On Friday 3rd November, Alchemy Artists, Masters and Mentors were invited to Marshall Studios in Milton Keynes to meet Killer Mike from Atlanta. We got that and so much more…
We took a coach from Victoria, travelling with members of Brixton’s Raw Material, making new friends and connections. Before Killer Mike came onstage, we had a talk from Wizdom from Mobo Unsung and two artists who were mentored through the Mobo Unsung process, Genesis and Crae Wolf.
These are some of the gems they dropped for us…
Genesis talked about the importance of networking, even if it seems fake, or like a transactional relationship. They said they that networking is really about building a community around what you really love. He also talked about getting help from the right people; “You rob banks with bank robbers” – as in, do the job with the people who can do what they are supposed to do! Managers sort e-mails and organise things, agents get the shows, and artists make the art.
Crae Wolf who describes herself as a goth rapper and rockstar, said that the most valuable thing you can have is information, like knowing the difference between making something available and releasing something properly. She also said to be prepared for your sound to change when you figure out who you are as an artist, but above all: knowledge is power. Her story is that she started out singing, “I thought I was Beyonce or something”, then moved on from there; she started rapping, doing freestyles on Instagram – and people started making noise about it. She said she was shy when she began, but her confidence grew over time. Her advice was to “follow your sound and follow your audience”. She also said that not everyone should have a say in what you do, but to be open to receiving advice.
Wizdom asked the question: How do you know you’re doing better than before? He talked about ‘finding your tribe’ by going to events by people who make similar music, attend open mics and perform as much as possible. He said that there are 10 stages to building your career as an artist, and that the first 5 are:
- Recognising you are talented
- Being self-defined artist
- Performing (stage or online)
- Recording
- Entering the emerging artist stage (lots get stuck here…)
When Genesis meets new artists from the perspective of a booking agent he asks himself:
Are they building a community around what they do?
He advises that artists consider “why do people like me and what I do? Your duty as an artist to figure out who you are. Think about what it is that draws people in…” He also said… “If you’ve made one great track you can make more. It might be old to you but new to everyone else!” On the subject of making money, he said it’s all about community, community, and that most of his money has been made through selling merchandise and hard copies of music (not streaming).
Next, Killer Mike was in conversation with Genesis.
More gems were dropped as we listened to tracks from his album Michael. Killer Mike talked about philosophy, family, music, faith, and the divinity inside and outside of us all. “I have a purpose and I don’t know what it is…but I have a purpose”, he told us. When creating something, ask yourself, “does it move you?” He talked about his hometown with affection, saying that the city is another character in the story of this album and he gives voice to it. Genesis jumps in with another statement around intention behind making music… “stop trying to make art go viral, start making art that’s vulnerable…”
Killer Mike told us that he wanted to give us an album experience (rather than a hit single experience), he said “I want your mind to show you the visuals of the audio… the music’s peaks and valleys, problems and resolutions. He self-funded the album and then it came out on Loma Vista, the same label as 2Pac. He was hugely inspired by 2Pac’s tracks, like Brenda’s Got A Baby, which you can definitely hear as you listen to his Michael record:
He talked a lot about vulnerability and the heart… “I want my music to hit the art part of your heart, I want to pierce your heart more than I want to control your mind”. He said that he sees divinity in every person, and told the young people in the room never to quit even if you feel like it and that “there is something bigger out there that is also in us and if we spend more time with that divinity, there will be less violence”.
Omar (aka Refrain), one of the Alchemy Masters, asked him about how to keep inspired during difficult times. He said that it’s important to show up and keep working no matter how you feel. “If you’re feeling shitty, make music about feeling shitty. You are an artist, and you have obligation to make art”.
His album is personal, beautifully produced, fusing an old-school hip-hop sound with a gospel sound, and led by his love for his mother who had him when she was a teenager (he had a chain around his neck with a photo of his mum inside a medallion). She introduced him to music and made it a possible future for him by letting him go and see live music from a young age. She believed in him, and he is full of gratitude for her, and sadness too, for losing her.
Seeing a wise, talented male role model talk about love and vulnerability in such a way was inspiring and a gift for all of us.
“Do I feel like quitting sometimes? Absolutely. Am I ever gonna quit? Absolutely not”.
After the event, Alchemy artists Refrain and Ibz Mullah talked to Channel 4 about why it’s important for there to be spaces for young people to be creative, and why it’s beneficial for mental health, community and cutting down on violence.
Thank you to Marshall, Mobo Unsing and Killer Mike for this opportunity.
Follow:
@marshallamps
@rawmusicmedia
@mobo.unsung
@fardawizdom
@genesiselijah
@craewolff
@killermike
@goldsmithsalchemy
