The Music Mixtape

[00:00:01] My name's Jayla Shell and I'm here with today Naomi King. Okay, so what is the purpose of music? The purpose of music is to help you deal with your emotions. Okay, Magnus, I got a question for you. What's up? What do you think is the purpose of music? Uh, it's whatever you make out of it. Like, it could be your, how you express your feelings or whatever. It can influence you to express how you feel in different ways, like music or art or anything else.

[00:00:28] I can't imagine a world without music. How boring would that world be? How lonely would it be? For me, nothing can compare it to turning on a hype beat song after a bad day. Or even putting on a sad song to make me feel seen. And especially at our age, as teenagers, music is a tool to help us figure out who we want to be. It's a way to shape our identity and express ourselves to the world.

[00:00:57] From Boys and Girls Club of the Chattahoochee Rally, this is Mixtape to My Future. A teen-led show about navigating our lives in Columbus, Georgia. I'm your host, Edwin Brown. Y'all, I'm Jayla Shelly. And I'm Josiah Porter. My name is Karina Miles. I'm Dev Institute. And I'm Trajay Bell. On today's episode, our musical influences. How are musical tastes shaped? Can music really be a way to see ourselves in the world?

[00:01:27] And why do we listen to the artists that we listen to? And the first question I have for you guys is, what is everybody's favorite music artist and why? Oh my God, let me go first. So my favorite music artist is definitely Frank Ocean. I love Frank Ocean because I find his music to be very peaceful. And it's also very relatable to me in some ways. Mm-hmm. And then I really like his storytelling skills. Like, we all know Frank Ocean is a master storyteller.

[00:01:57] Like, he tells his stories so good in his music because it's like a vivid imagery within his lyrics that can resonate with a whole bunch of different people. And I also like the versatility and innovation within his music because he got like R&B, he got soul, and then it's a mix of jazz. And, you know, like it's a very broad spectrum.

[00:02:20] And then it was also like some LGBT representation when he was expressing his sexuality in some of his songs. So I think that's positive as well. Yeah, my favorite is Godspeed. But how about you, El? Oh, my favorite artist is probably J. Cole because my dad got me introduced to that. When I was young, he used to play that one. He was taking me to school and everything. And I just got used to it. And it was really, it was like really a beating and everything.

[00:02:49] And I just favored that over anything else. I won't say I got a favorite rapper because I try my best to listen to everything so I could get used to some songs. And like, I would know this and not just one person. I think. But like the person I listen to the most is Rack Baby. I never even heard of that. Rack Baby, he relates because like stuff he be saying in his songs, like for me, I can relate.

[00:03:17] And I like the stuff that he been through, I've been through. So it's like, it's a connection there. So I listen to it. I think my favorite artist is actually Jasmine Bean. Yeah. She's from England and stuff, but I kind of like more noises than anything. So that's kind of why I like her.

[00:03:43] Well, my favorite, I don't really have a favorite type of artist, but most person I probably would listen to on a daily basis is Party Next Door. I mean, it's just the beat. I hope it's not the lyrics. It's the beat and like, I'm kind of more like because of how I grew up with my parents. It's really R&B. I'm type of R&B soul. So. Oh, so you like the rhythm of it.

[00:04:13] Yeah, the R&B, okay. I'm here with today. Edwin Brown. Okay, Edwin. What is the purpose of music? I believe the purpose of music is just to help people with what they're dealing with in life because, you know, life can go many different ways and music can help with that. Oh, music has different ways to influence people. It can make them be in a better mood. It can make them better themselves. And overall, it's just a real mood left there.

[00:04:41] The most powerful thing about music at our age is that it helps us make a statement about who we are. Or at least who we want the world to see us as. You see, I'm the kind of person who listens to J. Cole. You can tell a lot about who I am based on just knowing that. And maybe that's different than the kind of person who only listens to Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar. The kind of music we listen to is powerful. It can shape who we are and how we see the world around us. But what we wanted to talk about next is, when does music impact us negatively?

[00:05:11] It depends on what genre of music you listen to and like what personality you got. Because some people like listen to real music and like makes them feel like they want to do that and be in the streets and stuff. But other folks, like they can vibe to it and be on some cool stuff. Right. And I feel like it's really your perception of it and how you take it. Because one person can listen to a song about killing and they want to do it.

