From the streets to millions of YouTube views, Forever Lit Zay is turning life lessons into opportunities. Armed with ambition, authenticity, and an unwavering belief in his potential, the rising content creator has built a platform that gives overlooked voices a chance to be heard.
With more than 3 million views and growing aspirations in entertainment and business, Zay is determined to turn his momentum into lasting success.
What inspired you to pursue a career in entertainment and content creation?
I’ve done music production, making beats and things like that. But right now, I’m focusing more on content creation, particularly YouTube.
With so many people pursuing careers in content creation, how do you set yourself apart?
My plan is to stay authentic with my content. I don’t know too many of my peers who necessarily do the type of content I create. Of course, there are a lot of people covering street culture, but the way I got started and how my career took off came from being authentic and sticking to my plan.
That’s what sets me apart from everyone else. There are plenty of people doing YouTube, but I feel my content is more authentic because it comes from real-life experiences.
What was the path that led you to begin your YouTube channel?
A close friend of mine named Dream Foreign started doing YouTube about four or five years ago. I was always supporting his content, whether it was reposting his videos or helping with whatever he needed. I actually went to Los Angeles for the first time because of him. He had an opportunity to go out there, create content, network, and explore other avenues. Eventually, he told me, “Hey, bro, you’ve got a little motion going on with your clothing brand and the other things you’re doing. Why don’t you give YouTube a try?”
So I decided to try it, and things eventually took off. My first video that really did numbers reached 10,000 views. That shocked me because I didn’t think I could create something that would reach that many people. Over time, I just kept growing. Now, I’ve accumulated more than 3 million views on my channel in about a year.
A lot of your content focuses on the Crips and street culture. Why did you choose that particular subject matter?
My content started with covering stories about the streets, gangs, and things like that. But it began shifting when I started doing interviews. My first interview was with someone from California who was starting to gain attention. He reached out because he wanted to work with me. I ended up falling in love with the interview process. From there, I started doing more interviews, whether in person or over the phone, and giving people opportunities to tell their stories. One of my first in-person interviews was with someone from Houston named Reno. He had recently come home from prison and was rebuilding his music career. I gave him an opportunity to share his story.
After the interview, he told me how much he appreciated having a platform to tell his story. At that moment, I knew this was something I wanted to continue doing. Eventually, I went to Houston for the first time through networking with people I’d interviewed. While I was there, someone reached out and asked me to showcase their neighborhood, so I did a hood vlog. That’s when my content started shifting from simply covering things happening in the streets to giving people a platform to tell their stories. I know a lot of my content is related to street culture and gangs, but my focus is really on allowing people to share their experiences.
Everybody wants to go viral, but building an audience takes more than one successful video. What do you think makes your content connect with people?
Like I said before, it comes from an authentic place. My content is heartfelt because I understand people from different backgrounds. When I started networking and connecting with more people nationwide, I realized we’re all the same in a sense. We just come from different walks of life. I think that’s why people connect with me. I’m not someone who just sits behind a computer talking about situations I’ve never experienced. There are people creating this type of content who have never experienced the struggles of growing up in the streets or being involved in that lifestyle and making it out.
That’s my story. I come from the streets, and I’ve turned my experiences into something legitimate through content creation. Now, I’m continuing to grow. I believe people recognize that. Even when they’re from different states, they can relate because we’ve experienced similar situations, just in different ways.
Social media makes success look effortless. What are some challenges you face as a creator that your followers might not know about?
Probably staying consistent while trying to balance my personal life with content creation. People don’t always see what happens behind the scenes. You have to manage everything going on in your personal life while making sure you’re consistently putting out content.
Finding that balance and keeping everything moving can be challenging.
How are you approaching brand partnerships, monetization, and turning your platform into something sustainable?
Right now, I’m focused on continuing to build. One thing I’ve learned is that when you establish yourself as a brand, opportunities start coming to you. I’m learning that as I go. I’ve had other platforms and brands reach out to me because I’m building something for myself. When it comes to monetization, it’s really about staying consistent and continuing to grow until content creation becomes a legitimate, full-time career.
I’m focused on building value in myself and my brand so that opportunities come naturally. I want to reach a point where people recognize what I’m doing and want to work with me without me always having to reach out first.
How do you deal with negative feedback while protecting your peace of mind?
One thing I learned from my close friend Dream Foreign when I first started YouTube is that you can’t please everybody. Once you understand that, navigating social media becomes easier. No matter what you do, somebody is going to have something negative to say. You can be as positive as possible, and there will still be people who criticize you.
You have to accept that and keep going. For me, it’s about remembering why I’m doing this. My goal is to build something legitimate, take care of my family, and support the people around me. I’m not doing this to please everybody. Along the way, I’ve received a lot of love and support, and that outweighs the negativity.
Urban Magazine: As your platform continues to grow, are there other areas in entertainment or business you would like to explore?
ForeverLit Zay: Definitely. Now that I’m spending more time in front of the camera and getting more comfortable with it, I want to explore acting.
I’d love to get into skits and different acting roles.
I also want to create more fitness content because I’m a gym head. I’m always working out.
Those are the two areas I really want to explore next: acting and fitness.
I’m also working toward expanding my content beyond street-related topics. That’s where I started, and those are my roots, but I understand the importance of exploring other avenues as my brand grows.
Where do you see yourself in the immediate future, and how would you like your brand to develop?
Ultimately, I want my brand to grow to the point where content creation becomes my full-time job. I want to be able to focus on creating content, generate enough revenue to take care of my family, and continue building my brand. I never imagined I’d reach this level of success with YouTube, but that’s what happens when you take a chance. I took an opportunity, and things started growing. I believe I’m going to be huge if I keep going and stay consistent.
I have friends in the YouTube space who are already very successful, and they continue to encourage me to keep going. I’m learning as I grow, and I want to expand into different areas of entertainment and business. I’ve also started getting attention from magazines. A publication in Miami recently reached out to me about doing an interview, and that’s another sign that things are moving in the right direction.
One of my goals is to be on a magazine cover someday. That’s definitely on my bucket list, and I’m working toward making it happen. My ultimate goal is to make content creation a full-time career while continuing to grow my brand.
Be’n Original
