All showtimes listed below are Central Daylight Time (CDT).

MONDAY, JULY 27

• Kavyesh Kaviraj and Omar Abdulkarim: 7 p.m. at Dakota, Minneapolis

• L.A.'s Monday Nights: 8 p.m. at Icehouse, Minneapolis

TUESDAY, JULY 28

• International Reggae Allstars: 9:30 p.m. at Bunkers, Minneapolis

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29

• Logan Richardson: A Living Score: 7 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

• Olivia Dean with Baby Rose: 8 p.m. at Target Center, Minneapolis

THURSDAY, JULY 30

• Logan Richardson: A Living Score: 6:30 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

• Jaybee & the Routine: 9:30 p.m. at Bunkers, Minneapolis

FRIDAY, JULY 31

• Logan Richardson: A Living Score: 6:30 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

• LET ME HAVE IT ALL - Dr. Mambo's Combo Presents A Tribute to Sly & The Family Stone and Rufus & Chaka Khan: 7 p.m. at Hook and Ladder, Minneapolis

• Ve$$ - God M.C. Spring Show: 7:30 p.m. at Line Break Media, St. Paul

• Space Cowboy: 8 p.m. at 1721 University Ave SE, Minneapolis

• FREQUENCY FRIDAYS: Soundwave Frequency: 10 p.m. at The Bazemnt, Minneapolis

• Late Night Lounge: Sophia Eris: 10:30 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1

• Rondo Block Party: 11 a.m. at Rondo Commemorative Plaza, St. Paul (FREE)

• R&B Fest Minneapolis: 3 p.m. at Green Room, Minneapolis

• Cornbread Harris & Friends: 3 p.m. at Animales BBQ, Minneapolis

• The Big Show: Adrian Younge: 5 p.m. at Indeed Brewing, Minneapolis

• FénixDion: 7:30 p.m. at The Grand Oak Opry, St. Paul

• Michael Cain Trio with Terrell X: 7:30 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

• Jumpsuit: 9 p.m. at Black Hart of St. Paul

• REVENTON: 10 p.m. at Green Room, Minneapolis

• InMotion: After Sun: 10:30 p.m. at Icehouse, Minneapolis

• Late Night Lounge: DJ Lemony: 10:30 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

• VUKA - AWAKEN THE FIRE!: 10:30 p.m. at Uptown VFW, Minneapolis

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2

• Communion: 5 p.m. at The Cabooze, Minneapolis

• Curated by Laeton Olaleye:Cannonball Adderley Tribute: 7 p.m. at Berlin, Minneapolis

• Nur-D: 7 p.m. at Hewing Hotel Rooftop, Minneapolis

• BabyChiefDoit: 7:30 p.m. at Green Room, Minneapolis

• Obi Original and The Black Atlantics Residency: 9 p.m. at Icehouse, Minneapolis

• Dr Mambo's Combo: 9:30 p.m. at Bunkers, Minneapolis

Did we miss any upcoming shows? Let us know!

Cameron Wright stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about the ebbs and flows as a singer in the music industry, singing backup for Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige, their upcoming releases, and more.

Sanni Brown

Carbon Sound community interviews, we got somebody up next. Dream catchers gather round, baby. Cameron Wright is a Minneapolis genre-defying and defining artist whose journey has taken them from the Twin Cities to national stages, including performing with some of music's biggest names. I hope we can get into that today. Welcome, Cameron Wright, yay!

Cameron Wright

Thank you so much for having me.

Sanni Brown

Welcome, welcome, welcome. I'm happy for you to come in here. I just know the name; the streets been saying your name. I hear your name, and folks, yeah, they be talking. And so this is new for me too. But can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are and what you be doing? Why the streets is talking about Cameron?

Cameron Wright

My name is Cameron. I'm from Minneapolis; I was raised here. I moved here in 1995 with my mother, who is a local gem to the Twin Cities, Tonia Hughes, gospel singer, theater extraordinaire. My journey began singing here immediately at five years old in 1995. My mom was in a group, and through her artistry and journey, and calling me on the stage every time they had an opportunity, I kind of cemented an identity here.

Sanni Brown

Oh, so Mama was calling you up.

Cameron Wright

Baby, at five years old, I'll never forget, "Get up here and sing, 'Yes Jesus Loves Me.'" But I wanted to, you know? So yeah, I began to develop an identity here very young, and then I started getting asked to do things by myself without my mom.

Sanni Brown

How has that shaped you, both as a person and as an artist?

Cameron Wright

It definitely eliminated fear. Well, I would say in that stage. Because then you go through puberty and blah blah. But it dissolved all fear for the time being, and it allowed me to be very, very bold in my gift.

Sanni Brown

Oh, I love that, and I love that your mom introduced that to you. I love that. I love my mom. I'm a mama's girl. So every artist has seasons, you kind of touched on that just now, where they're putting in work that nobody really sees them. What were some of these moments like for you?

Cameron Wright

Those seasons, I'll tell people all the time, jokingly, my grandfather — I also love my grandparents. My papa, my grandma, both my grandmothers. Papa used to always say, "You would sing all day to the point where you would drive us crazy." That is the season you're talking about. A lot of people feel like when you're not active, when you're not gigging, when you're not getting offers, when you're not where you want to be, when you don't have the connections — what I was doing was refining my craft. I was singing all day. I was journaling and writing poetry, which was really music. And I didn't realize at the time what I was doing was finding my sound. You know, through at the time imitation. That imitation turned to innovation. So that was what I was doing. It never felt like downtime to me because I was always singing — just all day.

Sanni Brown

I love your perspective of that. I don't want to skip past that, because I guess I want the community to really sit with that moment. Sometimes the kids are singing too much, or talking too much, playing too much. They really letting you know what's really going down in their heart. So I really love that you just expressed that like that. You had opportunities to work with incredible artists like the Beyoncé and the Mary J. Blige. Can you reflect on those experiences and walk us through how those opportunities came about?

Cameron Wright

Absolutely. So to connect it to the question before, actually, in those moments of being around the house and just like singing, and of course going from being a child to a teenager to an adult, then you have moments like, "Ok, where's the work?" But I would turn what I was doing at home into content. I would just sing something around the house and just post it on my story. And through that, I was living in L.A. at the time. Through people seeing me on social media, somebody reached out to me and said, "Hey, is it okay if I send this to —?" I can't even remember the person, but he was doing lighting for Beyoncé. That's literally what happened. I was singing in my apartment. I was singing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." It was on my story, and somebody called me and was like, "I want to send this video to —" and then that got to her music director, and then the next thing you know, she had a private audition in Los Angeles for Coachella, which I didn't know what I was auditioning for. And I went in, and that day I got the job. But everything happened so differently. So that was in 2018. Now you fast forward to 2026, which is eight years later, where I now am semi-known — I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm known enough for people to just call me. And I got a call from Mary's vocal coach, and he was like, "What you doing for the next six weeks?"

Sanni Brown

The coach called you?

Cameron Wright

Yeah, because we know each other. We came up together in L.A.; we were both doing auditions and stuff. And now, honey, he's a vocal contractor. He vocal contracts all the big tours.

Sanni Brown

I don't even know what that is.

Cameron Wright

So he finds the singers to go on tour with people, to do residencies, to do sessions for people's album. I just did a session with him for Zac Brown Band. Yeah, I'm on their new album. So he called me, and he was like, "What you doing for the next six weeks?" And I was like, I said, "Who is it for?" Cause I kinda knew, you know? And I just wanted him to say it. He was like, "I can't say. Just let me know." I said, "I'm free." Literally, I sent him a video. An hour later, he called me that night. He said, "All right you gonna get a call. They need you to come out quick." I literally flew to Vegas the next morning.

Sanni Brown

Oh my God, I love this! I love these stories! This is so inspiring. I use this show to talk to dream chasers and people who have a small little dream, and sometimes they don't think they can achieve it, because of whatever the dynamic. They may not have the support system. So I oh my God, I love your story. I love your story so much. And so that's how you got linked with Beyonce, and that's how you got linked with Mary J. Blige. What helped you keep going during periods with less creative opportunities? So it's always fun to talk about "I got linked up with Beyonce. I got linked up with Mary." But what about them down times?

Cameron Wright

Honey, you gotta really be intentional with your attention, because living in L.A. particularly, when I would have seasons of gigging with major artists or creating my own work, because I'm a recording artist myself, there's definitely times where you're not doing a thing. And there were seasons where I would feel overwhelmed with sadness or "I should be further along," but what I discovered is my creative practice to help me get back into momentum. I love documentaries. I will sit and watch a documentary and watch somebody's story, an artist. And just hearing how they push through it, or just hearing their journey, it just inspires me to be like, "Cameron, shut up. This is a part of it, and while you're doing this, do something creative." So write, sing, post —

Sanni Brown

Study your craft.

Cameron Wright

Yeah. Documentaries — I just got done watching the Earth, Wind & Fire one the other day because, again, I just came from this huge time of momentum. I was in Vegas for five weeks with Mary J . Blige, went straight into rehearsal with Kelly Rowland for a festival in Chicago, and then came right back to Minnesota. Don't have a clue what I'm doing for the next — I don't know what's next.

Sanni Brown

It seems like there'll be some downtime, no?

Cameron Wright

Yes and. So again, you got to be intentional with your attention, because sometimes you're sitting with your thoughts. When you have a routine every day, and you're rehearsing with Mary, and you getting paid real good. And then you're home and you're kind of like, "Ok, well, I got a gig in a month." That documentary put so much life in me. Just watching Maurice White and just the perseverance, and also just self-belief. Like child, I got this.

Sanni Brown

I love this. I love watching documentaries, and I'm always telling dream chasers, study the people. Listen, when I got into radio, I was getting rejected so bad. I had to start studying the process of people getting rejected. That's a part of the process. So I love that you're saying get into the documentaries because I feel like that is just as good. Your career has grown quickly over the last few years. How do you stay grounded while embracing new opportunities?

Cameron Wright

Well, this is my perspective. It's easy for me to stay grounded because there's so much more that I want to do. Even if I was where I wanted to be, I wouldn't be super inflated. But I can't have this inflated ego because my journey, to me, has just begun. You know, being with Kelly and being with Mary or whoever — that's awesome. I'm so grateful, and I really have to sit in those moments like, "Wow, God, look at this. I used to have a poster of Destiny's Child, and now I'm sitting up here in the Four Seasons in Kelly's hotel room, eating a piece of cake." But that's not the end-all, be-all. So I'm still very grounded and very focused, and I got work to do.

Sanni Brown

What projects are you most excited about right now, and what can people expect from you next?

Cameron Wright

I'm most excited about my project. So I am releasing an album. Ok, so let me just take you down memory lane. Out there, everybody who's ever followed me, I've had multiple little EPs that I've released, but I took everything down. So all y'all harassing me about putting them back up, please stop, because they're not coming back. No, I'm kidding. At some point, I'm gonna do this archive thing, probably on SoundCloud or something. But those projects probably will never be on streaming again. But there is a new project that I'm working on that does have some of that music, and I'm really excited about it, because I have not released an EP since the pandemic, literally since 2020. So I'm really excited about that. I released a single, which is kind of like a preview into what's to come.

Sanni Brown

And what's the name?

Cameron Wright

"Hot and Heavy," which is perfect for this hot and heavy summer. So yeah, I'm really, really excited. I'm working with one of my favorite — first of all, not just one of my favorite, one of my biggest influences, James Fauntleroy. Also a Taurus, so we just have so much chemistry. But when I was in L.A., there would be seasons where I was like up, up. I'm doing Coachella. I had a song placed on Star, that Lee Daniels show.

Sanni Brown

Oh, for real?

Cameron Wright

Baby, was making the coin. Baby I was up. But all artists know, there are ebbs and flows. So with that being said, I'm not acting proud and acting ashamed. There were seasons where I was working, the savings done got low, baby. I don't know what I'm gonna eat today. So during one of those seasons, I went and got a job at Barneys New York. I don't know if y'all remember Barneys; it was a department store. I worked on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, so I was strategic because I was like I could make good commission here, it's high-end retail, but I also could make connections with people in my industry. And one day, James Fauntleroy came in. Soon as that elevator door opened, of course nobody knew who he was, but I did.

Sanni Brown

Did you scream? Did you lose it?

Cameron Wright

I'm not starstruck either, at all. But James Fauntleroy, for me, as a writer and a singer, I walked over to him quietly while he was going through the rack. I said, "All I'm gonna say is Cocaine 80s." And that's his group, like his little underground group, and he was like, "Oh, you digging deep." So we immediately just started talking, and he shopped with me, and he gave me his number because we just immediately clicked. And I never texted him or did anything. This was back in 2019, maybe the beginning of 2020. I think a year ago, I was on a plane going from D.C. leaving a gig to L.A., and I was in one of these transition periods. I was leaving a gig, right? But it was a season where things were just kind of slow. I had just wrapped up a season of The Voice, and I had all these expectations of what the show would have done for me, and I was like, "Ok, Cameron, what do you want to do? How are you going to activate the people that you've met? How are you going to activate all your dormant gifts?" Blah blah blah blah blah. And thank God for Delta and their Wi-Fi. I was going through my phone, and I came across James's number. I said, "I'm texting him."

Sanni Brown

Ooh, I love this!

Cameron Wright

I sent him a song, "You and Me," which is a part of the project Revelations that I took down. But that song will be on the new album. It's my favorite song that I've ever written, and I sent it to James. And I actually was intentional because sonically it sounds like something that — it's in his world. I didn't know what was gonna happen. Within 10 minutes, I got a text message. It said, "Yo" with about 150 O's. And I was like, "He replied!" I'm up in the air, like, "Oh my God, ok, you gotta calm down. You on a plane." So then, get another message. He said, "Is this you singing?" And I said, "Yes." He said, "Who wrote it?" I said, "Me." He said, "I'm scheduling a meeting." I was shaking, just shaking, shaking. So I get to L.A. I'm telling my partner. I'm like, "James replied! He wants to meet." So then weeks go by, I don't hear a thing. Don't hear a thing, and I'm like, "Oh Lord Jesus, what's going on? Do I follow up?" I was like, "No, don't aggravate the man. Just trust." And my partner told me, "Let it go. Just let the universe bring it to you. Just let it be." Literally, after I accepted that, the next day his assistant reached out and he was like, "Can you come to the studio this weekend?" And from that moment on, me and James have been just good friends. Good friends, and we're working together now.

Sanni Brown

What's the name of the whole entire project?

Cameron Wright

I can't tell you the upcoming name. Stay tuned.

Sanni Brown

Ok, all right. How do we stay tuned? How do we keep up with Cameron Wright? Because based off the itinerary flight you just gave us, we don't know when we gonna see you.

Cameron Wright

I always direct people to Instagram, it's @iamcameronwright. I also have a Twitter. I just got back on Twitter a month ago because of my single “Hot and Heavy,” and I haven't tweeted a thing — or X.

