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How Producer Kitty Ca$h Is Addressing Topics Like Financial Literacy And Mental Health With Her Animated Series

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If the events of this past year have brought anything to light, it’s that the Black community has no shortage of storytellers. New to these ranks is DJ and producer Kitty Ca$h. She’s the host of Kitty’s World, a 3D animated series that touches on a wide range of issues from financial literacy to mental health. The series’ second season is set to premiere today on YouTube at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.

“I am so excited and thankful that we were able to come back with another season,” Kitty Ca$h tells For(bes) The Culture. “This season we are exploring everything from financial literacy to Black women in music and friendships. We will also discuss topics that are currently at the forefront of pop culture like Clubhouse and dating in 2021. You know I love to have balance between politics, music and culture in Kitty's World.”

Kitty's World is no stranger to embracing diversity with an all Black woman writing team and a Black trans woman behind the animation on the show. The series, with supporters including Kerby Jean-Raymond, Joey Bada$$, MarcLamont Hill and Summer Walker, was launched in partnership with YouTube as part of its #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, which strives to support Black creatives by magnifying their voices and stories. Other projects to come out of this fund, include HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard and Barbershop MedicineKitty’s World, seen through the lens of a Black woman, will cover issues affecting Black women including music, friendships and financial literacy as well as pop culture-relevant topics such as Clubhouse and dating in 2021.

“We are committed to amplifying Black voices and perspectives on YouTube, alongside a commitment to doing better as a platform to protect Black creators, artists and users,” says Brittany Lewis, artist relations manager of YouTube Music. “Since announcing the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, we’ve been doing a lot of work behind-the-scenes to bring these commitments to life because we believe when we center Black and other diverse voices, we reflect back the power of our global community. Of course, these efforts will not end with the Fund. This work is a reflection of our core values and will continue to be an integral part of our mission at YouTube”

The inspiration for the series was born out of Kitty Ca$h’s want to promote mental health, happiness and healing amid the pandemic. The series has and will continue to focus on wellness in its second season. 

“Life as I knew it as an international DJ stopped in March of 2020,” says Kitty Ca$h. “My self worth and purpose was questioned and I never felt so lost in my life. So I had to create my happiness again. “I went back to a place that brought me pure joy, the era when I had no worries and I would run home to watch 106 & Park, Cita's World, Rap City The Basement and TRL. Those memories allowed me to ideate and water the seed that blossomed into Kitty's World. I wanted to create a safe space to have socially conscious discourse without judgement or pretension through entertainment.” 

As we usher in a new age of digital media, brought in large part by the pandemic, shows like Kitty’s World will continue to serve as examples of the power of Black storytelling.

“Music has always been used as a gateway for change and conversation and I see Kitty’s World as the hub for it within all Black communities including all socioeconomic backgrounds as well as CIS, LGBTQ+ communities,” says Kitty Ca$h.  “It was very important for me when creating this show  to highlight Black women in the digital landscape of animation and bridging that gap between entertainment and music, a space where we usually are not safe or championed.”

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