Music's negative impact, but where's the christian hip hop?? admin Tuesday, April 14, 2009 The Studio By Bels On most Sundays, I chill out, relax, and begin my process of creating articles for STACKS Magazine’s Monday morning posting session. During this time, I get the itch to check my messages on numerous social network sites. Lord knows, I shouldn’t have my identity spread all over the net like this…lol :). But hey, what’s a girl to do when she’s on the grind! This is the only way to, cyberly [I know that’s not a word], keep everyone updated on what I’ve got going on career wise. This afternoon, I checked my Facebook page and soon jumped into an interesting chat with my cousin, Brandon Bornes. Google him. Brandon’s skills on the football field gained him mass media recognition in sunny California while a student at San Diego State University. Although the family was rooting for him to hit the big leagues and go pro, God had a different plan for his life. Brandon is now a campus missionary at Bowie State University in Maryland. He helps college students become leaders in their community and teaches them how to live life with purpose. So Brandon and I began chatting about how negative lyrics affects the youth and our community. At some point, label executives need to take responsibility! 7:00pmBrandon Suggestion .hey have you written any articles about how people put a lot of money into making cd’s but have no marketing plan. 7:03pmBels no i haven’t. but we just interviewed an underground/hip hop mc name senor kaos. don’t know if you heard of him. but he has a site. www.thekaoseffect.com. but i asked him a question similar to that and he explained a few things to me. …about pressing cd’s and how he effectively markets it in the streets, on the net, etc. we haven’t posted his interview yet, but maybe i could write about that in its own post. 7:06pmBrandon what have you seen as the biggest challenges or roadblocks to upcoming young rappers? 7:06pmBels r these suggestions or questions u want me 2 answer???lol 7:07pmBrandon im curious what you think? 7:08pmBels oh ok. well one initial roadblock is their lack of originality and imaging 7:09pmBrandon what do you mean by imaging? 7:10pmBels …i was just talking to my client d.kid about that yesterday about this cat he’s doing a beat for. the guy has a buzz here in atlanta. he’s been grinding it out for 3 years or so. had a song on the radio last year that got some buzz. but his image/style is so normal here in atlanta that he doesn’t stand out in the crowd 7:12pmBrandon what kind of image do you think peole are looking for today..? 7:13pmBels in his lyrics he talks about being a playa, swagging, etc….that’s so played out here. he now needs to go back to the table with his team and decide on either a different direction to go in his lyrics and/or change his image, so that he can get that hit, that creatively sounds like something new, and go with that route. eventually once he gets the buzz that he wants, he can easily go back to what he’s been talking about and run with it 7:15pmBels today i think most people are looking for the next hot thing. that is different. for example, like when kanye came out. he was on something different…not the norm. that’s why people gravitated to him. 7:17pmBrandon Do you think the messages that some of the artists rap/ sing about is doing more harm than good in the black community? 7:18pmBels also, there’s a guy name B.O.B from atlanta, who now goes by Bobby Ray. he started off doing the same as everybody else. he’s always had a great voice, been compared to andre 3000, …but the beats where norm. last year he started using beats that sounded non-ATLish or unsouthern. now he has crossed over into mainstream, doing shows all over the US and oversees with rock bands and stuff. 7:20pmBels i think that lyrics have done harm every since gangster rap came into play. every since then, its had a negative affect on the urban community. but thats the labels fault. they control what is sold, they control the ariwaves, and the only thing they care about is record sales. so its not only the rappers lyrics but also the labels fault 7:21pmBrandon true 7:21pmBels but on the other hand…everyone has a choice to listen to what they want. thats the beauty of hip hop. so if you have a high demand of people that like gangsta rap, then thats what it is. 7:22pmBels people need to take responsibility for their own self too. they need to realize that some music is just for entertainment purposes. they shouldn’t go out and literally kill someone just because a rapper said so. 7:23pmBrandon Im in maryland where 7% of black men in the DC area have aids… 70% of black kids are raised in single parent households. And a lot of other stuff that is destroying our people…college students with no jobs and gold grills flashing their drug money 7:24pmBels yes i heard. DC is in a bad situation. 7:24pmBrandon And a lot of the music I hear does not address any of this. a lot of it promotes behavior that leads to this 7:25pmBels yes it does. i agree. but if one seed is planted, such as urself, then maybe that one seed can make a difference. 7:26pmBrandon im trying 7:26pmBels but u know what! a lot of cds have an inspirational song on it. or a song that talks about these issues. but our people just dont listen to that track. lol 7:26pmBrandon I have been around black men with very low self esteem…low self worth 7:27pmBels dead prez has talked about these issues for years in their music. but since their music isn’t in heavy rotation on the radio, no one will ever know that. 7:27pmBrandon and the solution they turn to is money, women and they do it the wrong way, just to feel better about themselves no matter how many they drag through the dirt to get there as long as they feel better about themselves your right…I wish some positive inspiration music, was rotated more on the airwaves 7:45pmBels a lot of men have low self-esteem because of 1)no strong father figure growing up 2) social injustices 3)oppressed mentality thats been passed on from generation to generations, etc. 7:45pmBrandon yeah 7:48pmBrandon self-esteem/self worth…We want to make the world love us 7:50pmBels what do you think should be done to improve the lives of the youth in urban america? music wise? 7:50pmBrandon I’ve been doing it. Dont make music for money…Make music to change lives for the better.There is a reason I’m with a non profit org. They are doing the real street work to change lives, Show people Gods love. 7:52pmBrandon If making money is the motivation for music..It will produce more of the same kind of music we hear all around us, ..Change the motivation, Change the Music 7:55pmBrandon I’ve also been working with young talented Maryland artists, who are about changing lives for the better and we have just finished a 5 track cd. We made it for free, And I will give it out for free, cause money is not the motivation Besides doing God’s work in an environment where our youth are easily influenced, Brandon uses music as an avenue to inspire himself and others. Brandon, also known as NameBrand, currently owns and operates Eye Am Productions. He produce music for a California-based christian hip hop group called The Breax. You can check out their music and upcoming show dates at http://thebreax.net/. NameBrand’s most recent project includes a new single entitled “Call Me That” which showcases the writing talents of 15 year old Taylor Jordan. Taylor Jordan Campbell started writing at 14 years old. His parents also served with the Navigators ministry in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Check out Taylor’s new single “Call Me That”. If you would like to see The Navigators and Brandon make a long-term impact on the students of Bowie State University, you can do so by donating. To donate, go to www.navstaff.org/bornes.