Sanni Brown

It's an interesting place. Cameron, I'm so happy you came in here and shared your story. Your story, it's just what I talk about. It's what I talk about. I love the trusting what's meant for you, coming to you. That is the hardest thing about this stuff. Your vibration is gonna bring something back. Something's gonna respond. I appreciate you coming in and telling us your story, and we will definitely be keeping up.

Cameron Wright

Thank you.

Keith Baker stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about ReConnect Rondo’s work of transitioning the Rondo neighborhood’s history of pain into new possibilities for the community.

Sanni Brown

Hey y'all, we are back with another interview. You know how we say "around the way?” Well, I'm sitting with someone who actually helps design "around the way." ReConnect Rondo is a St. Paul-based organization dedicated to repairing the generational harm caused by the construction of I-94 through the historic Rondo neighborhood. Now, through storytelling, advocacy, and community-centered development, ReConnect Rondo works to restore connectivity, preserve culture, and build economic opportunity for the Black community in Rondo and beyond. And here with me, Carbon Sound family, is Executive Director of ReConnect Rondo, Keith Baker. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Keith Baker

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Sanni Brown

I'm a fan of all you guys around the way. My mom taught me the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, so to see y'all come in here and tell us y'all ingredients is super dope. But first of all, just for me personally, I've been hearing about ReConnect Rondo and the project to make peace with what's happened with the Rondo community. So I'm really a fan of this, and I've been following it. So first of all, I want to thank you for what you're doing. And then second of all, for those who don't know you, can you introduce yourself and your role at ReConnect Rondo?

Keith Baker

Well, I'm excited to be here with you. I'm the executive director for ReConnect Rondo, and I have a bit of a transportation background, kind of an eclectic background, but I was saying to a few folks a little bit earlier, I started in the music business. So I don't know how you make a straight line from music to now leading an effort to restore a community.

Sanni Brown

How'd you get here?

Keith Baker

Well, I'm a believer of curiosity, imagination, and knowledge. And I think the pursuit over time just introduced to a wide range of things over the course of my personal life and my professional life, certainly working in the nonprofit field, working in the public sector field, working along private sector as well. I acquired just a curiosity about how things function and how things work. And so I find my way to this project with an understanding of how knobs, tools, systems, processes, those things function in all of these various arenas. I just happen to be in a place where an opportunity surfaces to reconnect a community.

Sanni Brown

I guess it makes sense the way a musical mind is, you do question the world around you. So I can see how you found yourself in this space. For listeners who may not be familiar with Rondo's history, can you explain to us why the neighborhood remains such an important component to Black history in Minnesota, and can you help it paint the picture of what was actually lost in the Rondo community when it was divided?

Keith Baker

I mean it's a heavy subject. No doubt about it. But there's also a possibility. So when we think about 150 years, the Rondo community, the African American community, has emerged from as early as the mid 1800s, establishing their social, cultural, economic, civic, spiritual fabric, then the freeway comes through, clearly, and devastates that cohesiveness, that sense of community. Rondo's story is like 950 communities across the country, quite frankly. And when we think about the loss, what we really wanted to do is make sure we quantified the loss, so even though more than 1,000 structures — and when we say homes, 700 homes, 300 businesses were devastated along the corridor of Rondo, after again, that social, cultural, economic, civic fabric had already began to form, and to really be a full expression of what the Rondo community is. It also has an incredible history, too, because a lot of the thought leaders in the early 1800s met in Rondo, and really conceived civil rights activities, advocacy activities, and so it has a long history of contributing nationally to a larger movement. And that's why it's so significant that we pay attention to Rondo's history today.

Sanni Brown

And I'm glad you're here today, because I feel like I've only gotten a surface level understanding of, "Oh, this was a Black neighborhood, and construction went through it." To know that the early minds of the 1800s were coming up with ideas, to link up that would affect us nationally. That's why that's important. We don't want to lose that. When people hear ReConnect Rondo, what do you hope they understand about the mission right away?

Keith Baker

It's a very complicated project, but when I think about it right off the bat, is the transition from pain to possibility. When we think about reflecting on history, certainly it's an emotional lived experience that community members have been a part of. But how do we set conditions for possibilities into the future? How do we see those things happening? And so for me, it really is that transition from pain to possibility.

Sanni Brown

That's so powerful. I don't want to move past that too fast, because I think in our own lives when we look back, it's hard to get caught up in the pain, but when you look forward, it's like, "Well, how can I possibly navigate around this again?" The proposed Rondo Land Bridge, this is the project that I've heard about. It's become a major part of the conversation. Can you tell us about this, and what makes the project so significant, beyond it just being infrastructure?

Keith Baker

Let me establish this idea of connecting past, present, and future. When we talk about the past, certainly the African American community in the Rondo community today is about 30%. It's a very diverse community today.

Sanni Brown

When you say 30%, what do you mean?

Keith Baker

30% population of African Americans. 80% of the population historically in Rondo were African Americans. And so you can see a great shift, but it's important for us to be fundamentally grounded in the current state of things, but also you have a lot of new immigrants moving into the community, establishing their own sense of place, but while those things often happen, the African American experience begins to disappear, because new experiences begin to surface. So we think about establishing 21 acres of brand-new land over the freeway to connect both sides and use that as the platform for making sure that the African American experience doesn't disappear, because it reflects an African American cultural enterprise district, which was Rondo before the freeway went through.

Sanni Brown

That's so bold and so courageous, to go be like, "Nope, we're gonna put this right back." What role does music, art, and community events play in healing and reconnecting communities?

Keith Baker

As a musician myself, and you did reference art — I see this as an art project, because it's fundamentally about creating something new from something that was. So it's acknowledging what was, but it's also visualizing, again, the possibility into the future, and that's really essentially what art is. So I see this, and I've always seen this as an arts movement, but we've got to get through some of the technical pieces in order to realize what might this built environment on top of this newly created structure reflect. How does it smell? How does it look? Are all very, very important, and arts are fundamentally important to that.

Sanni Brown

Wow, so dream chasers, listen. I told you the voices from the community are coming in, and they're telling us the secrets. It just seems like such a big project, and to say it like, "It's art" or like, "It's an album," I love how the interconnectedness of process, regardless of the practice, that's dope, that's huge. I don't want to skip past that.

Keith Baker

I often think about systems, processes, tools, and resources. When people think about an art project, they've got tools, they've got a flow, they understand how they create. I think this is the same, except again, there are a lot of levers that are oftentimes invisible to community, and what we're trying to do is make sure, "No, these are the levers that actually move a creative project like a land bridge." Because you're dealing with architects, you're dealing with engineers, you're dealing with all kinds of folks who contribute to it, but you've got to set the right tone for it.

Sanni Brown

What gives you hope when you think about the future of Rondo and Black communities across the Twin Cities?

Keith Baker

Wow, that's a deep question. I think about it fundamentally — cultural preservation, economic benefits, and ultimately a way of creating this sense of cohesiveness in our common aspiration and benefit.

Sanni Brown

You just did this interview so smooth, just so smooth. I appreciate you coming in. And if we wanted to find out more about your work with ReConnect Rondo, how can we connect with you? How can we research you? How can we stan?

Keith Baker

Absolutely, reconnectrondo.com. Certainly want you to go there. We've got all of our studies that we've done from a technical approach, but also you'll get a feel for who we are. Also, our social media is really a marvelous way of clipping in.

Sanni Brown

What's that handle?

Keith Baker

reconnect_rondo.

Sanni Brown

Okay, and we could probably find that information on the website, right?

Keith Baker

There's no doubt about it.

Sanni Brown

Thank you so much, Keith Baker, for coming in, and thank you for what you're doing to preserve the Black community, Black culture, and that connectiveness, that connective tissue that keeps us together and helps our image. So, thank you again so much for pulling up.

Keith Baker

Thank you.

Carbon Sound ticket giveaways include Jaki Blue, Kehlani, Juvenile, and more!

• Juvenile at First Avenue on Sunday, Aug. 9.
• Jaki Blue at 7th St Entry on Friday, Aug. 14.

Carbon Sound has access to your favorite artists and local events through ticket giveaways.

LIMIT ONE (1) ENTRY PER EMAIL, PER EVENT

Juvenile at First Avenue on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to Juvenile at First Avenue on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Winners will be drawn at random and notified via email. Winners will pick up their tickets at will-call on the day of the show.

Please fill in the form below to enter for your chance to win. Please use an email address you check regularly, winners will be notified by email.

This giveaway will be open to participants until noon Central on Wednesday, July. 22.

Visit Live First Avenue’s website for more information about the show.

You must be 13 or older to submit any information to Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products, and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy. This giveaway is subject to the Official Giveaway Rules.

Jaki Blue at 7th St Entry on Friday, Aug. 14.

Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to go to the Jaki Blue at 7th St Entry on Friday, Aug. 14.

Winners will be drawn at random and notified via email. Winners will pick up their tickets at will-call on the day of the show.

Please fill in the form below to enter for your chance to win. Please use an email address you check regularly, winners will be notified by email.

Click here for more information about the show.

You must be 13 or older to submit any information to Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products, and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy. This giveaway is subject to the Official Giveaway Rules.

The Carbon Sound Community Listening Collective is a group of trusted DJs, cultural workers, and community members who will help shape how Carbon Sound discovers and curates music. Created to ensure our intake process remains community-rooted, transparent, and accountable, the Collective centers Black musical expression across genres and generations while uplifting local and regional BIPOC artists. Members offer insight, perspective, and scoring during structured listening cycles, helping ground programming decisions in lived experience rather than trends alone.

The Collective is advisory in nature, reflecting a wide range of musical lineages, scenes, and creative communities. Through monthly listening sessions, members review and respond to new music submissions, strengthening equity in how artists are heard and considered. While final programming decisions remain with Carbon Sound, the Collective plays a critical role in shaping how we listen, learn, and show up for the community we serve.

We’re grateful for the artists and cultural workers who help shape how we listen. If you’d like your music considered, we invite you to submit here!

Meet the members of the Carbon Sound Community Listening Collective:

TIM WILSON

Tim Wilson has been the owner and operator of Urban Lights Music for the past 31 years.
He is experienced in retail sales, marketing, branding, and customer service. He is at Urban Lights because he loves music, the daily interaction with customers, and the opportunity to share his knowledge and insight into the music business with the next generation.

RICKI MONIQUE

Ricki Monique is a Minnesota-based musician, educator, and cultural curator. As a Co-Organizer of Tangible Collective, her practice centers on utilizing creative expression as a way to engage community in collective imagination and cultural development. Through intentional space setting in both the classroom and on stage, she aims to build a container for expressive and sustainable modes of being.

AWA MALLY, THE MAYOR

Awa Mally, aka The Mayor, is a Minneapolis creative, DJ, event curator, and co-creator of PureWaterRadio, home to an all-genre beat battle (4X). With a commitment to community-rooted curation and a belief that music has no limits, Awa champions Minnesota's artists as both keepers of musical legacy and pioneers of new sounds. She brings a diverse perspective and passion for elevating the voices shaping the future of the music industry.

Michelle Ndely, DJ MCSHELLEN

Michelle Ndely, known as “DJ McShellen,” is a Minnesota-based open-format DJ with Cameroonian roots and a deep, inherited love for music, quickly emerging as a rising force in the local scene. Recognized for her authentic yet infectious energy, thoughtful song selection, and genre-blending sound, she delivers a truly one-of-one, fun, and unforgettable experience with every set. Beyond the booth, Michelle channels her creativity into fashion and her community, working as a mental health practitioner and child welfare policy analyst—bringing the same care, intention, and passion to all that she does.

TOLZY, TOLZY SOUND

Tolzy, also known as “Tolzy Sound,” is an international DJ, curator, and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With a passion for music that began at a young age, he has developed a distinct ear and signature sound. After emerging onto the scene in summer 2022, Tolzy quickly gained recognition for his originality, genre-blending style, and ability to connect with audiences. His sets fuse Afrobeats, Afro-Fusion, Amapiano, AfroHouse, R&B, and Deep House, creating high-energy experiences that resonate across diverse crowds.

Tolzy has played and curated shows at major Minneapolis venues including First Avenue, Fine Line, Union Rooftop, and Icehouse, and has performed at shows and festivals across multiple U.S. cities alongside artists such as Oxlade, BNXN, Ruger, DJ Tunez, Davido, Pheelz, Tyler ICU, Wande Coal, TxC, and Fireboy DML. He is also the founder of SoundWave Social, an event series dedicated to fostering community through music and connection. Beyond live performances, Tolzy produces for other artists, releases his own music, and shares curated DJ mixes on MixCloud and YouTube.

Major Sosa, Truly Humbled Under God

Major Sosa — aka Truly Humbled Under God, the Metro Transit Monarch, and the Two-Phone Tyrant — is a local artist, lyricist, producer, DJ, and aspiring philanthropist. He’s a co-founder of The Winners Club Collective and the 5 Star Radio Archive Project, blending sound, culture, and community with unapologetic vision.

Sasha Bangzz

Sasha Bangzz, a dancer turned DJ, is an AfroLatinx artist known for seamlessly blending genres like 90s Hip Hop, R&B, and Vogue to create sets focusing on the dancer's experience. Beginning in the male-dominated battle scenes of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Sasha has always been a passionate advocate for inclusivity, using music to champion underrepresented artists and celebrate diversity. Whether in the ballroom scene, club, or theatre, Sasha creates experiences rooted in pure Black joy and celebration.

Angel Beloved

Angel Beloved is the co-founder and Creative Director of MPLS HOUSE (MH), a Minneapolis-based artist collaborative founded in 2017 and centered on connection, creation, and inspiration. While MH spans multiple artistic disciplines, its primary focus has been music through DJing, production, and community engagement. In recent years, the collective has evolved from party-driven events into the corporate space, leading to partnerships with O’Shaughnessy Distillery, RockStar DJs, Hewing Hotel, Southdale Center, Bellosounds, Modist Brewing, and Women’s Advocates. Their work continues to grow through intentional collaboration and feedback from both partners and audiences.

On the production side, MPLS HOUSE has released five EPs over the past seven years, including two collaborations with local producer Jeff Swiff. Over the past year, the collective has expanded its studio into a dedicated recording space to further elevate its sound, create more original MH music, and open the door to new collaborative opportunities.

KWEY

KWEY is a Ghanaian-American producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist based in Minneapolis and self-described gentle giant. He began DJing in 2015 and has since developed a sound rooted in global rhythms, cultural connection, and diasporic influence. In 2018, he founded Samambo World, a platform created to connect the African Diaspora through music and shared cultural experiences. Through both live DJ sets and original production work, KWEY continues to build spaces that center African and diasporic sounds. He has performed multiple DJ sets for Carbon Sound, bringing his expansive musical knowledge and community-driven energy to the platform.

Carbon Sound’s DJ sessions started back in late December of 2023. We’ve invited DJs from the Twin Cities and beyond to share their unique style in our studio. New mixes air Wednesday at 8 PM Central. We’re happy to announce that mixes will now be made available for playback online and in the Carbon Sound app for 24/7 listening. Check out the full collection of DJ mixes here.

