Photo of Robb Bank$ by Jeremiah Efird, Tony Shhnow by Jamil Harris. Photo illustration by Crystal Simone for Okayplayer.
Pursuit of Happiness: Robb Banks and Tony Shhnow on Navigating Their Emotions
Welcome to Pursuit of Happiness, Okayplayer's new series where artists break down how they maintain their mental health journeys. For this week’s edition, Robb Bank$ and Tony Shhnow get real about maintainning a healthy state of mind.
Robb Banks
For years now, Robb Banks has been one of the most imaginative forces in the Florida rap underground. Sifting through dystopian aesthetics, he’s had to make sense of his feelings, too. One month after dropping his i think i might be happy, pt. 2 project, Bank$ chops it up with Okayplayer to break down how he deals with his mental health.
Robb Banks: When seeing negativity, I talk to family and read books. I’ve always been very brooding and a bit of a pessimist, especially when I was a kid. But as I grew up, I realized real life is already pessimistic enough. So the best thing I can do is be positive and do my best and hope for the best. My mental health is constantly improving. It’s a process. When you’re facing mental health issues, take a long hard look at yourself. Even when you know you’re not gonna like what you see. Friends going through mental health issues can pray or call my phone.
Tony Shhnow
Merging agile flows with dismissive confidence, Tony Shhnow makes the plugg genre his playground. The Atlanta stylist has been holding things down for a while now, and five months removed from dropping his Out the Woods project, he keeps it real on how he manages his varying emotions.
Tony Shhnow: When it comes to the internet, I just go offline. In real life I’ll play some rain sounds, meditate and partake in the devil's lettuce. I started taking my attention away from the struggle of something and realized the bliss in finally overcoming a struggle. My mental health is like Georgia weather lol. I can’t really predict it. For friends going through mental health issues, I make sure to be there for them in person and I tell them that they’re not alone.
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