View All Students
Bruce Fugett
There's not a whole lot to report for Lesson 6 at Fastback Studios. Due to a last minute change of plans, Mark had a prospective band come in for a tour of the studio so they could decide whether they want to record there. But, while Mark was giving them the tour, I was able to spend some time speaking with Babah (another student of TRC) in the Control room.
Babah is a hip hop artist here in Seattle, so most of our conversation was about the local hip hop scene and how it has evolved over time. It's interesting to see how the scene has changed since the days that Sir Mix A Lot was big. In all honesty, Seattle hasn't produced a lot of nationally known hip hop artists since then. Until Now.
With the recent success of Macklemore, Seattle's Hip Hop Scene has put us back on the map. In a recent public discussion with Sir Mix A Lot, he was asked how he felt about the newfound fame of Macklemore and his producer Ryan Lewis. Apparently, some thought that due to Macklemore's ethnicity (he's white... really white), Mix A Lot would not be pleased with his success.
According to Babah, this couldn't be farther from the the truth. As Mix A Lot explained, Hip Hop began as an expression of the African American culture. But what point is there in expressing a cultural point of view only to those within that culture. Hip Hop's very essence is built upon communication of those innermost feelings and thoughts and emotions. And if Hip Hop has proliferated into mainstream culture so well that not only are people from other cultures capable of making Hip Hop music, but they are able to do it well, that is only proof of the success of Hip Hop in general.
I'm very grateful to have had this conversation with Babah. It instilled in me a new perspective and a new enthusiasm for creating music, mixing genres, and allowing myself to step outside of my comfort zone without the fear of what other people will think. At the end of the day, music is all expressing what you are feeling and being true to that, no matter what. And as I move forward in my career of music production, this will be my compass.