[00:05:41] And then another person can listen to it and they can just vibe to it. Yeah. Yeah, it's really just what you listen to and how you feel about it. Or if you just want to try to match your personality with something. When it's really not your personality, you just want to match it. Like some folks get hype when they listen to songs. Like, I like that. But that's a good thing as well, though. Because like some people, they can be sad and they can listen to an upbeat song. They can like bring their mood up. Mm-hmm.

[00:06:14] As there are a bunch of negatives, there are just a bunch of positives too. Just listening to music that makes you feel good, it can really empower you just to make good decisions and like affect your mood and how people see you. And that overall, it's just better for your life and everybody else's too. Yeah. Living in Georgia, we're exposed to new musical talent all the time.

[00:06:39] And even going way back, Georgia made legendary artists like Ray Charles, James Brown, and Otis Redding. To me, it feels like many people here just have music in their veins. We're exposed to it at school and at church. Even here at the Boys and Girls Club, we have musical talent right in our fingertips. My name is Ria. I am from Columbus. Grew up in Atlanta. I do music, produce, sing, rap. I do some other stuff in the creative space.

[00:07:09] So just a little bit of everything. It's perfect for me. Ms. Ryan spends a ton of her time around two things, teams and music. We wanted to know from her opinion, what does she think of music young people listen to these days? Um, hmm. That feels like a loaded question sometimes. Cause I'll start with the good.

[00:07:29] I like that the music that comes out now, like inspires y'all to like be silly and dance and just kind of be a little more... Topal. Yeah. And carefree. And like people really just say how they feel, you know, especially y'all age, like your generation. You say what you mean, whether it's super happy or kind of dark, like you say, I can feel, you know?

[00:07:58] And I feel like that's good to be expressive and be genuine in that expression. I also think that sometimes it can be like a little morbid. Like I wish there was a little more inspiration or aspiration. Sometimes a lot of the stuff that I listen to from the younger artists, I can't really listen to for a long time. Yeah. Because it's a lot of like, it can be depending.

[00:08:29] It can be negative. Yeah. That's really, really ties into our generation. I feel like listening to songs that before I was born, they were like real upbeat and real happy and like real genuine. You know, but like coming into like, you know, 20, I want to say 2020, but like 2022, like after COVID stopped and everything or calmed down a little bit.

[00:08:57] That's when it started to become like real, just switched into a whole different thing. And everybody started getting into it. Just like at my school, you just got drugs, got robbing, guns, violence and everything like that, which don't make no sense because I don't like why is your mood just fixated on this one thing instead of you having music just letting you be yourself instead of having all that violence.

[00:09:27] Some music expresses themselves and some music just like dissing someone or something like that. Like most music is about dissing or who died or if this person is this person or it really just has something to do with gang affiliation. Yeah. But growing up, we was listening to like different types of music, like kids bopping and everything. Like we grew up with like whipping nae nae. Yes.

[00:09:55] Now this generation, I mean, I wouldn't say they don't have... Great taste or everything. Great taste, but like the only good thing I know that's like, it's not close to kids walk, but it's close. It's like Gracie's corner. I listen to that when I go to sleep. I think the kids need that, you know?

[00:10:21] So we managed to agree that COVID was a real turning point in music and culture. But how exactly did that period influence music? Well, my guess is that everything just got darker. 2020 started off real tragic. We had the loss of Kobe Bryant and then the whole world flipped when the pandemic started. And after a few months later, the death of George Floyd. That period was heavy. And so the music became dark and heavy.

[00:10:48] And we still feel the effects of that on music and other media today. But besides that, COVID also changed the way we find and consume music to begin with. COVID just really messed us up and came mouse back. I feel like COVID and TikTok did that though. Because... TikTok really did it. Because mostly everybody was on TikTok. TikTok because like, training things was happening during quarantine.

[00:11:16] I see definitely the TikTok trends definitely affected music. Like, everybody's trying to make a song that's gonna go crazy on TikTok. Everybody trying to blow. And then like, people who... The good side though was people who were, I guess maybe, had become irrelevant. Their songs were blowing up. Like, y'all were making the mixes or people were making mixes. And then y'all's generation was making the dances to these old songs that like, I grew up on.