Carbon Sound stands as a platform to highlight past and present generations of DJs, the tastemakers in the community that get us moving, introduce new tracks, and lead events. There’s so much talent based in the Twin Cities and coming through here on a monthly basis. It’s an honor to be able to highlight that.

There’s a rich history of electronic music and hip-hop in the Twin Cities, and it’s still being made today.

Stay tuned for new mixes on Carbon Sound. If you’re a DJ and want to be considered for the series, email a mix of yours to carbondigital@mpr.org.

Download the Carbon Sound app on iOS and Google Play.

DJ Afro (6/10/26)

Chico Chi (5/27/26)

DJ Fawzi (5/13/26)

abel. (4/29/26)

DJ PEACEBOII (4/22/26)

Effygasm (3/25/26)

Tarik Thornton (2/18/26)

The Mayor (2/4/26)

Sophia Eris (11/7/25)

Kwey (10/31/25)

Angel Beloved (9/3/25)

UNBOTHERED Presents: Yasmeenah (6/25/25)

echo's final mix (6/18/25)

Büttäh (6/11/25)

Truly Humble Under God (6/4/25)

UNBOTHERED Presents: D Untethered (5/28/25)

BYZARRA (5/21/25)

Urban Lights Presents: Big Reece (5/14/25)

Tekk Nikk (5/7/25)

DJ Advance (4/30/25)

UNBOTHERED Presents: Yasmeenah (4/23/25)

Lonefront (4/16/25)

Urban Lights Presents: DJ IntenZ (4/9/25)

Omari Eternal (4/2/25)

UNBOTHERED Presents: Yasmeenah (3/26/25)

DJ Sci-Fi (3/19/25)

Urban Lights Presents: DJ Layz T (3/12/25)

Ori The Ghost (3/5/25)

Rimarkable (2/26/25)

DJ Slugo (2/19/25)

Urban Lights Presents: Mickey Breeze (2/12/25)

Girl Blunt (2/5/25)

echo (1/15/25)

DJ TNA (12/11/24)

kaya (11/27/24)

DJ McShellen (11/20/24)

echo (11/13/24)

Luzia Fuchsia (10/30/24)

Real Girl (10/16/24)

El Niño Indigo (10/2/24)

TaliaKnight (9/4/24)

Sasha Bangz (8/28/24)

echo (8/21/24)

Ronnie Loko (8/7/24)

Jeff Swiff (7/24/24)

Nola Rave (7/10/24)

Blackmoonchild (6/26/24)

Entrañas (6/12/24)

AKKO (5/29/24)

DJ JEN-E (5/15/24)

DJ Etta (5/1/24)

Alexis Rose (4/17/24)

Kwey (4/3/24)

Sophia Eris (3/20/24)

Yasmeenah (3/6/24)

Dazegxd (2/21/24)

Dazzle (2/7/24)

echo (12/29/23, 1/10/24, 1/24/24)

Nakara Forjé stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about her most recent project Healed Hoochie: Sacred Pack, her Sacred Advisory tour, and more.

Sanni Brown

All right, class, settle down, settle down. We got a new community voice in the studio. Based in Minneapolis, a rapper, songwriter, and creative, whose work explores healing, identity, sensuality, spirituality, and Black womanhood through storytelling — Carbon Sound family, let's welcome Nakara Forjé. Welcome!

Nakara Forjé

Thank you.

Sanni Brown

I'm so happy to have you in here; I have so many questions about your projects. But we gonna keep it concise. So, you have a project called Healed Hoochie, and it's like a series, and you just released [Healed Hoochie:] Sacred Pack; that's the latest in your series. I remember when you dropped the Healed Hoochie series, and now you're touring it. So, first of all, congratulations; that's super dope. And in this project, you've brought other Black artists into the fold, and you are gonna have your final show at the Icehouse in Minneapolis on July 11. I'm fanned out, so I know you, but for the folks that don't know you, can you introduce yourself and talk a bit about who Nakara Forjé is, for the people who may be discovering you for the first time?

Nakara Forjé

Yes, my name is Nakara Forjé. I am a hip-hop artist, God MC, visionary, event curator, workshop facilitator. I'm a mother, I'm a sister, I'm a community leader, and I take pride in that.

Sanni Brown

How has Minneapolis shaped you as a person, artist, and storyteller?

Nakara Forjé

Man, Minneapolis is home. I've gone a lot of places, but the older and wiser I get, I just appreciate Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, really, more and more. The Twin Cities is so diverse; it's so cultured, the nonprofit sector here and the grants that we have and just all the things that kind of make this place great — I think when we're from here, when we're experiencing it, we take it for granted, and so I'm just so grateful to be from here. I think the diversity of this place, the community that we have here, it's so fire. It's grounded me, it's molded me, it's made me the leader I am.

Sanni Brown

I love that. I love your commentary. I'm from Chicago, and so I'm an outsider, and I'm constantly talking about how the creative scene here is insane.

Nakara Forjé

It's elite.

Sanni Brown

It is elite level, and so it's really nice to hear. I think I feel like I hear negativity about Minnesota, so I love when y'all come in and y'all like, "Nah, y'all need to —"

Nakara Forjé

Be grateful.

Sanni Brown

Be grateful. I feel like I'm more like, "Y'all need to put some respect on y'all own name." Because the talent here is insane. So, again, you released Healed Hoochie: Sacred Pack in February. What does this project and the phrase "Healed Hoochie" mean to you, and especially to Black women?

Nakara Forjé

Healed Hoochie is about the duality of working on yourself and becoming the highest version of yourself, while still navigating the lowest version of yourself. I think we're constantly living in that tension, and so healed hoochie is about embracing that tension and understanding that I'm perfectly imperfect. I'm a constant work in progress, and that deserves to be celebrated.

Sanni Brown

Sheesh, I gotta pause. You said embracing the tension — ma'am, when did you get that enlightenment for that?

Nakara Forjé

I think I've always been working towards that enlightenment. So often I fought it, or I've been fearful of it, or I've been made to feel that I want too much, or I am too much. And it's like, no, actually, I deserve the most.

Sanni Brown

Such a subtle flip.

Nakara Forjé

Man, perspective is everything.

Sanni Brown

Oh my goodness.

Nakara Forjé

My daughter, shout out to Eshay, she's taught me so much about reframing, and now I'm just like, the queen of the reframe.

Sanni Brown

I do appreciate that about younger people. I think the older you get, you get more stuck in your ways, and I think when you're younger, you're like, "You know what, let me look at it this way."

Nakara Forjé

For sure.

Sanni Brown

I love that. What was the creative process behind this project? I remember the first time you dropped it, I was just like, I've never heard anything like this before, Healed Hoochie. Because you see healed and you think, you know, evolved, and then you like hoochie, and you're like, woah.

Nakara Forjé

And you know what, it's like I'm actively healing, I'm constantly healing. There are some things that I've healed, that I've grown from, that I've outgrown, but there are still some ways that I'm raggedy. And you might not see it, but I know it, and I own it. So it's about being accountable to the parts of me that are not yet healed.

Sanni Brown

Nakara, you coming in here spitting — I'm sorry. What kind of emotional, spiritual, or artistic space were you in while creating this project?

Nakara Forjé

So it's a series of projects, like you said, and they all kind of have their own flavor. And so the first one is the Rare Pack, and that's me leaning into "I'm really her." I'm owning that, and that was also the transition period of me moving to Atlanta, getting away from Minnesota, healing from some things that really tried to set out to break me. And it's like, no, I'm gonna use those things, and I'm going to let them propel me. And so the Rare Pack is just kind of owning that bravado. The Jada Pack is about the demonizing of Black women.

Sanni Brown

Please get into that.

Nakara Forjé

And so, shout out to Jada Pinkett Smith.

Sanni Brown

I was gonna say, why Jada, ma'am? Why Jada?

Nakara Forjé

Because they was on Jada head, and I think they forgot that when Jayda entered the game, Jada was that girl. Jayda didn't look like nobody, she didn't sound like nobody, her acting was elite, her aura was sought after. And when somebody makes a mistake or you don't like the way that they're moving, you forget all that they've brought to the table. And so, just being a person who's been deeply misunderstood, I felt like I wanted to present an ode to Jada Pinkett.

Sanni Brown

Your success and your growth from this series, I can tell, it's just the way that you're approaching this. You are touching on topics that I feel like are taboo, or that I feel like maybe the manosphere kind of runs with, without having a deep understanding of womanhood. And so, oh my God, thank you.

Nakara Forjé

Thank you.

Sanni Brown

So, back to this four-city tour, because obviously the girls need to hear this. I notice that you're intentionally bringing Black artists into the fold. Why is that important for this tour?

Nakara Forjé

I'm a Black woman; I take that with me everywhere that I go. That's the first thing people see; that's who God made me to be. I got to take pride in that, and so centering that in everything, but more importantly, centering God in everything. So all of the artists that I chose all have a spiritual element; they know God, and you hear it in their music. Their music is touching; it makes you feel something, and so that was really important in curating this tour.

Sanni Brown

That seems dangerous to do that now.

Nakara Forjé

That's why you gotta do it.

Sanni Brown

It seems so dangerous in that you intentionally are putting that — I tell my listeners I'm a believer, but it's such a dangerous territory, with religion and politics intersecting. How did you feel about adding that in?

Nakara Forjé

I don't feel no way about it. It's just what it is. It has to be intentional. It has to be done. That's part of the call on my life. God gave me this gift. He's the reason I rap. The Sacred Pack is about my spiritual journey, and so I'm centering that message, and that vision, and that mission with this tour.

Sanni Brown

Why is it important for this tour to feel so community-centered?

Nakara Forjé

You don't get to be a large artist without community. And so community is at the core of everything, and some of us, we have smaller or larger communities, but it's a community, nonetheless. And so I just really want to do something that makes all of us feel good, and feel seen, and feel heard. Community is at the heart of a fanbase. We want to be big artists, but you got to build community.

Sanni Brown

Your tour wraps up at Icehouse on July 11. What can we expect from the final show? Without giving away too much, obviously.

Nakara Forjé

Oh my gosh, you can expect to not leave the way you came, you can expect worship, you can expect elite lyricism, you can expect to feel God in a space. Feel God and feel community.

Sanni Brown

How has this project changed you?

Nakara Forjé

It's stretching me, it's edifying me. I'm finna cry.

Sanni Brown

Because you have a very peaceful vibe in here, and that's why I want to know, because again, I've been fanned out about you since a long time ago, and to watch you drop this project, and to see people respond to it, it speaks to the magic that I talk about in music all the time. You have a very strong aura about you, and it's pleasant, and it's strong, and it's healing, and I just want to thank you for doing this, for you dropping this series, for you embracing the tension that you obviously have felt to get to this space, because you don't get to this space without the bumps and the lumps. And so I just want to thank you for being who you are, for allowing yourself to evolve in front of us the way you have, and then for providing us a product. Because you could have just twirled away into Healed Hoochie heaven, and you would have still had this vibe and this peace about you, but the fact that you was like, "Nah, let me come back and tell y'all what I learned."

Nakara Forjé

Yeah, you don't get to this peace without the turmoil, and so part of my assignment is to share the journey of how you get there. I still wrestle with it. I had a hell of a morning. I got a six-year-old who think he know everything, and so I'm in constant tension and turmoil. But I choose to be well, and that's just me using my free will in the best way I know how by making that choice to be well. So, thank you, because my aura has always been strong, but it hasn't always been peaceful.

Sanni Brown

Oh, wow.

Nakara Forjé

And so that's the journey.

Sanni Brown

You did done some work, I can feel it.

Nakara Forjé

Thank you.

Sanni Brown

Well thank you, Nakara. Thank you so much for coming in. And shout out to the babies, because the babies help us stretch too.

Nakara Forjé

Yes, absolutely. He raising me, so shout out to Carter.

Jamar Diggs stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about community building through basketball and what to expect at this summer’s Twin Cities Pro-Am.

Sanni Brown

Woo, dream chasers! I got somebody here for you today. The Twin Cities Pro-Am is a Minnesota summer hoops destination. It brings together professional athletes, locals, college players, and the community through competition. The Pro-Am has grown into a gathering space that celebrates community through basketball. And here to talk about the program is Jamar Diggs. Welcome, yay!

Jamar Diggs

Thanks for having me. Happy to be here.

Sanni Brown

First of all, thank you for what you do in the community. I love highlighting anybody who is building up the community, inspiring the next generation. So, first of all, thank you.

Jamar Diggs

I appreciate it.

Sanni Brown

Can you introduce yourself to the audience that doesn't know about you and talk a little bit about your role with the Twin Cities Pro-Am?

Jamar Diggs

My name is Jamar Diggs. Grew up here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Went to high school right in downtown Minneapolis, DeLaSalle High School. With school and basketball, my career took off, went to go play Division I college basketball, ended up playing professionally in Europe. So I've been playing professional basketball in Europe for the last 15 years. That's a little story about me, just grew up here, always wanted to find a way to make an impact in what I knew, and sports was kind of my thing. So, when I would come back home in the summers, I wanted to create something — selfishly for me and my friends, a place to play. And then when I started to do that — there's a track record of similar leagues and similar Pro-Ams in other cities, and there's also one here that I played in when I was younger, so I wanted to recreate that, because it was gone. I have somewhat of a business acumen, and I wanted to use some of my skill set and some of my relationships, and I said, "Well, let me start there." So I just kind of wanted to start small and just have a place for people to play basketball, but then I realized it could be a lot bigger than that, so I wanted to just involve people in the community and find a way I can tie it all together and kind of take what my predecessors, what their leagues have done, and take it to my version of it or a different level. And that's kind of what I did with that.

Sanni Brown

What makes your vision for your version of Pro-Am different from the other Pro-Ams?

Jamar Diggs

I think first I want to give a shout out to the guy who kind of took me under his wing, his name was Rene Pulley, he was kind of a basketball legend here in the Twin Cities, St. Paul area, and he had something called the Howard Pulley Pro-Am, and I played in that, participated in that as a player, as a high school guy, and for multiple reasons that fell out, and I just said, "Well, pass the torch to me, and I can take that on." I feel like the basketball community is extremely strong in Minnesota, as you see a lot of people, younger guys making it to the NBA and all that, and sometimes we don't get the national recognition from around other places, and I kind of wanted to create our space for us to highlight ourself. And within that I was like, well, since our community is so strong, we need to take the people that love basketball and the people that are here in the cities and just bring them all together in a safe, fun environment, and that's kind of what I wanted the vision to be. And then from that, step by step, I just started thinking of other things: how to implement camps or implement mentorship programs and things of that nature within the basketball event; we're now highlighting local artists or DJs, or things of that nature. Just little things — or local businesses, let's say — just finding small ways to continue to make it a community-based thing, not just a basketball event.

Sanni Brown

Before we go any further, what does Pro-Am mean?

