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You better put Da’Vinchi on your radar! Not only is he a sight for sore eyes, the 22-year-old is wise beyond his years. He’s been through some things, but those experiences taught him valuable lessons that he hopes to pass on to our next generation of leaders. Here’s everything we learned about the uber talented Hollywood hottie inside….
You better get familiar because Da’Vinchi is just getting started!
You may know him as hottie Cash Mooney on "Grown-ish," Darnell Hayes on "All American," his stage name Da'Vinchi, or simply as Abraham D. Juste (the name his mother gave him). Not only is he making a splash in the acting world, he’s also uber popular on TikTok (with 1 million followers and counting) and he just launched his rap career!
TheYBF.com exclusively premiered his fire debut single “Bet On You,” featuring female rapper Jus.Be and it’s a total bop. In fact, Da’Vinchi told us he collaborated with her on the track to provide a beat for the kids to dance to on TikTok. Genius!
”Let’s just put a little dance element to it, make it something positive and we just see what happens,” he told TheYBF.com in an interview.
Yep, the #BETONYOUCHALLENGE is coming soon:
Da’Vinchi is ALL about positivity and inspiring the youth. With more music coming down the pipeline, you will not catch the Hollywood actor rapping about sex, drugs and violence. One thing we learned, Da’Vinchi is about that action when it comes to the kids.
The “Grown-ish” star revealed he adopted an all-boys charter school (grades 4th - 6th) in Washington D.C. to become a mentor in an effort to inspire the young, black, male students. However, he wasn’t exactly prepared to hear what one child told him during his first visit at the school.
”I was just there and I finally got to meet the kids last week,” he told TheYBF.com. “One of the kids said to me because of all the shooting that’s going on, ‘I wish I was white.’ I just had to pull him to the side and tell him despite all of this nonsense going on, we’re still dope as hell. We’re KINGS. Not all of us are getting shot. There’s some of us out there, we’re telling a different story. We’re fighting against it. He was really listening because he’s looking at me like ‘This black kid is on TV and I look like him.’ So, it was just amazing. I mean you can’t change the world, but if I can make a difference in some of the kids’ lives that’s all that really matters.
We’re not crying, you are! It’s heartbreaking to learn that this is how our young, black children are feeling during these times, but we’re thankful there are celebs like Da’Vinchi who take time out of their busy schedules to make an impact on our future because it's important.
Turns out, his upbringing is why he holds children so close to his heart. Growing up in Brooklyn, he said he used to commit crimes because, well, he had no other choice. He became a juvenile delinquent after he was caught with stolen property.
”I only did the crimes because I HAD to. But, I just want them to know you can get out of that,” he explained. “So, that’s kind of what I want to be. I just want to be an inspiration to the youth. Adults – a lot of adults are already stuck in their ways, so if I can get the kids, I feel like that’s really it.”
After the sudden and tragic passing of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, Da’Vinchi really started to ponder what he wanted his legacy to be.
”I want to inspire the kids and try to shift the mindset of our future leaders,” he shared. “I feel like the world promotes a certain way of living that sometimes I don’t think is necessary to constantly bombard the youth with that because you’re programming them a certain way.”
He continued:
”It’s like the world promotes a significant amount of infidelity and wonder why you’re more likely to get divorced than stay married. I mean, look what the media does. It’s like they give us the poison and the medicine at the same time. It’s kind of like they’re pimping us in some way.”
Wise words.
Looking at him, one would think Da’Vinchi has had a plethora of girls/women in his life, but that’s simply not the case. He's only had two girlfriends so far, but there’s a reason for that. Apparently, he had to learn some hard lessons about trusting females too quickly.
”Sometimes I’m gullible,” he revealed. “Majority of my life I spent working and taking things serious. I didn’t really dabble in having girlfriends left and right. I’ve only had two girlfriends and the first one [relationship] was like four-in-a-half years. I never really experienced [having a lot of girls], so it was this naivety that comes with that from lack of experience.”
At first, the “All American” star would open up too soon and start trusting women, thinking everyone is “cool and trust worthy” and then “you just find out they are putting on a character.”
”Sometimes I didn’t realize that some people look at me like I’m this celebrity and I forget that,” he said.
He has learned his lesson now.
”I’m not that gullible anymore, ya know. I learned my lesson quick,” he said.
So, speaking of women, we had to ask…is he single?
”Yes,” he responded.
What about a relationship? Is he open to one?
”I am if it’s the right relationship. I learned that relationships can be two things: They either make you or break you. Unfortunately, our society is not conducive to healthy relationships and I had to realize that.”
”I’m not opposed to it, but my guard’s up. It’s going to be hard as hell for someone to break these walls. I’ve learned from previous situations that were toxic – it [can] mess up your whole work flow and your life up. You catch yourself getting out of character and things like that. But, if I find something I’m not going to just close my mind off. I’m definitely going to take it slow.”
You hear that ladies? But wait! Is he only open to dating celebs or is a regular, 9 to 5 woman on his radar as well?
”Of course! But the thing is, she has to be used to this world,” he said about dating a regular woman. “I realized that a bird and fish could fall in love, but if they do, where would they be?”
Better shoot your shot (carefully) ladies!
Speaking of dating, there have been rumors swirling that his “Grown-ish” co-starsChloe Bailey and Diggy Simmonscould possibly be dating. Of course we had to ask him about it.
”Wow…umm. They said they’re dating? Whoa! Whoa! That’s not my business,” he responded. “If it’s one thing the streets taught me is to shut the hell up.”
Ha! Well, so much for tea.
Being so young in the game, once you reach 18, you start feeling like you’re grown. We wanted to know what his first “grown” purchase was. And we weren’t expecting his response.
”When I turned 18 I played the lottery [laughs]. I don’t smoke, so I didn’t buy like a cigarette or a Black ‘N Mild [cigar] or anything like that. Now with the way my life is, I feel like I’m grown every day. Life has changed. Life is so serious. Dealing with accountants, taxes, etc. It’s just a lot.”
Tell us about it.
So what’s next for the Hollywood hottie? Plenty!
”I’m working on another song right now that I’m really excited about and it has a little Spanish flavor to it. I’m up for this movie right now. I’m also writing another project and I’m working on my own docu-series about the boys that I’ve adopted.”
Sweet!
Fine, funny, philanthropic, talented and intelligent! We’re here for everything Da’Vinchi’s is serving. You should too.
Photo: GAVIN BOULWARE