[00:11:42] And so that was helping, you know, some people's career. And now so much so that there's a TikTok chart for music because of how it has affected it. But on the other side of it, now as a creative, it's like, the labels are like, well, do you have something hot to TikTok? Yeah. And it's like, I don't really care about TikTok. But it's like, you have to. Yeah. You know, and that kind of... Sometimes it makes it hard to create. Because everybody just wants to be famous. Mm-hmm.

[00:12:13] Okay, so since our generation is always told we missed all the greatest hits, what songs do you wish our generation could've experienced growing up? Growing up to, I feel like what I'm about to say y'all may have been alive for, but y'all were just young. I would say like, Snap Music, like Lean With It, Rock With It, Shaw Boys, all the way, like D4L, Shawty Low.

[00:12:41] And then going into like, Travis Porter and Rich Kids, Roscoe Dash, all of that. Like, that was fun. I feel like when we were partying and stuff, when I was in high school, like some people, you know, were known for throwing parties and stuff. It was just fun. Everybody was dancing. Not a lot of like, standing around looking at each other on your phone. Like, everybody was really involved with each other because the music. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so who's your favorite artist? Erykah Badu, hands down. Hands down.

[00:13:11] I just saw her in concert like, uh, last Sunday. It was my first time seeing her live. The truth. Like, oh my God, she was... You can't, I can't explain it. Like, you just think about your favorite artists, like, and just seeing them do their thing, just be in their element. Like, it's a whole nother thing. She's dope. You trying to think of Lyrica Badu, son? I do. I remember like, didn't you know? Okay. That's a good one. That's a good one. Yeah.

[00:13:42] Ms. Raya is a resource when it comes to all things music. Her knowledge is deep. And by working with kids, she's passing all that knowledge down. How were you introduced to music? My family is kind of musical. I would say creative. My grandma sings. And I just grew up like listening to her sing, going to church with her. And everybody loved her voice. And so I was just like, dang, I kind of want to do that. But I was a little shy, so I was more of an observer.

[00:14:10] But I would say that was my first introduction, being in church, singing a lot, watching people play instruments and stuff. Yeah. So you just had to grow into it. Mm-hmm. Exactly. With your music career, what genuinely like got you? I know you said that you did church with your grandma and everything. But like, what really set you off? What was your motivation? Ooh, dang. I think it goes back to, I started playing in a band.

[00:14:40] I met this guy who plays bass. His name is Joey. He's a dope musician, by the way. I met him at SHWOB, at CSU, the School of Music. Because that's where I started. I was a vocal performance major. And so I met him there. He was playing bass. He was like, yo, you want to sing with my band? And I was like, sure. So I went, we went to a rehearsal. And through him, I met all these guys that were just like, crazy. And I said, where have y'all been?

[00:15:09] Like playing keys, drums, guitar, everything. And I'm like, wow. So they recorded together. And then I met Mike Grizzly through them. That's another guy. He's from Columbus. If y'all ain't heard of him, y'all should check him out too. Met him and he was like, you should record some music. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, whatever. I was recording verses for my friends and stuff. And it was a conversation with him at his parents' church. It was just me and him.

[00:15:37] And he was like, there is something you gotta do. And stop playing with it. Like you recording everything for everybody else. You need to sit down and record something for yourself. So it was like really him, that conversation with him, being around people who were doing it at a level that I wasn't. Yeah. That's another thing. Like if you want to get better, you want to feel inspired to do something. Get around some people that are doing what you want to do at a higher level than you.

[00:16:04] Because that's definitely going to inspire you to go further. So knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently for your music career? I think I probably would have taken it more seriously, like initially. When I started, it just started off as something fun. Yeah. People around me were making music. And I just didn't really, I don't know, it was always a dream.

[00:16:31] But it was never something that I just saw as something I could do. Yeah. You know, for the rest of my life and it like be the thing that I do. And so I think I would have gone harder in the beginning. Like once you, I would say once you get that vision for yourself, go 100%. Don't second guess it. Okay, Jamar, can I ask you a question? Yes. Okay. So what do you think is the purpose of music?

