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She had me spellbound for the entire talk. The way that she engaged with the small audience and asked us questions and asked us to reflect on music or art that moved us particularly stood out to me. I am not one to be open with things I consider to be personal, such as music that really speaks to me, in fear of judgement. At the time I tried not to overthink it, as whenever someone asks me to name my favourite song, every song I’ve ever listened to immediately leaves my brain. If asked again though, I would say Sweeden by C418, a song from the Minecraft Soundtrack. Its such a relaxing song, great for studying and doing homework, and listening to it takes me right back to my childhood, waking up at ungodly hours to play Minecraft before school.
Her having a record deal at 14 amazed me, and the fact that she was so blasé about it impressed me even more. She said at the time it was industry standard, citing the existence of acts like Aliyah and Brandy, but that doesn’t make it any less laudable in my eyes. Her hold no bars analysis of the music industry was also refreshing and uniquely poignant as she’s been in the industry for so long. It mirrors what a lot of contemporary acts are saying, particularly in the rap industry are saying, with record companies having little interest in the act beyond the money they can bring the label. Outside of that though, being an independent artist has its own struggles, with one now having to master the arts of business, negotiation and marketing while still trying to hone one’s craft. The WalMart jingle story she told was just a classic example of how the greed of these record labels can adversely affect artists just trying to make an honest living.
I liked what she said about the spirit of comradery in Philadelphia, and I feel as though it is palpable through the city. It feels homey, though I’ve only been here for 3 years, and it radiates the warmth of ‘Brotherly Love’. There are so many venues for young upstarts in the city, like on Samson Street, and the city is so fierce in its support of its homegrown talent. When the Eagles got to the Superbowl final, and there were posts on Facebook saying that Philadelphia was going to burn whether the Eagles won or lost, I thought they were only jokes. That energy is what I feel throughout the city, and the kind of energy I believe Mrs. Graydon was referencing when she talked about things like how the Cleft Club was even acquired in the first place, and the near ubiquity of mentors and mentees throughout the city. Even in the performance itself, acts ranging from someone just signed to Jay-Z’s label to a relic of rap, showcasing the generational connection of artists that is lacking in many other parts of the world, particularly in rap music.
The sentiment to communicate with people at the core of personhood is a difficult one, but one that I have been trying to perfect in my own craft. Classic works are those that transcend boundaries of time, race, religion and tap into the core of humanity. It is a difficult thing to do, though, removing one’s personal biases and sometimes identity to attempt to see things from someone else’s point of view, or the view of many other people. It resonated with me particularly because it’s something that my mother has always encouraged me to do, and in this time where divisiveness prevails and we are encouraged to stay inside our comfort zones, our echo chambers, and select media that only speaks to the part of us we want spoken to, I believe its even more important now to tear down those imaginary walls that separate us and tap into what connects us. Another thing she said that stuck with me was to master yourself and the essence of your art. At this age its so easy to become a leaf in the wind, go with the flow and postpone self-discovery and self-actualization. Even worse, its easy to replace true self with the individual in the crowd, one that only identifies with the fact that they belong to something larger than themselves and sees that as a form of individuality. It is difficult to master yourself and probably more difficult still to master the essence of your art. But I believe that these things are necessary to become your true, best self, and the only way to leave a lasting positive mark on the planet. I hope to master this, learn the steps of mastery so I can go on to become a master, like Quincy Jones.
-Mr. D