Jamar Diggs

Pro, like professional, and amateur. So, there's professional basketball players and amateur basketball players. There's high school players, there's some guys, the local kid that may go to Tartan or may go to Johnson or may go to Minneapolis. Some high school players, which are amateurs because they don't get paid to play basketball, and now that college basketball has changed, and they start making money as well, they're still considered amateurs, but that's what it is. Guys that play in the NBA, or guys that play internationally, who play basketball for a job, those are professionals. So it's a mix of professionals and amateurs. Or the guy who may not have had the career, let's say with a resume, but can play, he's considered an amateur basketball player. So it's a mix of those players.

Sanni Brown

That's so welcoming. Why do you think the Pro-Am has resonated so strongly with the Twin Cities community?

Jamar Diggs

I think I would just have to highlight again, like basketball — it is a hockey state, Minnesota, they say, but in our neighborhoods and people that we know, we love basketball. So from that standpoint, I just think it's special, because again, people want to come out and see a guy that they may have not seen in a few years, or their stories of somebody's son, a father and son playing together, like Khalid El-Amin and his son Ishmael El-Amin, these are legendary — you would never really get that opportunity to see these guys play. Or you can see brothers playing, or somebody who graduated from your local high school playing against a professional NBA guy, a Timberwolf might come in town, so all of this is just like unique format, which I think it brings a level of excitement, and you know, level of fun, and again, the stakes aren't high, it's not your college team, have to win for a championship, but also it's pride. It's pride in the city, like I get a bunch of my friends together, and we're gonna beat a bunch of your friends — competition. It's nothing serious, but just a competition, and I think that's why I think it's resonated, in my opinion. Selfishly, as a basketball player, one thing I've learned that resonates with basketball is you can see people's emotions and face when you play basketball. Like football, people wear helmets, you may know of a player, but you don't see their face. In basketball, you can really resonate emotionally with them, even from excitement or frustration. I think that is one thing with the sport of basketball, in particular, it's special. And then also, Minnesota, again, it's not that big, so if you don't know somebody, you know one person who knows that person, especially in the sporting world. And I think the combination of those things, coming together and friendships, and again, little small banters, maybe a little St. Paul Minneapolis rivalry, little things like that. It's not intense, but little things like that play a role.

Sanni Brown

Healthy competition.

Jamar Diggs

Exactly.

Sanni Brown

I've heard you mention safe space. It's just so interesting to hear basketball and safe space in the same sentence. But again, I'm an outsider. Is that what makes it so special to you? Is that it's providing that safe space?

Jamar Diggs

I just think that's something that I want to have happen, you know? A majority of the year through work, I'm out of the country; I'm not home. And when I come home, I want to enjoy myself. Growing up as a kid, there were spaces in the community for me that I felt safe, and being from the community, outsiders may have not felt that it was safe, but that's where I grew up, I was like, "Oh no, this is not a problem." So I wanted to make sure that whatever we created, to outsiders and people involved, felt safe. I don't want to keep highlighting safe, but it's just more like fun, healthy competition. I want to re-shift it to there's a level of mentorship, there's a level of networking, there's a level of community. There's a level of I come here, and I have a clothing brand, and maybe not a lot of people know about my clothing brand, but they know this athlete. Well, if I come here and support this athlete, and this athlete supports my clothing brand, and this fan that comes to see this athlete sees my clothing brand, there's a healthy space and environment for those interactions to happen naturally. Obviously, there's a social media aspect; there's obviously marketing, but just, "Oh, this is here at this event? Oh, let me check that out, I never heard about that. And little things like "Oh, I sell healthy juice," "I'm a financial advisor," or "I'm a content creator." It's just bringing all these into one location on top of, "Oh, there's a game happening." It's just one thing to go see a game, but it's another thing to have a network and a community and opportunity, and that's where some of these symposiums that we have and some of these camps, just try to have these things happen at the same time.

Sanni Brown

What can people expect from this year's Twin Cities Pro-Am?

Jamar Diggs

If you've never been, you never know who's gonna be there. So you come there on a Tuesday night, you show up, you don't know who's gonna play, and it might shock you, it might surprise you. It might be a guy that flew in from the Lakers, end up playing. It's a good place to just enjoy basketball, enjoy your neighbor, meet some new people, maybe see somebody you haven't seen in a long time. And again, it's free, so that's what I've always prioritized. I will never charge anything, because it's not about making a dollar; it's about how can we give back, how can we show, how can we create a space that everybody's intertwined and having a good time. This is summertime; you can go to the lake, you can go to the park, but it's like, hey, I want to go check a game out on a Thursday night, I go check a game out. I could come in for an hour, or I could stay and watch both games and be there three hours, and I'll be there next week.

Sanni Brown

For someone who's never been to the Pro-Am, what makes that experience different from experiencing a traditional basketball game?

Jamar Diggs

Multiple things. One thing I would say is the access to the athletes. So you go to a Timberwolves game, unless you have a special relationship, there's no way that you're going to be able to see Anthony Edwards, or there's no way you're going to be able to touch a player or be around. My gym, or our gym, the Pro-Am kids are sitting on the baseline within arm’s reach of the players with photographs, autographs, things like that. Chet Holmgren or Jalen Suggs, they may not be playing, but they'll be in the crowd, and they're right there. We tried to create that space so everybody understand, we're all here for a good time, and also to meet and connect and go from there. And it's not a "brand" or anything that's highlighted; it's like, this is us, this is Minnesota, this is Minneapolis, this is St. Paul, this is the community, this is who we are. So we try to highlight that part of it, and I think that's what's different than you go to a Timberwolves game, it's like, "I'm going to see LeBron James." But you're in the nosebleeds — there's barriers, and you're spending $20 to have a meal; it's just a lot. That's a part of the entertainment; that's not what we want to do. It's healthy competition, access —

Sanni Brown

Community, togetherness.

Jamar Diggs

Exactly, see you putting the words — I should be interviewing you, you should be speaking for me.

Sanni Brown

What excites you about where the Twin Cities Pro-Am is going?

Jamar Diggs

I love it. I love the growth that it's had. Me and my staff, me and the team, we're so excited about how we've been intentional about the little incremental growth that we've had; we didn't want to go too big too fast. But the things that we're doing, like in August 5, we're doing a free camp for kids; we want to bring in some players and guest speakers, and things are finalized from that, but just little things like that. We have a shoe drive; we have a book bag drive that we're doing, like charitable events that we're tying in. Some of our sponsors are doing things within the community that we're funneling. The growth that we have from just five guys or five girls playing basketball together, we're beyond that. It’s just those little things, and I may not be the best at articulating it all, but that's why I try to tell people, just experience it.

Sanni Brown

So, for those who want to experience the Twin Cities Pro-Am, how do we contact you? How do we find out information about that?

Jamar Diggs

So we have our website, twincitiesproam.com, and most of that information is there, and on there we have a schedule, and we keep up to date. Social media as well, we have a Instagram account and a Twitter (X) account as well, @twincitiesproam, is on all our social media. I think that would be the best way, because again, this is rare for us, because we don't market our league. There's a reason we don't market our league.

Sanni Brown

And yet it's this successful.

Jamar Diggs

It's kind of like, if you know, you know.

Sanni Brown

I appreciate you so much, Jamar Diggs from Twin Cities Pro-Am. Thank you. I'm always excited when you guys come in and tell us about summer stuff. So, thank you so much for coming in.

Jamar Diggs

Thank you for having me.

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about Griot Arts and collaborating with Carbon Sound.

Sanni Brown

Oh, baby, we got a colorful one in here today. Carbon Sound Community Voices would like to welcome the owner and founder of Griot Arts, which is a Black-owned community arts and resistance space in Rochester, dedicated to uplifting Black artists, culture, storytelling, and creative expression through its bookstore, exhibitions, events, workshops, and community programming. Griot Arts has become an important gathering space for artists and creatives in Southeast Minnesota. And here to talk about Griot Arts is the founder and owner, Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara. Welcome, you're so colorful. Welcome, thank you for coming in today.

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

Thank you so much for having me.

Sanni Brown

Yay! Ok, so right off the bat, I have heard a lot about Griot Arts, and that's just from around the way, just hearing people talk about it, so that's good, they talk about it. So, for the people who may not be familiar, maybe new to town, or just want to know, what is Griot Arts, and how would you describe the space?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

Griot Arts is a community art space and a bookstore that celebrates Black voices, and it's located in downtown Rochester, Minnesota. I actually feel like to really understand the ethos and the soul of Griot Arts, you also need to understand what the Griot is, and what I named it after. And so I always tell people the Griot was a storyteller in the West African tradition, and not only that, but they were artists, right? They were part of keeping the memory alive and the history of the people through poetry and art objects and dance and music, and so I always like to connect to that historical part of it, and that living tradition, but then also be like, "This is a call for all of us to think about what the arts can do in the community." And then the actual space of Griot Arts was really inspired, I think, by these intimate living rooms, like bell hooks has this thing where she talks about how the first museums and galleries in Black communities were in our homes. And so I thought a lot about, like, ok, in a predominantly white space like Rochester, Minnesota, what does a Black space actually look like? And I wanted to kind of create this living room, so it's kind of giving like, your abolitionist auntie who kind of likes to read romance, it's giving Black intellectual, it's giving Black joy, it's super colorful, you see me dressed here, it's very colorful, it's like candy colored homes from the South and the Caribbean. It's got the wax print and Ankara from West Africa. It's got like the rattan and the wicker from the stoops. So I'm just trying to bring all of that in.

Sanni Brown

What does it mean to you to operate as a Black-owned community and resistance space? Heavy on the resistance space, because how is the living room resistance?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

The living room is resistance because it holds us, right? It holds who we are, and the fullness of who we are, with the history steeped in the tradition of Black bookstores and art spaces and third spaces, and all those spaces were resistant, because they were centering certain narratives and stories that weren't part of the mainstream culture, and so that was already resistant. And at the same time, though, I'm always trying to think about, like, ok, how do we think about how these spaces can also be incubators for a radical imagination? How can we continue to think about what's possible in these spaces? And we already know that that's part of the work that those spaces did, as classrooms, as political mobilization centers, as knowledge centers, as art spaces.

Sanni Brown

Just by you describing the living room, there's a comfort there. Black comfort, I feel like that's a resistance.

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

Absolutely. And joy, absolutely.

Sanni Brown

What has it been like to help build and support the creative community in Rochester?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

It's been really beautiful. Full disclosure, not from Rochester originally, didn't grow up in Minnesota, I'm from New York. I made Rochester my home 10 years ago, and one of the first things I went in there was like, "Ok, I do see Black people here, but where is the cultural infrastructure to hold us?" And that's what I was looking for, and that's what I wanted to build within our wider arts and cultural ecosystem. There is arts and culture in Rochester, but the question is who's getting represented, who's being held in those spaces? And Griot Arts was kind of my invitation to be like, ok, how do we build that cultural infrastructure to hold who we are as Black people in that city?

Sanni Brown

Aside from what I just said about Black comfort, why do you think spaces that intentionally center Black creativity, culture, and community are especially important right now?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

It is so urgent, it's always been important, but it's super urgent. I think about the ways in which Black art and culture have been some of our most powerful archives of possibility, right? They really have shown us, the blueprints — I like to call them the Blackprints — for how we thrive, how we survive, and how we move forward. And right now, we're being conditioned to not be able to think outside the box, and I'm like, we can think outside the box, and we could work toward our collective liberation and freedom, and we have the blueprints and the Blackprints for that, not just for us as Black people, for everybody. So like, let's get to it.

Sanni Brown

I mean, everybody like Black culture. On June 27, Carbon Sound will be hosting a networking event at Griot Arts for local artists and creatives. What can we expect?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

We can expect a time to come together as community to connect with one another to share resources. We need these resources. So, what are the resources out there in our region, in our community, and statewide for artists and creatives? And just a place to be. I'm really excited that it's being hosted at Griot Arts, because it's really part of what I built it for, for that connection and that sharing of resources.

Sanni Brown

What do you hope artists and community members take away from this event?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

I hope that they recognize that there are resources; we're not alone. We out here, and that we can support each other, and that there's ways and opportunities for us to lift each other up and be lifted up and continue to do the work we want to do as creatives.

Sanni Brown

I love that you're from New York, and you came here and you did this. I love this, because I talk to young dream chasers, my show specifically, I talk to dream chasers. This is a great example for young people who need to know that the resources are around them and where to tap in. So, how can we find out more about Griot Arts? How can the young kids tap in?

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

Well, we out here on the social media, so you can follow us @griotartsmn. Come visit us, Rochester is not that far away. Get a group, come down and see what it's all about.

Sanni Brown

Especially on June 27. All you local artists and creatives, I be talking to you every day to chase your dreams. So make sure you're out at Griot Arts in Rochester, and go say hello to Nicole, or Cole, that's what she said off the mic, we can call her Cole. Thank you for coming in.

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara

Thank you so much.

Jared Hemming stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about The Cedar Cultural Center and what the vibrant, historic, all-ages venue brings to Minneapolis.

Sanni Brown

Yeah, baby! We in Music Class for another Carbon Sound Community Voices Interview. And in studio today, we have a representative from The Cedar, which is a non-profit all-ages music venue located in the heart of Cedar Riverside, and has been presenting the world's music since 1989. And here to talk about it today, because we need to know, because y'all chasing y'all dreams, Jared Hemming. Welcome, yay!

Jared Hemming

Well hello Sanni, thank you for having me.

Sanni Brown

Thank you for pulling up. So, before we get into The Cedar and what you do with The Cedar, can you give us a pitch about who you are?

Jared Hemming

My name is Jared Hemming, I am a musician, and I work at The Cedar Cultural Center, so I'm a big-time music guy, love live music. I've been working at The Cedar for about 10 years, and in my spare time, I play drums in various bands in the Twin Cities. I just try to live, sleep, eat, breathe music, all the time.

Sanni Brown

I feel like people who chose drums to play, y'all got a little wild child in you. Is that true?

Jared Hemming

Yeah, kind of think Animal from the Muppets. I feel like that's representation for me when I see him on screen.

Sanni Brown

For those like myself who may not be familiar with everything that The Cedar does, what role do you feel like it serves in the Twin Cities?

Jared Hemming

You know, what really sets us apart, I would say — actually, it's a few things. First of all, we are a global music venue, so we love to present music from all across the world. We really try to emphasize bringing international artists into the Twin Cities, especially if it's an artist who might be touring North America for the first time, The Cedar is gonna be one of their first stops. We really try to host a lot of different artists, sort of national debuts here at the Cedar, and stuff like that, but I think obviously just with the way things are in the economy and politically, it has become harder for international artists to tour, so we do obviously supplement our calendar with a healthy amount of national touring artists and local shows as well. But what sets us apart from other venues in the Twin Cities, who we love, our venue is not designed simply just to make money; that's not the only business we're in. We're also a nonprofit, which means that we are able to take more of a risk presenting international artists who might not have a foothold in the Twin Cities market yet, debuting them live on The Cedar stage. We also do more than just host shows. We have a huge focus on support for emerging artists locally and internationally, and we also just love to present live music and dance from all different cultures, and we do a lot of different fun community outreach events as well, so we try to present free music as much as we can.