[00:17:01] The purpose of music is for people to express themselves with the music and the music helps them feel better. Music can influence people in many ways. Some music influences people to do violent things and be happy or just make them feel some type of way.

[00:17:22] So do you know any advice for any aspiring artists or music artists that are our age from 13 and 18? Yeah, I was thinking about this earlier. And I would say, don't be afraid of hard work. Work hard now.

[00:17:45] It's like no matter what you're doing, the music, sports, if you're in the tech, whatever, if you are like, maybe I want, I got a green thumb. I want to have a farm. Go hard now. Turn your mama backyard into that 40 acres. Even though she might yield. But when those cucumbers and tomatoes start coming in that she doesn't have to pay all this money for, she gonna be alright. You know what I'm saying?

[00:18:13] And you will have turned your gift into something that can really make a life for you. So true. And your family, yes, into a blessing. Work hard now, especially if you're good at something. Mm-hmm. Because being good is only gonna take you so far. Yeah. I learned that the hard way. I was always good. Don't be, don't settle for being the best at your school. Mm-hmm.

[00:18:40] Don't settle for being the best at your church or at your, in your community or in your city. Just because you're the best in Columbus don't mean you're gonna be the best in Georgia. Just because you're the best in Georgia don't mean you're gonna be the best in the U.S. or the world. Don't settle for just being like, okay, I'm better than all these people in here. It's a whole world outside of here. And there's somebody who is as good as you working harder than you. Always remember that.

[00:19:10] Yeah, because it's like, even though you made it to the goal that you wanted to make it to, you gotta push past it. Yes. But you gotta always set a new goal. Yeah. You can push past the old goal. Just keep going. Even though you didn't already got everywhere you wanted to go or do everything you wanted to do, you can still do more than you wanted to do. Absolutely. And I will tell you guys this from personal experience.

[00:19:37] When I was y'all age, I was like, I was killing it. I was killing it. And I was drinking the Kool-Aid. Cause like, looking back, I was good. I was. I really was. I was killing it. But I got older and I left my school and I left my city. And I got around people that I didn't know.

[00:20:00] And when I met that guy, Joey, and I went to play with those musicians and I saw that we were the same age and some of them were younger than me. And they were better than me. I was like, dang, what happened? That be the crazy thing. I was killing it. Younger people be better than you and you just be sitting here just like, right? These folks younger than me and I'm just sitting here watching them, supporting them. So that should inspire you. Pick your instrument up. Pick that computer up. You know, go, go to your, you know, your boys lessons.

[00:20:30] Try to learn some different music. Try to learn some harder music. You know, do the research. Research what you want to get into. Research your career. Always keep pursuing ways to be better. Cause the little ones, they coming. Sometimes we're told as teens that we can't pursue our passions because they aren't realistic enough. Sometimes we're told that our dreams should just be hobbies and that it's better to use logic when preparing for our future.

[00:20:56] But talking to Ms. Raya, she made us realize that we need to chase the things that bring us energy. The things that make us feel alive. I want to ask a question. What do music means to you? Um, music is life. And I know that probably sounds like your basic answer, but like there are things that I feel like I wouldn't have made it through without music.

[00:21:21] And without being to like express myself, whether that be like just one-on-one by myself at the crib. Uh huh. Or like at church or, um, you know, just in general. So it's like, it's a way through situations. I will also say it's a connector. You can build relationships through music, whether that be friendships or relationships that will, you know, give you ascension and like things that'll help you grow.

[00:21:50] I think music means freedom. You don't have to do some, you don't have to create something just because everybody else is doing it. That's the great thing about it. Like when we were talking about how people just trying to make stuff trend on TikTok and stuff like that. The great thing about music is even though that's happening, you still have the other option. So it is.

[00:22:20] The new. Yeah. Thanks for listening. This is Mixtape to My Future, a production of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley. From the team here, our producer is Jamil Hardin. Our production partner for this series is Citizen Racecar. Our producer and editor is Aja Eldas.

[00:22:49] Post production by Alex Rauer. Podcast education by M Lowinger. Publication and promotion by Candice Chantalou. Thanks to the whole team at the Boys and Girls Club of the Chattahoochee Valley for making this podcast possible.