Rock at Night Interview by Anita Stewart, Managing Editor
October 2, 2024
RAN: Rock at Night covered your band in 2021 and 2022 during COVID; you had released music but doing live shows at that time was a rare thing. How has all of that changed?
Since those times, we have been pretty hyper focused on putting together our 21-song “Education Heals Nations” album. We have performed a few shows here and there, but plan on doing many more live performances to promote our new album and my related book that shares the lyrical messages of the album. The “Education Heals Nations: Lyrical Messages” book can be purchased HERE!
RAN: So your 3rd album is finally coming out, also titled “Education Heals Nations.” What makes these songs different from from previous releases?
There are several unique qualities within our “Education Heals Nations” album. Some differences include: it’s our first full-length album, it features 10 collaborations, it has strong themes to build a better world through education, a majority of it was recorded in Jamaica, and the mixing and mastering done was super professional. The transformational educational themes center on social justice issues, education, and building family/community. The education theme highlights my work on my dissertation as I looked at how educational governance and structure are impacting fields of music, art, and physical education. The final theme, the importance of family and community, connects multiple cultures and shows how important family and community is for the human race. Our first two albums were 5-song EPs, but now we are thrilled to share our 21-song full-length album!
RAN: Your journey through music has been updated through the latest album and the book that includes your thoughts about the issues of the day and includes lyrics to the songs. What was the catalyst for publishing this book?
I wanted to be able to make a change in people’s lives by having a book that educates them to be better, I also wanted everyone to experience an album like we used to with the liner notes, and finally we wanted people to see our history through the pictures in the book. This book is for everyone, but it really is designed to connect people in positive ways for social change. This book encourages all of us to be the change in order to create a better world for ALL of our children.
Another motivation for the creation of this book is we wanted to tell our story and our history as a band. It talks about our Rippah Shreddahs and Roots Rebellion eras and details on where we plan on going.
RAN: You got to collaborate with a lot of the music industry down in Jamaica while recording this last album. You teamed up and did a few live performances. Will collaborations continue? What have you learned from those experiences?
I was able to learn so much from the masters of music. They taught me how to get their best out of voice through phrasing, breathing, and shortening occasional notes. They also were able to show me how to lay background vocals in very creative ways within the songs. In October 2024, we plan to travel back down to Jamaica to make music videos of four songs. It is very possible that we will come up with some new originals as well. We really do see each other as family, and we definitely have the intention of continued collaboration and support. These experiences have been life-changing and I am forever grateful for these opportunities.
RAN: You developed Edutainment and currently use it and it is still a work in progress. Music can shift the paradigm and create the change we all want to see. Did you have some inspiration from others to do this?
I have always wanted to connect deeply with other cultures. My experiences with other cultures really made me understand how many minorities suffer and experience oppression. Loving these cultures and the people from the global community really inspired me to want to help them.
As a professor, I have now had 12+ years’ experience teaching through culturally responsive teaching techniques and researching social justice and cultural competence issues. One of the most transformational projects I worked on during that time was a Qualitative Research study. The study examined how songs, lyrics, and poetry expressed emotional reactions to inequity. The full research article can be viewed HERE.
I have always been inspired by agents of change. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Cesar Chavez, Marcus Garvey, Peter Tosh, and Bob Marley who influenced me the most.
RAN: In May of this year, you decided to interrupt your teaching career and devote yourself to the music career full time. Explain how that has become a freeing experience?
RAN: Tell us a little about the upcoming album…
The ‘Education Heals Nations’ album dropped on all streaming platforms on September 27th, 2024. A majority of the songs are roots reggae, but there are ska, hip hop, and dub tracks as well.
RAN: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years? What are your long term plans, goals?
In 5 to 10 years, I see myself doing edutainment and music full time. I have a vision of living my dream of being the change I want to see in the world by uniting others and working towards eradicating oppression, hate, discrimination, violence, and war. And I would like to bring about real change to the American education system.
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