Sanni Brown

I heard you talk about the local scene. I'm always for the local scene. First of all, I think it's super dope that you create a platform for global artists, and I do think that feeds into the amazingness that is the music scene here. But what are you doing for the local artists? What's happening in Minneapolis?

Jared Hemming

In addition to hiring local artists pretty regularly to open up for headliners at The Cedar, that's often a spot that we reserve for different local artists across the board. Sometimes artists bring their own support acts, but for the most part, we try to hire local artists to be openers at our headlining shows. Honestly, for me, the biggest thing that we do to support local artists that I love is a project we have called The Cedar Commissions. It's this really amazing thing we do every year in partnership with the Jerome Foundation, where we give six different Minnesota-based musicians a grant, and then they have about six months to work on an original piece of music that they debut live on The Cedar stage.

Sanni Brown

Well, dang! That's for the local? I know y'all heard that, y'all better tap in! Music has a unique ability to bring people together across different backgrounds and experiences. How have you seen that happen through The Cedar's work?

Jared Hemming

One way I've seen people from different backgrounds and communities come together is the Cedar Commissions event. One thing that's kind of cool about it is, like I said, it's six different Minnesota musicians who each get this grant.

Sanni Brown

Is this yearly?

Jared Hemming

It's yearly, yep. And actually, it's just about to open up again. So make sure to check out thecedar.org if you're a Minnesota-based musician and you're looking to level up in your live music career or make something new, come work with us. But it's cool because we try to give it to a diverse set of artists, so it's a show that happens every February, it's like a weekend of shows, so we do three artists on Friday night, three artists on Saturday night, and we add two rappers, two different sort of folk-adjacent artists of very different disciplines, and then two sort of wild indie rock, weird art pop kind of experimental artists, as well. And each one of them brought a totally different vibe, totally different sound to The Cedar. So if one of them wasn't your vibe, there were two other artists performing who had a completely different style for you to listen to. One other thing, this is just kind of my go-to little snapshot of what The Cedar is like. We have a program called Global Roots, which is a series that goes on all year long, where we present different shows for free at The Cedar that are being performed by international artists. So that used to take form in something called the Global Roots Fest that we did a few years ago, and in 2022 we had a co-headlining set from two different artists, this folk, quirky, sort of They Might Be Giants-esque folk duo from Estonia called Puuluup, and this Ethiopian, sort of dance party band called QWANQWA. So they each performed at The Cedar on the same night and for the same audience, two totally different sounds. And I remember walking into the green room before we opened up doors, just to let the artists know, like, "Hey, we're gonna open up doors to the public and get the show started pretty soon." And when I walked in, I saw the two guys from Puuluup with their instruments, you know, they have just kind of handmade acoustic weird folk instruments, and they were jamming with members of QWANQWA. These are artists from Estonia, artists from Ethiopia, they don't necessarily speak the same language —

Sanni Brown

But the music speaks the same language. That's fabulous.

Jared Hemming

Yeah, that's the kind of connection you can only see at The Cedar.

Sanni Brown

How do you pick the artists? Somebody got they ear to the streets? How do you select the artists?

Jared Hemming

Artists come to us through all kinds of different ways. We have a lot of different series that we try to book regularly, so for a while, we were doing something called Minneapolis Afrobeats with this artist named Fanaka Nation, who's amazing. We love Fanaka Nation. And that was a really cool series that we did for a while. Currently, we're doing a sort of drone-adjacent series called Noise Party. It's fun, I highly recommend Noise Party. We just did Volume 14 this last week, and Volume 15 is coming up soon. But basically, it's seven or so different local artists, each doing a set, and the kind of hook of it is that we try not to have any break time between acts, so as one act is sort of winding down, the next act will set up and start up right away, so just trying to eliminate transitions between artists, so we can fit more music into our regularly scheduled programming. And that's actually kind of reminiscent of my single favorite show we do every year, called Drone Not Drones. It's kind of one of the things that makes Minneapolis and Minnesota unique, in my opinion. We love Drone Not Drones. It's a 28-hour nonstop drone music festival on The Cedar Stage. So, we start music at 7 pm on a Friday night, usually in January or February, and then the music goes all night long. You can come in and out anytime you want, and we wrap things up at 11 pm the next Saturday night.

Sanni Brown

That's insane, I love that.

Jared Hemming

Yeah, and with the post-pandemic society that we live in, there's not a lot of special events like that anymore, where you can be in a space after hours. People bring their sleeping bags and sleep at the Cedar and spend all 28 hours there. It's incredible.

Sanni Brown

A musical lock-in.

Jared Hemming

Yeah, and it's a benefit for Doctors Without Borders, and it's a celebration of both local music and national music. Some past headliners include Nels Cline of Wilco, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yeux. They've all done amazing sets at the Drone Not Drones, and often we have between like 30 to 60 different local drone artists just making noise on stage. And like I was mentioning with Noise Party, what kind of makes Drone Not Drones unique is that the drone never stops, so once that first artist gets the music started at 7 pm we have two stage setups, and you know, as one person's sort of winding down their set, the next person will start making a little bit of noise, and the music truly never stops for 28 hours.

Sanni Brown

Wow. Ok, so Juneteenth, word on the street is y'all got Hot 8 Brass Band playing. And first of all, for those of us who may not be well-versed in music language, what's a Hot 8 Brass Band?

Jared Hemming

I feel like what kind of makes a good brass band a good brass band is if they have brass in their name, you know what I mean? Like, I almost feel like the plainer the name, the better the band is gonna be. They just call themselves Hot 8 Brass Band; you know exactly what that is. It's gonna be hot players, hot brass, eight of them on stage, blowing the roof off the sucker, I'm pretty sure.

Sanni Brown

Aside from some hot brass, what else can we expect from this Juneteenth celebration?

Jared Hemming

I think it'll just be joy. If you enjoy music on any level, The Cedar's Juneteenth celebration with Hot 8 Brass Band will probably be the most joyous event in the cities. I mean, really, who doesn't love a hot brass band?

Sanni Brown

I love that. So, Juneteenth is both a celebration of freedom and an opportunity to reflect on Black history and culture. What does it mean for The Cedar to host events that intentionally center Black artistic expression?

Jared Hemming

Well, as music fans and Americans, I think we know how important it is to shine a light on different cultures and how representation matters, especially when it comes to live performance, media, etc. Minnesota is a much more diverse place than people give us credit for, and you can really look no further than The Cedar's calendar to see that mixing pot in action, in my opinion. Black Americans have basically been at the center of every single American musical art form's birth, right? Jazz, rock, country, folk, funk, punk, and these are all genres that we love hosting at The Cedar. None of these genres exist without the Black community in America, and we're proud of that. That's just something we want to highlight.

Sanni Brown

In case we just pulled up, and we like, "I want some hot brass!" How do we locate you? How do we find out and keep up with the events that you guys are putting on at The Cedar?

Jared Hemming

All of our events are on our website, thecedar.org. We're named after our home on Cedar Avenue and Riverside Avenue, right on the corner there in West Bank, Minneapolis. Come on by, we've got hundreds of shows every year. We're a volunteer-run organization, so I didn't mention that. So part of my role at the Cedar is that I'm the volunteer coordinator, and literally every single show we've done at The Cedar since 1989 has been run by volunteers. People who are just like you, just normal folks who are based in the Twin Cities or greater Minnesota, who just maybe want to experience live music, maybe they want to volunteer a little bit, maybe they just want to skip paying for a ticket and just serve a few drinks instead and then come enjoy the live music. I think a lot of people don't necessarily know about The Cedar, or maybe they've been to The Cedar once, but if you are craving live music and you don't necessarily — you're not sure, you're genre agnostic, you're like, "I want to try something new," The Cedar is really the best place for it. We love venues like First Avenue and, obviously, Live Nation; they've got your famous people covered, right? We try to shine a light on the more middle-class scene within the musical community, so try something new. Even if it's an artist you've never heard of, just come by, see a show at The Cedar, you're going to be pleasantly surprised.

Sanni Brown

Again, it's thecedar.org. Jared, thank you so much for coming in and putting me on, because I got some questions, we might have to link up after the fact.

Jared Hemming

Absolutely, please.

Sanni Brown

Thank you again, Jared.

Jared Hemming

Thank you.

Join Carbon Sound and Griot Arts for an afternoon of networking, collaboration, and community-building designed for Rochester's creative community.

Whether you're a musician, artist, creative entrepreneur, or simply passionate about supporting the local arts scene, this session is an opportunity to connect with fellow creatives and learn more about the resources available to help you grow.

During this networking session, attendees will:

• Learn how to submit music to Carbon Sound

• Connect with local artists, creatives, and community members

• Discover Rochester-based creative resources and opportunities

• Build relationships and expand their creative network

• Learn more about Carbon Sound's mission and programming

Click here to RSVP and reserve your spot for the event.

Mike Bishop stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about all things Public Functionary — including its free event, The Function “Block Party” on June 13.

Sanni Brown

Hey y'all, we back with another community voice. This person is the director of operations and a lead producer at Public Functionary. But before I get into this, Public Functionary is an artist-led space in Northeast Minneapolis to dream and live in a world where multifaceted identities are celebrated and centered. Young people, I'm talking about this all the time. Their mission is to support the expression of art and culture through studios, galleries, and performance space, and here to talk about that is Mike Bishop. Yay, welcome!

Mike Bishop

Thank you, thank you for having me.

Sanni Brown

For those of us who don't know about you, because I've heard of your name before, and I've heard of Public Functionary, but just give us an elevator pitch about who you are and what you do around town.

Mike Bishop

Yeah, absolutely. With many small organizations, you wear a lot of hats. So what I do would probably, at a larger organization, be like three or four people's jobs. So I am the director of operations at Public Functionary, which on that side of my work, is really kind of like behind the scenes, admin, making sure that things run smoothly, financial management, planning strategy. The stuff you gotta do to make it work, but you know, the things that I used to honestly procrastinate a lot on, but now over the years have gotten better at putting those things first on my to-do list to get out of the way, so that I can then get to the things that feed me a little bit more in the creative work with Public Functionary. But also with the Director of Operations position, I'm really kind of managing how we do things on a day-to-day basis in the space, and also making sure that that aligns with our vision and our mission as an organization. And then the other part of my job, which is really kind of what I consider to be more of my artistic practice, is the lead production role, which is working in space with artists of all disciplines, so from musicians to performers, dancers, visual artists, to help them take their ideas and their visions and materialize them and turn them into something that can happen, and to help them kind of think those things through.

Sanni Brown

Specifically in the Twin Cities, what gap do you feel like the Public Functionary is filling?

Mike Bishop

Yeah, so we started Public Functionary in 2012, that is just crazy to go back to. But prior to starting Public Functionary, my co-director, co-founder, and myself, Tricia Heuring, who I've been working with for that entire time, were working in two other art spaces, XY&Z Gallery, which was leaning more of like a commercial gallery space, and CO exhibitions, which was a little bit more of like a project-oriented space. And so between the work that we were doing in those spaces, we were both still relatively young and kind of figuring out where we fit into the ecosystem in Minneapolis, and it was bringing up more questions than really answers or necessarily us being able to say like, "Let's fill this hole," but it was kind of like, "Why are we not seeing particular artists shown more, particularly artists of color? Why are we not seeing more young people in spaces? Why are people not feeling comfortable in art spaces?" Like, all of these things were kind of percolating for us in our work, and Tricia, who is Thai, was kind of also like, "Where do I fit in as a curator of color in this scene, and where is the space for me?" We kind of created this space, but then I would say the community really kind of started to fill in the holes and help us understand what was really needed, and the more we saw the overlap between these different creatives working together, we started to see what ultimately would become Public Functionary in terms of this multidisciplinary production space, where we really support artists in whatever their visions may be. I've been reading a book recently called ‘The Land Knows the Way' by Ricardo Levins Morales, who is an artist, educator, activist, organizer in the Twin Cities, has been all over the place; he just published this book recently. He's like a gem to the city, the work that he does. You've probably actually seen a poster of his or something somewhere, if you look it up, you're like, "Oh, I've seen that" or heard that quote, you know. And so the book is kind of connecting ecological systems to organizing, and how the two kind of inform each other. One of the chapters is about the importance of soil, and as I was reading this, I had to go back and reread it, actually, because it started to bring up feelings for me and thoughts around what is Public Functionary in this creative ecosystem, and I feel like our role is kind of like being the soil. So, if you have a seed, healthy seed, and you plant it in bad soil, you're not going to yield the results that you're looking for. But if you have healthy soil and you plant that seed, all of a sudden it becomes something that is nourished and becomes something that then evolves and grows out of that. But the cycle of that, then, which I think is so beautiful, and where I think we really fit in, too, is that then what is nourished in that soil becomes something that then nourishes community. So if you're growing food, you're literally nourishing your body. If you're growing flowers, you're providing something that's aesthetically beautiful and something for bees to pollinate. And so I really think of what we do is like being the healthy soil. So part of the goal then is how do we create healthy soil? What does that mean in terms of our values, our beliefs, the culture that we create to foster these artists to help them nourish and grow?

Sanni Brown

What makes the creative ecosystem where music is and where visual art is, and fashion, what makes all of that special to you, in particular, not necessarily Public Functionary, but to you?

Mike Bishop

I mean, I don't know what I would do with my life without that, right? It's what's kept me in the Twin Cities for my life, it's what's gonna keep me here, and it's also something that I feel an obligation to, because of the way that it has nourished and fed me, to continue to nourish and feed it, so that it continues to grow and build into something for the next generation. I think a lot about that within my personal position in the work that I do. The space that is Public Functionary, I don't feel like really existed when I was a kid, so I didn't have that space to go to, and I think about that a lot, about how do we create the space for someone. When I see a young person walk into our space and their eyes light up, and something just clicked for them, of like, "Oh, this is a thing. This is real. I can develop a space, or work in a space like this, or I can just be part of community in a space like this." That's the value to me of what this is, and so I continue to keep trying to just push that further and further and further through the work that I do, and that, again, nourishes community, but that nourishes me as well.

Sanni Brown

Public Functionary got a function going on. It's called The Function Block Party, it's happening on June 13, and it is being described as a "Celebration of what makes our city so special, the resolve and creativity of our neighbors." Hear, hear to that. What inspired the vision?

