideology of blockchain. Knowing industry from the inside we must say -it’s heavily unnecessary centralized.

The arrival of internet has changed the way music is distributed, but hasn’t changed anything in how labels are looking for new hits, which is core of their business.”

Younk illustration 1
Artists from any genre are eligible for Younk. From Hip Hop and rock to pop and country, nothing is off limits.

“It’s very early days in the process of the public/community supporting artists via Younk,” Grierson says. “There is one Hip Hop artist that has had a very serious response named Haynie and his first release, ‘Faith Over Fear’ about to be released. We have just shot a video and that will be released and supported by Younk.” - Hiphopdx

Milwaukee-bred artist Haynie wrestled with insecurity and self-doubt growing up but always found solace in music. He drew inspiration from artists such as KRS-One, 2Pac, Master P, Prince, Michael Jackson and the smooth, soothing sounds of Motown.

After releasing two albums with his band Generations Field in 2008 and 2015, Haynie stepped out on his own to pursue a solo career. Luckily, Haynie discovered early on that one can truly stay independent but still succeed in the music industry. Now, he’s on a mission to prove that with his new video “Faith Over Fear” via Younk.com.

“I used to be the kind of person that was shy, and afraid to be tell people how I felt,” Haynie tells HipHopDX. “I broke out of that mold with my music. Once I believed in myself, I no longer would allow certain things to take over my life.

“I changed my mindset, practiced every day, like a religion or like brushing your teeth in the morning and night. It became my routine.”


Produced and directed by Jensen Reed and Ben Giroux, the “Faith Over Fear” visual finds Haynie confronting his weaknesses and overcoming them with “faith, vision and courage.” Whether it’s an eviction, a tumultuous family life or stint in the mental hospital, Haynie encourages his listeners to embrace the struggles and turn them into victories.

“You’re gonna have bad days,” he says. “Be aware of that and learn how to deal with things by believing in yourself and your ability to rise over obstacles and not worry about what other people think. I use my music as therapy knowing it will help others rise up out of their troubles and recognize there is hope.”


Watch the “Faith Over Fear” video above, stream the single on Spotify and find more information about Haynie at Younk.com . - Hiphopdx