Houston child counselor becomes a part-time rapper

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A local child therapist now has a rather surprising second job. This full time therapist is now also a part time performer. She says it's actually helping her connect better with her patients.            

By day Yvette Cornish is a licensed professional counselor for some of the most damaged kids in Houston. 

”A lot of my kids get stuck in depression, in not having family, poor support system, horrible history of abuse. That does not have to define you,” says Cornish.  

One look at her and you’ll likely notice the therapist looks more like a rapper, perhaps because she is that too.  By night this counselor goes by Genesis Blu.  Thirteen years into her counseling career she launched her rap career, won a contest by Matthew Knowles and she was signed to a local label.

Cornish says the two worlds, rapping and counseling actually aren't that different. “They seem far apart but it's really all healing. I don't know anybody who doesn't listen to music.”  

Large encouraging words hang in her office but they aren't just decoration. Faith, love, family and laughter are important to her. Cornish is what's called an inspirational rapper.  She says even as a kid she loved helping people and rapping.

“And my mom said 'you should really focus on school' and boy did I focus on school. I stayed in school forever, right.  Bachelor's, Master's and PhD but in the middle of my dissertation I felt I was in the wrong place,” Cornish says.

So here she is continuing to counsel kids, write lyrics, rap and inspire. 

”You could be very hopeless and lost but you can still find your way at any point in life.  Here I am an adult with a full time job who doesn't have to be rapping but it's my dream and I love it,” she smiles.

Cornish says the kids find it encouraging to know she was off track at one point as a child after she was overcome with anger when her grandmother died but was able to get back on the right path. 

You can see this therapist/hip hop artist perform at the March for Black Women Houston on March 3, 2018, at Emancipation Park.