Mike Bishop

It's particularly potent right now, and I think the reason why it tells you, and why you feel that when you hear it, is because of what the Twin Cities has been through to start this year. And so this is now the third year that we've done The Function. The first two years that we did it, it was definitely still celebration of creative community, bringing the people together that make Public Functionary happen, and just also an introduction to people who have never been to Public Functionary to learn more about what it is that we do. We've done it as a ticketed event in the past, as a way to fundraise for the organization, which is obviously still important, and I don't want to make it seem like we have the funds to just disregard that, because we don't — we're always like, every day trying to figure out where is it coming from, and that's just part of the process of doing this. But after the beginning of this year, it felt inauthentic to us to be pushing a ticket, when everything that was happening in the Twin Cities. And you didn't know what was going to be posted or seen on your feed next, so we just didn't feel okay about that as a team. So, as a team, we really sat with that and thought about, "Ok, we still want to hold The Function. The Function is still important. Joy, pushing back as a form of resistance is still very much needed. How do we do that?" My teammate and co-director, Tricia, had the idea of applying for some grants to look for funding to be able to offset what usually would be covered by the ticket cost. We applied for a grant through the City of Minneapolis; we were lucky enough to get that. Thank you so much to the City of Minneapolis, that, like, I think fulfills some grant requirements. Just use that as a sound bite. But that allowed us to then rethink how do we frame the function this year, and instead of it being just a way to support Public Functionary and a celebration of the work that we do, this year it felt like what we need is really a celebration of the community that showed up to fight back for their neighbors, to push back against what was happening here, and also we want to expand the footprint of the function, we want our neighbors, like our immediate neighbors in Northeast Minneapolis, who maybe don't always come to our events, or know much about what we do, to feel comfortable coming to this and just enjoying and having fun. So that was really where the kind of impetus of the conversation around what the function this year was going to be.

Sanni Brown

So we know the inspiration for why you're doing it. What can we expect the day of?

Mike Bishop

You can expect food, music, art, games. And I'll tell you a little bit more about each of those things. So food, we have an amazing food truck, the Angry Line Cook, coming. We have Beignet Queen coming, they're fantastic, amazing food, both of those. So you can get your food there. We'll have some beverages and other things as well to make sure that you're nourished and feeling good. And then, as far as music, which is kind of what The Function really is for us in the past, we really develop a lot around the musical programming. The artists this year are MMYYKK, so super excited to have him on the stage this year. M. Ada Jamison, who is a producer, does a lot of work behind the scenes, but M. is incredibly talented. She has been making music for film scores and doing production work with Kamilla Love and a lot of local artists, and so very excited to see what she brings to the stage. That's gonna be an incredible set. And then papa mbye, who you had in a couple weeks ago.

Sanni Brown

Yeah! He is a great personality.

Mike Bishop

He is a personality, absolutely. papa coming back is actually kind of a full circle moment. papa is a visual artist as well, very talented visual artist. And when papa was like 17 or 18, him and a group of friends pitched this idea of doing an overnight weekend kind of like residency at the old Public Functionary space, so they like slept in the gallery, and created work, and then turned that into an art show, and so now as papa steps into music and really pushes that medium forward, it's exciting to kind of have him come back into the fold to make things with us, and then a couple of DJs, Alexis Rose and Awa Mally, aka the Mayor, and then our hosts for the day are Lenora Magee and Fanaka Nation.

Sanni Brown

How can we find out more about this? Because you know, we might just be listening to this in passing. Where do we need to find out about Public Functionary, as well as The Function Block Party.

Mike Bishop

Absolutely, publicfunctionary.org, our website has a lot of the information about The Function Block Party, how to register, it is free with registration, but we are asking for registrations just so we have an idea of what to expect, so we know who's coming. Also our Instagram is always a great place to keep up with us too, @pfunctionary, information about the block party as well, and then also future programming, we have a lot of other amazing things coming up. We do The Function, and then we give our team a little break, but then coming back, like July, August, we've got some great programs as well.

Sanni Brown

Awesome. Well, thank you, Mike Bishop, and thank you, Public Functionary, for what y'all doing.

Mike Bishop

Thank you so much.

Andre Shoals, also known as DJ Afro, is a resident DJ for the queer party series Daddy Issues Minneapolis. In addition to his work as a DJ, which began in the early ‘90s in New York, Andre has a robust background in visual art, dance, acting, and musical theater. He joined us ahead of a busy month of Pride events, including the Daddy Issues Pride Block Party featuring Josh Steers on June 27 and the Pride Disco Block Party with Rebecca Black on June 28.

In his mix for Carbon Sound, DJ Afro delivers some soulful house and disco with high production and female-led vocals.

We chatted with DJ Afro about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

My name is Andre Shoals, and I go by DJ Afro.

When did you start DJing?

I have a long history with music and DJing. I originally started back in the early '90s in New York, and then I moved to Boston, and I did some DJing, but back then I was primarily like '70s disco, '80s pop, '90s, some hip-hop and stuff. So that's sort of where I landed during the time that I was DJing, but also, I was just such a huge lover of house music, so I've been hitting the club since I was 18 years old.

What's your favorite thing about house music?

The beat. I used to say that I was a B-boy. Back in the day, it was like, "Oh yeah, are you a B-boy or a B-girl?" And that was just like you were really into the beats. But I typically love house music that has vocals, specifically female vocals.

You go by DJ Afro, but is it fair to say you're an interdisciplinary artist with your dance, theater, and graphic design background?

Yeah, I do a little bit of everything. I would say that I'm an artist overall, and that is the umbrella for everything. Early in my career, I started off as a modern dancer, then I transitioned into acting, and now I've landed in the musical theater space. So that's primarily what I do when I'm actually working in theater, but like you said, I also am a graphic artist, I'm a choreographer, so I like just art in general.

What do you like about expressing yourself through DJing?

Finding that hit that just moves you. And for me, it's about finding those pieces that are well-produced. What I found is that if you can find a piece that is well-produced, there's no need to do a lot of the extras. I'm just not an echoey kind of person, not that there's anything wrong with that. I totally respect and love all of that work, but I love for the music to speak for itself.

What is Daddy Issues?

Daddy Issues is a queer, non-binary, everyone's invited dance party that my friend Tyler Copeland and Dean Frisby are part of. I think we're heading into our fourth year now of doing these parties around town, and it's been really great to create a space where people can really just be themselves, and that we can actually give them a little bit of what the old-school club scene used to be.

Is that where the idea for Daddy Issues came from? Filling that gap of the old-school while also making it as inclusive and safe a space as possible?

Exactly, Tyler and a friend of his, Peter, were actually the two who started Daddy Issues. I joined on the third party, and that was the thing that Tyler had mentioned to me. He was like, "Man, I just want a night that's just gonna hit all those old-school vibes." And so that's what we've really tried to capture, and what's really wonderful about us three resident DJs, myself, Tyler, and Dean, is that our styles are different, but they marry in such a way that really sort of brings about an exciting and explosive night.

What's been your favorite part about being a part of the Daddy Issues experience?

This is gonna sound nerdy, but I think music people would really get this, is just filling your crate full of stuff. You're on the hunt for that next track, you're like, "Ok let me just go down this rabbit hole and see." And then you find those pieces that really work, and then when they marry together, you're like, "Ok yeah, I'm really into a groove." That's awesome.

Speaking of being on the hunt, what can the Carbon Sound audience expect from this set today?

Female vocals, heavy on that. And then, like I said, just pieces that I think are really well-produced, and that have a really good bump to it, so that hopefully when you're listening to it, you're just like, "Oh man, yes, I'm really into this," and really pay attention to how the songs are produced and the instruments and how things kind of come forward and then are pulled back. So yeah, that's almost always my focus.

Angel Beloved of MPLS HOUSE and Shardae Robinson of Power 104.7 stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about Urban Lights’ DJ Night & Fundraiser, the importance of preserving Black creative spaces, and more.

Sanni Brown

Hey y'all, Carbon Sound Community Voices Interviews. We got some folks in here, and they are in here for a wonderful cause. We have Shardae from Power 104.7 as well as Angel from MPLS HOUSE, and they are here to talk about a fundraiser for Urban Lights, which is a historical community Black-owned record store, and we got a fundraiser going on. So, first of all, thank y'all for coming in, especially on the back of something like this. This is dope, thank you. So we're gonna get right to it. Shardae, tell us about the work that you are doing in the community with Power 104.7.

Shardae

I am the morning host, Monday through Friday, from 8am to 10am at Power 104.7. It's called The Wake Up, so we wake the city up, you know what I'm saying. We give y'all your Minnesota updates, because you know, this is home, so we gotta keep everybody updated with what's going on in our backyard. And then a little bit of Hollywood tea, not too messy, just a little bit. And, of course, U.S. World news, so we are up to date on what's happening in our world. So we're in the community because we're giving back in the best way that we can, at least the best way I can, by keeping our community updated on things that's going on around us. Whether if it's fun, whether if it's political, whether if it's important, we want to make sure that those who don't listen to traditional news on the TV, or whatever, that they can tune in via radio, or even on our website, and get those daily updates. And then we're in the community, we have events that we do in the summer all the time. I'm sure we'll get into it, but yeah, that's how we kind of stay included.

Sanni Brown

Awesome. Angel, run the script. What do you do over at MPLS HOUSE?

Angel

We're a collective, so I have two other colleagues in MPLS HOUSE, so mainly DJ gigs around the Twin Cities, corporate DJing, producing some music. I established it in 2017 with one of my co-partners, and now I'm just the founder and running it just around the Twin Cities. I DJ a lot, and I also work with young people in the community, which is very important. I'm involved in the community, and I'm a youth organizer.

Sanni Brown

I love that. I always talk during the week, and let young people know, hey, these people are living out realities that back in the '90s they said this was impossible. So these are the people that y'all need to be pulling up to and listening to. Let's talk about Urban Lights and why this fundraiser matters. I am a super-duper fan of Urban Lights, you do not have to tell me. I want you to tell the young people who do not know. I love Tim Wilson. I love what he's doing. I am fascinated by all of the Twin Cities music history that he has, but I would like to hear it from y'all in particular. Why is the Urban Lights fundraiser so important?

Shardae

So the whole idea of it came — outside of doing radio, I also do a lot of content curation and curating, and I met Andre at Urban Lights through a mutual friend, and I was just like, "Yo, we should do some kind of like DJ fundraiser to help out Tim and all that he's gotten on, preserving the history of Urban Lights." And Andre was like, "Yeah, let's do it. My people will talk with your people, we'll figure this out." So, just coming together and doing that, and it's important because believe it or not, I actually did not know that Urban Lights had the history that it had. I didn't. I'm gonna be honest. So when I first stepped foot in that place, every day you're hearing a new story about something that has happened in hip-hop history and R&B history, all of that. I just go there and I leave with so much knowledge. So I think it's important because this is one of the few safe places that we have to preserve that history, to hear, like I said, different stories, and to even get a little bit of barbershop talk, which is beautiful. It's beautiful. So I think it's important because we got to keep that history strong, especially in Minnesota.

Sanni Brown

And Tim Wilson is one of the few Black record store owners in the country. So that's why this is extremely important. Ok Angel, let us know on the DJ tip, because I know Tim be having DJs in there.

Angel

Yeah, so this will be my first time DJing there, but I've been going to Urban Lights since the '90s. I went to Central High School, that's where a lot of hip-hop shows were popping off, met a lot of cool artists, emcees, DJs, community members, and just looking at the store, when you walk in, there's this warmth of posters, vinyl, CDs. So it's very important to have these sanctuary spaces for Black and brown folks, and just keeping the culture alive — the realness, the soulfulness. Yeah, it just makes me happy.

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Sanni Brown

What are you hoping to happen on the day of the fundraiser? What are you going to be doing? What is it gonna look like? Can you paint it for us? Or that's exclusive, you can't tell us yet?

Angel

For me, my hour vinyl set, I'm pulling out some funk, I'm pulling out disco records, I'm pulling out some early '90s, 2000s house music, so you're gonna get a little flavor of everything, of the soulful culture. So that's what I'm gonna bring. Some fun, come hang out, buy records, come on, we gotta get some support out there, people, come through.

Sanni Brown

Is there anything else that you feel like needs to be added to that, so we can color it and sprinkle it, and make sure the community's pulling up and showing up?

Shardae

I mean, vibing with the vibe that he brings. Bringing the excitement, making people happy to be there, making sure people know that, hey, we're here to have fun, but we're also here to preserve this history, like you said, fundraising, right? So, whether it's $1 — I don't know exactly how they're setting it up, but whether it's $1 or buying vinyl. We are doing a vinyl giveaway, I don't know which one, but yeah, just coming out to not just enjoy the music, but fellowship. So I'm there to make sure that that's happening.

Sanni Brown

You're gonna be hosting, right? So you're bringing your own set of vibes. What date is this happening? What are the details that we all need to know, so we can come pull up and support?

Shardae

June 12, that's a Friday.

Sanni Brown

If we missed this interview, and somebody was like, "Hey, they got a fundraiser for Tim Wilson and them over at Urban Lights." Where can we find all this information?

Shardae

Social media, Carbon Sound has posted the flyer. We're in collaboration on that flyer, so you can find it on my personal social.

Angel

Yeah, my personal social, @mplshouse, Facebook and Instagram.

Shardae

Oh, I didn't even give mine, @allthings_dae. And then, of course, go to Urban Lights, go to their social, you'll see it plastered all over theirs too.

Sanni Brown

Shardae and Angel Beloved, thank you so much for what you're doing. Thank you for being an inspiration, because the young people got to see y'all doing this. And they're also watching you come together and show support for community, so I just really appreciate what you're doing. It supports what we're doing here at Carbon Sound, so absolutely, we want to support you. Thank you so much for coming in today.

Shardae

Thank you.

Angel

Appreciate you.

papa mbye stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about his newest EP JAAKARLO, the Minnesota music scene, and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

Hey y'all, we back at it. It's Carbon Sound Music for Life. We have another guest in here for our Carbon Sound Community Voices. I like it because when I pulled up on him, I was like, "How do I say your name?" He was like, "papa." But before I get to that, he's an artist from Senegal and Gambia, raised in North Minneapolis, and you have a new project called JAAKARLO, and it released on April 24, it's out on all platforms. Carbon Sound Family, welcome, papa mbye. Yay, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. Okay, so a pitch, I like everybody to do their pitch, and I think it's good because then young people who are listening, you gotta have a pitch. So, for those of us who don't know you, tell us about your background from Senegal. How'd you get here from Senegal? And you were raised in North Minneapolis, and now you got this project, give us the backup.

papa mbye

I was born in Gambia, and my dad won a green card lottery, so we came here with my mom and my big sister and my dad to Memphis when I was two, and then we moved to Minnesota when I was like three or four.

Sanni Brown

Wow, and been here since then. How does your background in Senegal and North Minneapolis, how do those influences come through into your sound and your work?

papa mbye

I feel like, my Senegalese influences come through at first very subconsciously, just because it's the music I listened to when I was a child. The name of the project is JAKAARLO, which is the name of my favorite song from a N'dongo Lo album. N'dongo Lo is one of my favorite Senegalese artists that I listened to when I was a kid, and he made a project called Adouna, which basically means life in Wolof, the tribal language in Senegal and Gambia I speak. And the fifth track, I think, is called “Jakaarlo,” which means 'to be close to,' and the lyrics basically translate there's nothing better than being close to someone, talking, laughing, and dancing. And the whole project is just him giving reverence to the people he loves. So I was really inspired by that.

