Richard Williams, better known by his stage name Prince Ea, is an American spoken word artist, poet, and filmmaker. After graduating from the University of Missouri–St. Louis with a degree in anthropology, he initially pursued a career as a hip hop artist.
Inspired by artists like Immortal Technique and Canibus, he started and popularized the "Make S.M.A.R.T Cool" movement to promote values like intelligence, free thought, unity, and creativity in hip hop music and culture.
In 2014, Prince Ea shifted his focus from music to creating motivational and inspirational spoken word films and content. His YouTube videos have received over 200 million views and counting. These types of videos include topics such as environmentalism, race, work–life balance and spirituality. He credits his shift in perspective to the inspiration of ancient wisdom texts such as the Tao Te Ching and Bhagavad Gita.
