CUSH I KUSHANTI
Artist Profile
Cush I Kushanti (born Timothy White), professionally known as Kushanti T. White, is a New York-rooted Hip-Hop, Reggae and World Music artist, singer-songwriter and poet whose creative expression extends into music production, audio engineering, acting, entrepreneurship, and cultural advocacy.
As an artist, Kushanti uses that perspective to bridge generations, cultures, and musical traditions through sound and message. His work moves naturally between the lyricism and raw expression of Hip-Hop, the consciousness and spiritual foundation of Reggae, and the broader rhythms and influences of African-Caribbean and World Music.
Origins & Musical Vision
Raised in the cultural landscape of New York City, Kushanti discovered storytelling and poetic wordplay early, initially using writing and music to overcome shyness and communicate thoughts and emotions he found difficult to express otherwise.
The grit, lyricism, and storytelling of 1980s–90s Hip-Hop became intertwined with the spiritual consciousness and rhythmic foundation of Roots and Culture Reggae. Those foundations eventually expanded into a broader musical language incorporating African-Caribbean rhythms, Soul, World Music, and contemporary production.
His music is grounded in truth, humility, resilience, consciousness, liberation, and upliftment—connecting the realities of urban experience with cultural memory, spiritual exploration, and a continuing search for identity and purpose.
Performance, Film & Creative Work
Kushanti has carried that musical identity onto New York stages including The Knitting Factory, Best Buy Theater, Sullivan Hall, and Le Poisson Rouge, bringing the conviction and cultural energy of his recordings into live performance.
He was also a featured member of The Chosen, the 2009 Hip-Hop/Soul Reggaelutionary Band of the Year, appearing on “Survival,” a musical response created in solidarity with Haiti following the devastating earthquake.
His independent catalog includes the 2014 EP From the Lineages of Cush and its single “Early Rising,” featuring his niece Destiny, along with subsequent recordings including “Lion’s Mane,” “Bad Mind,” and an evolving body of independent work spanning Reggae, Hip-Hop, Soul, and World Music.
Kushanti’s recording “I’m A King” was featured in the 2017 film Call Me King, expanding his creative work into the intersection of independent music and cinema.
In 2022, he moved further into acting, co-starring as the character Cross in the digital urban-action series She’s Broken. His continuing creative development encompasses music, acting, visual storytelling, film production, and emerging forms of media.
Artist, Engineer & Producer
Behind the artist is an accomplished technical creative. Kushanti is a Grammy-nominated audio engineer, producer, songwriter, and production technologist, giving him an unusually complete relationship with the recording process—from songwriting, arrangement, and performance through recording, vocal production, editing, mixing, mastering, and final delivery.
Rather than separating artistry from engineering, he approaches the studio as an extension of the creative process. His understanding of both sides of the microphone allows him to shape records from their earliest concepts through their finished sonic identity while maintaining the emotional intention of the performance.
His collaborations span across global talent, including Yvad, and the late Denroy Morgan—testaments to his reputation for excellence and versatility.
On “Bad Mind,” Kushanti served as record producer and engineer, with the underlying instrumentation/riddim attributed to Jamaican producer DJ Frass. This distinction reflects Kushanti’s broader production approach: shaping the finished recording and artistic vision while collaborating with, licensing, or building upon music created within the international Reggae and Caribbean production ecosystem.
His professional journey has also placed him within creative circles involving artists, producers, musicians, engineers, and entertainment professionals throughout New York and the wider Caribbean-influenced music community, contributing to an artistic perspective that is simultaneously independent, technical, and culturally connected.
Entrepreneurship & Creative Leadership
Kushanti’s creative life extends beyond his individual recording career. He is Founder and CEO of SoundBendaz Int’l, a creative technology company integrating music production, audio engineering, media production, and emerging technologies to support artists, creators, and independent projects.
His broader entrepreneurial history includes leadership and development associated with BlakkAlpha Sound Productions & Publishing, GreenCloudz Collective, and Melodream Entertainment.
Through these ventures, Kushanti has continued developing an independent ecosystem where artistry, engineering, production, technology, and enterprise operate as interconnected disciplines. His objective is not simply to participate in the evolving music industry, but to build sustainable creative infrastructure capable of carrying ideas from concept through production, media, and release.
Community, Culture & Legacy
Beyond entertainment, Kushanti’s professional and personal journey has included extensive work in youth development, counseling, vocational instruction, leadership development, mentorship, and community advocacy throughout New York City.
For more than a decade, his work with young people placed him directly within communities where creativity, opportunity, accountability, and personal transformation were not abstract ideas, but everyday realities. Those experiences continue to inform the consciousness behind his music and his understanding of the responsibility that comes with having a platform.
As a father, artist, mentor, engineer, entrepreneur, and cultural advocate, Kushanti’s perspective has also been shaped by family, personal loss, resilience, spiritual exploration, and the continuing pursuit of cultural identity. These experiences give deeper meaning to his belief that music can function as more than entertainment—it can preserve memory, challenge thought, restore confidence, and connect people across generations.
As Cush I Kushanti continues expanding across music, film, technology, and global creative collaboration, the mission remains constant:
To revitalize mind, body, and soul through sound, spirit, culture, and legacy.