Sanni Brown

Why is that important to you right now? It's one thing to feel that, but why is that important to communicate that with this EP?

papa mbye

I liked this girl when I started making it. And then we ended up dating, and the relationship ended kind of as soon as the project got finished, but it felt like my first time trying to write love songs, and then it also felt like a time capsule of the relationship, so even though it ended, I feel like I have that moment forever. Which was a more positive outlook at something ending for me.

Sanni Brown

Have you approached your previous projects like that?

papa mbye

All my previous projects have been premonitions for breakups, sadly.

Sanni Brown

Wow, so the previous projects have been premonitions for a breakup, and this most recent one, JAKAARLO, that was about this time.

papa mbye

Yeah, I was making it while it's happening, like while I was courting her, or whatever you want to call it.

Sanni Brown

What was your process of capturing your ideas? Because you're feeling it, but then how are you also creating the art that's expressing it?

papa mbye

At that time, me and my homies, Zak Khan, aka Young Dervish, Ben Farmer, FruitPunchLoverBoy, now Christian Music, and Huhroon, we all had a studio together on North Washington, and I was more intentionally going in during the daytime and just trying to get into that flow of work, really treat like a job, I guess. And I honestly didn't make that many songs for this project. It wasn't like, "Oh, I made 30 songs and I picked six," like I just kept going. The title track “JAKAARLO” on this project, I actually made after like a six month musical hiatus, like two years ago, and I remember I just made it on my computer, and I had like all the vocals are on my phone, and I think that was kind of the genesis for this project, that was kind of my north star. And after that, all the songs kind of just came.

Sanni Brown

I like that you said you treated it like it was a job, because again, if you're having this experience with somebody, and then you're feeling it, you're experiencing it. How do you capture that? Do you feel like you that you successfully captured that moment in time on this project?

papa mbye

I think, yeah. After we broke up, I literally could not listen to the project for like a month.

Sanni Brown

Like, listen back to it?

papa mbye

Yeah, I couldn't.

Sanni Brown

Oh, wow, why? It must have been too real.

papa mbye

Yeah it was way too real. Because I feel like I never meant to have music be my thing, I used to draw first. So that's kind of how North Minneapolis ties into me making music, because I was, and I still am, a visual artist, and I feel like that's what informs my music. I like to make music like how I draw, which is just like starting with a line.

Sanni Brown

That's what I wanted to know, what inspires you to really commit to whatever that moment is? Like what inspires you, and it's your drawing and your visual art.

papa mbye

Yeah, just like a commitment to feeling, and a commitment to relinquishing control.

Sanni Brown

That's scary.

papa mbye

Yeah, it is.

Sanni Brown

It's terrifying.

papa mbye

But it's also therapeutic. I make music because it helps me understand more about myself and the world around me, and I'm lucky that it has become what it has become.

Sanni Brown

That's perfect. So you have been a part of a wave of Twin Cities artists who are building community across music, visual art, fashion, and creative spaces. I've been watching you since I've been at Carbon Sound, and my question to you is, I get on the mic and I'm always talking about why y'all are dope. It's because it's the quality of the work that you guys — and when I say you guys, I mean musicians, the visual quality, the production, the audio production. What does the Minnesota music scene mean to you?

papa mbye

Oh, it means everything to me. It means more than music, it's like family, you know? I feel like, specifically with dudes per se, I feel like there's not a lot of spaces for us to be emotionally vulnerable, and so it's been really cool with me and my friends we're making music, I'm hearing their lyrics, we're singing in front of each other, and that gives us a space to be vulnerable, and it opens us up more. And I feel like that's just better for the world, you know?

Sanni Brown

I like that, y'all creating emotionally intelligent spaces.

papa mbye

We trying to.

Sanni Brown

I'm wondering if that's why the music, and if the things that you're producing is hitting so hard, because it's coming from a real place.

papa mbye

Yeah we're some crybabies, for real.

Sanni Brown

Don't call it that!

papa mbye

It's not a bad thing! I don't think it's bad.

Sanni Brown

I think the use of the term crybaby is bad, but I think it's important that young people see grown men like you, and other men who are — you guys are working together and coming together, and it's healthy, and you're creating art that helps people. My favorite song by you is "Pixel," by the way.

papa mbye

Oh, thank you.

Sanni Brown

So this community that you just talked about, do you feel like it creates the freedom for artists to experiment in ways that maybe you might not see in other cities?

papa mbye

Oh, 100%.

Sanni Brown

How so?

papa mbye

Since we're not a huge industry city, I feel like we're not really tied to a bunch of trends that we feel like we have to do to be seen. I feel like people really just be doing their own thing.

Sanni Brown

And yet it intertwines, though.

papa mbye

It intertwines, yeah. But then it's like, if I go to L.A. or New York or anywhere else, I'm playing music from Minneapolis, the thing I get all the time is like, "Where is this from? How do you guys get these sounds?" And I'm like, "We're doing everything that you don't want us to do." You're like, "Oh, record it this way." I'm like, "No, we finna record it on our phones, then record from our phone to our laptop, and then put it in Ableton, and then just go with it.

Sanni Brown

I love that. I have this invisible puzzle piece to help me understand the Minnesota Music scene, and I like that, everybody is kind of doing their own thing, but it works. It does work, and it does create an original sound. So, how can we keep up with your original sound? How can we follow you, if we want to work with you, if we want to support you, how can we do so?

papa mbye

Well, I be in Uptown, I be walking a lot, so you can see me. But also, you can just follow me on Instagram, papambye_. TikTok, same thing, I think it's the same thing on Twitter, I don't know, but I be around.

Sanni Brown

Well, we'll just start with the IG, you seem the most confident in that.

papa mbye

Yes.

Sanni Brown

We're gonna get back to the music, y'all. Thank you, papa mbye, thank you again for stopping by at Carbon Sound. It's The Message, Carbon Sound, Music for Life.

Chico Chi is a DJ, producer, and proud uncle based in Minnesota and California. His love for music and community runs deep, as seen through his creative projects like Tender Bois Club, Queer and Trans dance parties like Hunnies & Hot Sauce in Oakland, and global music nights like Take Flight in Minnesota. As a DJ, Chico Chi loves facilitating safer, more inclusive spaces where people can dance and lose themselves in the music.

In his mix for Carbon Sound, Chico Chi “Takes Flight” and brings back gifts: Afro House, Kuduro, Baile Funk, R&B, and a whole lot more.

We chatted with Chico Chi about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

My name's Chico Chi, I'm a DJ, music producer, uncle, based in the Twin Cities. But I split my time between Minnesota and California.

Is there a ranking of those titles you just gave?

I'm newly an uncle, but I've been DJing for almost eight and a half years. It'll be nine years in the fall.

Where does the name Chico Chi come from?

So it's a culmination of my background, my roots, me as a person, identity. First off, my family, we're Chinese, but my grandparents on both sides of my family immigrated from China to Cuba, and so my folks were both born in Cuba, and so Chico — my aunt has called me Chico, it's just been a little thing. And also I'm trans, and Chico means boy in Spanish and Chi is my last name, so it's just a story within a name.

What got you started DJing?

I started DJing in Oakland, California, I was organizing queer and trans day parties for folks of color, and I was organizing with other DJs. I was just watching them do their thing, and I was like, "Oh, I can do that," and I definitely was a Napster kid growing up, so I had already just a hard drive full of music, and so once I got my hand on a controller, I was like, "Alright, here we go," and it kind of just snowballed from there.

What have you observed about the two different scenes, splitting your time between California and Minnesota?

To put it bluntly, they're just different. The crowds are different. When I play around Minneapolis and around the Twin Cities, I definitely try to throw in some Bay Area music, and it goes off and it's fun. Yeah, they're just different crowds. It's been a challenge, I'm not gonna lie, trying to figure out what the crowd's like here, and also just trying to throw in new music and test the crowd too, and see if I can get by with showing off new music and something that they're maybe familiar with, but with a twist. I like to push the crowd sometimes.

Do you ever throw in Minnesota music to the Bay Area?

Yeah, of course. Definitely. I'm definitely trying to play Prince out on the West Coast when I can and whatnot.

What would you say is the most gratifying part of DJing to you?

Oh man, so many things. I just love seeing people dance and let go, and just are fully in their body and having a good time. The world's a lot right now, and I definitely grew up going to the clubs as a young one, and the dance floor definitely saved my life, and so I know that music and the energy that surrounds it, I love being able to facilitate that and to create that vibe. And just seeing people really lose themselves in the music or just hearing people yelling when their song comes on, I love that.

Speaking of facilitation, you mentioned your start was facilitating events for the queer and trans community. Why is that important to you?

For many reasons. Especially right now, there's a lot of anti-trans legislation, it's getting worse and worse, to be quite frank, and these spaces are necessary. I believe that safe spaces aren't a thing, but we can create a safer space and try to figure out what that looks like, and I think that queer and trans folks, especially folks of color, need that. It's just important to feel safe, to be able to let loose and have fun and feel safe in our bodies, and sometimes that means that we create those spaces for us.

What can you tell me about Take Flight, Tender Bois Club, and Hunnies & Hot Sauce?

So Hunnies & Hot Sauce was the QTPOC day party that I was organizing and a resident DJ for in Oakland. And Tender Bois Club is a creative and music production house that I co-founded with my friend Wazi Maret. So, we started in Oakland, and now we're just all over. He's based in the East Coast, in New York City, New Jersey area, and I'm in the Midwest and California. We both DJ, sometimes we DJ together, sometimes we DJ separate, and we also produce Music, and he's a singer-songwriter as well. Take Flight is the baby of Talia Knight and I. It's a Twin Cities global music party we were doing over at the Red Sea the last year and a half, two years. It's a global music party where there's just literally no bounds to what we play, and so my set today is kind of a little taste of that, lots of global music.

You also just performed with Talia Knight at May Day. How was that?

Yeah, that was amazing. It was my first time DJing at May Day. I had been once prior, and I knew it was a very big and well-attended event, and this year it felt even bigger. We opened up the People's Stage, and that was really fun. My parents came through and got to play a lot of music for them, music that they enjoy. It was fun.

You mentioned global sounds today. Anything else you can tell the Carbon Sound audience about your set today?

My set also includes a couple original edits that I made. Yeah, we're going around the world, lot of Afrobeats in there, some Afro House, Amapiano, Kuduro, Baile Funk, a lot of Baile Funk. And then some R&B, R&B remixes, music that you are all probably familiar with.

James “Midwest James” Gavins stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about youth arts education through his work at Juxtaposition Arts, his music career as Midwest James, and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

Carbon Sound Community Voices. We are in with another voice. We have interdisciplinary artist, educator, leader, and director of programs at Juxtaposition [Arts]. We have James Gavins, also known as Midwest James. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Nice to meet you.

James Gavins

Nice to meet you as well.

Sanni Brown

Ok so first of all, before we get into what you do, tell us about who Midwest James is.

James Gavins

I've gone by a few names in the past, but I've also done a lot of moving around, and I pretty much stayed in the Midwest, so it got to a point where I was just like, "Imma just call myself Midwest James." Because I've lived here, I lived in Chicago —

Sanni Brown

You've moved that much? To where you're like, "Just call me this region."

James Gavins

And you know what, I've also left and worked on cruise ships, and moved to Atlanta, I've been to like all over the country, and I've realized that the Midwest is for me. I used to think, like, "Oh, I need to go there, I need to go to L.A.," but then the Midwest is just so my speed. So that's really where the name — just me kind of honing in on the fact that this is home to me, no matter where it is in this region, it feels like home.

Sanni Brown

I like that you said that, because there is sort of a push of, "If you want to make it in anything entertainment, you gotta go to the coasts, you gotta go to the east or the west coast. So I do appreciate that when people are like, "Nah, this coast is good for here, for me."

James Gavins

You got the internet, social media, most of them people leaving L.A. and moving to Texas, you know?

Sanni Brown

So you work at, and I'm new to this organization as well, Juxtaposition Arts. What is the work that you do over there? Because if I'm reading right, what y'all do is dope, you work with teens, you have spaces for them to learn, and then I read that you guys take the process of going from idea to actual prototype, and you guys are bringing that to the young kids, because that's what you basically need in life. So tell me about what you do over there.

James Gavins

I'm the director of programs at Juxtaposition Arts. I'm also an alum. I lived here for about three years, I went to North High School, somebody put me on a JXTA, and I was going to JXTA pretty much every day, every day that I could. I've done a lot of work in nonprofit leadership, and the call came for me to come up here and do what I do as a director of programs. JXTA is actually like way more than just a youth program; it's like an art and design hub. It's workforce development. We do apprenticeships where young adults and emerging artists, they come and work within our design labs, environmental design, graphic design, contemporary design, and they're able to get paid and also get a lot of experience. If you think about a person who's gone to JXTA, they've designed a mural that's in the city, they've designed seating or a bench that's in a building, they’ve designed structures, they've designed pocket parks. It's a lot of really great work, and there's a lot of alumni that's out in the world doing some amazing things, going to prestigious art schools, getting scholarships. And it's a really, really great place. So I'm honored to come back and serve, especially in a leadership capacity as far as programming is concerned, so yeah, JXTA is amazing.

Sanni Brown

So I'm a young person around the way, and I want to know more about this art world than I'm hearing people talking about. How would you pitch? Because you made it sound really big, and it might sound intimidating for young folks. So how would you pitch that to me? Like, "Hey, we cover that."

James Gavins

Oh yeah, and I mean, JXTA’s been around for 30 years, you know what I mean?

Sanni Brown

That's why y'all out here stomping with the big dogs.

James Gavins

Shout out to Roger Cummings and DeAnna Cummings. Yeah, JXTA’s been around for a while. I would tell them, like, hey, if you actually want to be trained and also led to a pipeline that could lead to a creative career, this is what you do. First off, you sign up for VALT, which is our visual arts literacy training. It's a free program, college-level drawing course, take it from 12 to 21. And then once you do that, you take that class, you build a portfolio. Then, at a point within that session, they interview with the labs, and you take that portfolio to the labs, and then by the end of that session, they make a choice of who they're want to hire as an apprentice, a paid apprentice, within that lab.

Sanni Brown

So you guys are putting the artists in front of the people who are booking them, or who need their work.

James Gavins

Oh yeah, and JXTA does a lot of in-house projects, but also a lot of client work outside, so it's like they're getting the real experience of doing this work, and they're getting their reps in. And it's invaluable, the amount of mentorship, and also just learning and skill building that's happening if you're there from 14, because you have to be 14 to be an apprentice. So if you're there from 14 to where you graduate, your resume looks insane, like your portfolio looks crazy. It's like "You built what? You did what? And you researched that and did what?"

Sanni Brown

And you take young people as young as 12, so the 12-year-olds got something to look up to when they turn 14. I love that.

James Gavins

We have a summer program called Free Wall, which is like our aerosol arts graffiti program. It's two weeks at a time, and there's about five of them running programmatically during the summer.

Sanni Brown

How do you even pull off something like that? I've just always seen aerosol as something illegal.

James Gavins

And it's more than that, right? It's not like a place where we have our artists spraying on the building, it's not that kind of thing. It's programmatic, it's constructive.

Sanni Brown

The work that you personally do at Juxtaposition, does that affect any of the work that you personally do as Midwest James?

James Gavins

You know, it's really interesting. I was on Facebook, and I got a flashback from like 11 years ago. And I was basically saying that I wanted to get into youth arts education because I want youth to feel as free as I do to do and make whatever they want, and that was such a crazy thing to hear young me say, because it's what I've been doing pretty much most of my career, no matter where I've been, is letting people know that their dreams are tangible, and I think even when I used to go to JXTA, you know, to see artists, they've built their own careers, like they have nice cars, they look nice, they dress nice. It's not this whole starving artist thing. Like, there is a way you can build a career in what you enjoy. And I learned that before I graduated, before I graduated high school, was like, this is real, it's not just a lucky thing, like, no, there's a process to how you can make this work, and there's so many different avenues. Because you could be the artist, you could be the artist administrator, you could be the facilitator, you could be the person that funds the arts, you can be the person that gives away the grants for artists. There's so many different vantage points.

Sanni Brown

Wow, that's so valuable what you're doing. I say this frequently on this stream that our Carbon Sound Community Voices are just people who are courageous enough to chase their dreams. I think when we think of dreams as this like, cloudy thing that's gonna happen off in the future, versus you can strategize and set this up, and then you putting it in a space like art, that's insane. Because a lot of us may still be dealing with the generation who said you can't do art as a career, and you guys are laying it out in front of the young folks. Do you have any events that are coming up, any projects we need to be watching? The young folks need to keep their eyeball on?

James Gavins

I would say follow juxta_arts on Instagram. This is probably gonna be out afterwards, but we're actually creating some adult engagements. We have an event called VALT for Adults, which is basically that drawing level course, but for 21 plus. It's on May 15.

Sanni Brown

I know some people that been wanting to get into drawing, and they feel like it's too late.

James Gavins

It's never too late. So we're jumping into creating some more engagements and furthering the reach. When it comes to the summer, summers get packed. So if anybody's looking to sign up for VALT at JXTA or looking to join any program in the summer, I believe there's some spaces left for the two-week sessions, but summer's packed, it gets busy. But always, you know, if people are looking to sign up for fall, fall is a good time to sign up too, it's never too late.

Sanni Brown

And the site for us to learn about Juxtaposition?

James Gavins

juxtapositionarts.org

Sanni Brown

And then before we go, you dropped music, you gotta project ILK, can you talk about it? Because I don't wanna miss out on that.

James Gavins

So ILK is the third project I've dropped since I moved here. I moved here like a year and a half ago. But I was already tapped in, I went to high school with L.A. Buckner, that's my guy. So when I moved here, most of the people on the album I knew already, I went to church with Jackson Hurst. I know Maya [Marchelle] because of L.A. —

Sanni Brown

Three projects and you just got here?

James Gavins

Oh yeah, I dropped, I got a project called Dante's Inertia, produced by hvlf, also somebody I went to high school with here. That was kind of like my intro to the city. And people just kind of know my writing style, how I get down. And then worked with hvlf again about, I want to say, like six months ago, and made READY UP. READY UP was more of like, "Ok, I can also make commercial stuff too, like I could do that too." And then I just recently linked up with Bushido.chop, and we created ILK, and ILK is kind of me standing in what I believe about myself, what I believe about the level of work that I do.

Sanni Brown

How can we keep up with Midwest James, the music that you're doing, the work that you're doing? Because you're a dream chaser, and I talk about dream chasers. How can the young future dream chasers keep up with Midwest James?

James Gavins

Just follow me @midwestjames on Instagram. Also, I co-host L.A.'s Monday Night at Icehouse every Monday night. Really great live music, plus jam session. I'll probably be there on the mic, so every Monday night at Icehouse, seven to around 11, slide through. It's a great time. Me and L.A. are also doing a residency, a two-day residency at Berlin, One-Man Shows & Immaculate Flows. So I directed a one-man show on him called Things You Can't See, and I'm doing my one-man show, Cicada. And then we're gonna end it with some music, so that's May 27th and 28th at Berlin, so tap into that. Very limited seating, make sure to get some seats. That's how you can get in touch with me now. Music's out on all DSPs. ILK is out.

Sanni Brown

Thank you for stopping in and chatting with us. And yeah, we'll holla at you on the flip side for that directorial. Alright, Carbon Sound, we got to get back to Music class. It's The Message, Carbon Sound, Music for Life. Peace.

Rah Fyah stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about the Minnesota Hip-Hop Street dance community, building experiences like the SOTA Movement, and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

Carbon Sound Community Voices interview, I kind of feel like I get to brag today, because I know you, so this is kind of cool, but Carbon Sound family, Maia Maiden — well I know as Rah Fyah, is a South Minneapolis native who has been a leader in the dance community for over 20 years, representing Hip-Hop culture. Background includes being a dancer and a choreographer. Carbon Sound family, welcome Maia Maiden, who I know, who we all probably affectionately know as Rah Fyah.

Rah Fyah

Thanks for having me. I'm so glad to be here. Good to see you, live in person. It's been a minute, right? But we go way back, so it's ok.

Sanni Brown

It's so dope to watch you become, and I'm really glad that we have this platform here, but I don't want to be selfish and act like this conversation between me and you. So introduce yourself to people who may not know you.

Rah Fyah

Absolutely, absolutely. Hey, what's up? My name is Maia Maiden, but you can and should call me Rah Fyah. I've been in the dance community scene for a long, long time, over 20 years, and just been doing the things and doing them well, and I'm still here doing the things and doing them well. And I'm so excited to talk to you today about our illustrious, fantastic Hip-Hop Street dance community, because we make the thing rock, and I'm super proud of us.

Sanni Brown

Who inspires you?

Rah Fyah

I get a lot of inspiration from my elders, people that poured into me when I was younger, Patricia Brown, Cheles Rhynes, Gesel Mason, Roxanne Wallace, Morris Johnson, those types of folks who were around in the beginning, because I've been doing this since I was in high school. When I say doing this, I mean creating platforms to elevate folks and styles that are underappreciated. So when we talk about the longevity of somebody or something, mine really stems back for creating spaces since high school. But I was a dancer, and dancing since I was young. I am Hip-Hop. I didn't grow into this, I grew up in this. So this means no dance studio Hip-Hop. This means we were dancing in the streets, in the clubs, and battle each other in schools. That's the Hip-Hop that I came from. Affectionately, my era is Golden Era Hip-Hop. So whenever I introduce myself, I say, "My name is Rah Fyah, and I come from Golden Era Hip-Hop." Because that is important to me.

Sanni Brown

I see now, I see Hip-Hop dancing all over the place, and there wasn't spaces like that. It was in the street. It was at the park up the street. Maybe the rec center if the rec center was cool like that.

Rah Fyah

Right, mostly cheerleading, though. We can get into that.

Sanni Brown

So those experiences is what inspired you for the SOTA Movement. Does that stand for anything?

Rah Fyah

Absolutely. We're in the SOTA, Minnesota. The SOTA Movement is something that I'm super proud of and super excited to talk to you about today.

Sanni Brown

Well, how did the vision get started? Tell us about the SOTA.

Rah Fyah

Imma tell y'all a little story. I like to tell stories. So basically, I have been doing ROOTED: Hip-Hop Choreographers Evening, where we highlight all the styles under the Hip-Hop umbrella, as I say, and the roots. And there was, at the time, this battle called Uprizing. We have an illustrious, fantastic, nationally and internationally renowned Krump community here. The Krumpers man, they have taken over, and they are fantastic. So the Uprizing is created by Ololade Gbadamosi, who is known as “Gambit,” and Herb Johnson, aka "Fair Warning." So they created the Uprizing. And I know them, of course, we've been interacting. I've known them for years. They've both been in ROOTED several times. They were in some other shows of mine, Sistah Solo | Being Brothas, all that kind of stuff. So they weren't gonna do it anymore, Uprizing, which is this Krump battle created by two Black men, and I said, "Oh no." So we had a meeting one day, I said, "Guess what we're gonna do?" And they're like, "What?" And said, "I need y'all to come on board and bring back Uprizing." Because they had decided either to put it on pause in perpetuity, or not do it anymore. But I felt that it was so important to our dance community. And in terms of dance community, I'm talking about Minnesota, nationally, internationally, like, this thing keeps going. So I was like, "And I will pay for everything. Because this is important." So we started off the first SOTA Movement, the prequel, it was just the SOTA Movement and IE ROOTED and Uprizing together. I should specify, these are really two separate events under one umbrella. Because we're not in competition with each other either. So we did it one time, that was in 2021, and the krumpers came down, and we had a fantastic time. It was all outside. ROOTED actually was at Park Square Theatre at that time with no audience, because we couldn't have an audience, it was during COVID and things like that. So ROOTED really was supposed to be in 2020. 2020 my mom passed away, and COVID hit, so there was no ROOTED in 2020, so we transitioned to 2021. We did ROOTED online for the first time ever, because this is a live event, live show, and streamed it to like over four or 500 households. And then we had Uprizing, which they did their thing outside. But one of the best parts of that whole experience is that we went to George Floyd Square, and they had a session there, and we started the session with Tamiko French. Tamiko French is a phenomenal dance instructor that has worked in several Minneapolis Public Schools, such as North High School, such as Southwest High School, and she's also a sound bath artist. So we opened the space up with the sound bath. And I said, "Yo, Tamiko, I need you to come through here, because this is about to be a powerful session." Because, again, this is the next year after George Floyd died, and the krumpers came out. And again, they had came out from all parts of the nation to come to this event. So they came out, and it was just such a powerful session, as they call it.

Sanni Brown

I was wondering, because you keep saying session.

Rah Fyah

It's a lab or a session in Krump language. That means they get together and they dance against each other, and they uplift each other. That's what a session or a lab is. I'm not a krumper, they won't accept me. They refuse to train me. That's okay, I still got love for them. I still work with them all the time. Imma stay in my lane. I'm over 40, and so some things you just gotta know. But the krumpers came, and it was such a beautiful experience for all the participants of ROOTED and Uprizing. So from then on, I transitioned it to the SOTA Movement: Minnesota Street Dance Festival. So again, that was the prequel to see if we this could work. Like, "Let's just try this one time. We don't have to do anything beyond this." But again, then it has elevated or grown to the SOTA Movement: Minnesota's Street Dance Festival. And again, we are highlighting all types of Street. We are not dancing in the street per se, but Street dance is a lot of art forms. It's Krump, it's Hip-Hop, it's House, it could be anything, any style created in the street. We all know, or we should know, that Hip-Hop first and foremost, created by Black people, elevated and architected by Black and brown people, but it was called Street dance. So when we're talking about Street, everything that I say has meaning or a connection to something. So Street dance, that's what Hip-Hop was known as, before we had a name to it. And it was in the street. It supposedly started at a house party. We always haven't been on the stage. We were in house parties doing this before it got any names or classifications. So now we incorporate all different types of street styles, including street styles, not only in Minnesota, but nationally and internationally. So it's really been fun.

Sanni Brown

That sounds so exciting. So what can we specifically expect from y'all? Because you done got me all hype.

Rah Fyah

You can expect a fantastic time. The first thing we rock out with the SOTA Movement is something called The Gathering, where we come together and we gather in the name of Street dance and just elevation and just getting together. So the first time we did The Gathering, we had the almighty, who has just been named a McKnight Fellow, Tish Jones, we had TruArtSpeaks in the building. And we had just a lovely, lovely time. And she cultivated a space, and we were there. The second time we had, The Gathering was focused on uplifting women in Hip-Hop and all the generations and all the styles. So that was fun. And now this third time, when we come back, I'm gonna tell y'all a secret. This is breaking news. For 2027, don't call me about this this year, we talking about 2027 because that's when the next one is. We are focused on the Golden Era of Hip-Hop, so we gonna have some surprises in there. But if you are Golden Era Hip-Hop, everybody's influenced by Golden Era Hip-Hop. So y'all all should be there for the elevation and celebration and honoring of Golden Era Hip-Hop. So that's the vibe for the SOTA Movement 2027 in June. So mark your calendar now. We sell out all shows. When I tell you this, I kid you not. This is something that some people say, but we actually do it. We have sold out every single show, every single time for the past 16 years. Every single show, every single time for the past 16 years. So let that resonate in your spirit. Big up Herb and O, big up my squad, Karina and Ashuna. And big up DJ Digie, because he is in the space too, and he is part of the SOTA Movement, and is the DJ for ROOTED, and is the DJ for Uprizing, and just an all around fantastic artist, DJ, and nationally known photographer.

Sanni Brown

So how do we keep up with all that? Because you talking about stop playing with the sold-out show. So how do we follow and keep up with that?

Rah Fyah

So you can go to two websites. You can go to my website Maia Maiden Productions. We are a performing arts presenter. You can go to maiamaiden.com, or you can go to sotamove.com. So either one of those websites will keep you informed about when the next SOTA Movement is going to hit, and you do not want to miss it, and you gonna see us all over the place. You heard it here at Carbon Sound first in 2026, that this is coming in 2027 and we play no games, and we're super excited to welcome everybody.

Sanni Brown

Thank you, Maia Maiden. Thank you, Rah Fyah.

Rah Fyah

Thank you for having me.

DJ Fawzi is a Somali DJ, musician, and radio host at KFAI. If you ask her, she says music has energy, and she wants to use that energy to heal herself and those around her. As someone in recovery, she expressed her desire to provide a healing presence through music and to show that those in recovery are strong and perseverant.

In her mix for Carbon Sound, DJ Fawzi provides some healing through music from Somalia and all over the globe.

We chatted with DJ Fawzi about her background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

I go by the name of DJ Fawzi. I'm well known as the first international Somali female DJ, and I started in 2016.

You're also a rapper and producer, right?

Yes, I am. You know, when I started DJing, I didn't know I could rap. I didn't even know I could write music. But when I started falling in love with music, I started writing. And I started that in my recovery process. So I feel like being in recovery, somebody who's in recovery myself from alcoholism, that's where my music started more.

You said you started writing more during recovery, but where does your musical journey begin? When did you know you had that love for music?

When I was five years of age, and I was in a village, because I heard 2Pac's voice when I was very young. And when I was very young also, there was Japanese people that I used to go to all-girls school in Garissa, Kenya. I used to be in all girls-school, and people were from Japan, they used to play piano. And they wanted to do "Jambo Bwana," so they wanted to have girls who can play piano. At that time, I was taken away from my mom at a very young age, and I was in pain. I was abused from a very young age, so at that time, I didn't know how music affected me. So the principal told me this, "There's girl that doesn't want to go home, she's in the corner. Can you go talk to her?" And they gave me the piano, and I played it fast ("Jambo Bwana"). That's when they fell in love with me. They say, "You are the chosen one." So I started playing piano at a very young age.

Are you still playing piano now?

Yes, I still have a piano in my car.

What's the connection between music and healing to you?

I feel like when it comes to music, I will say one thing: music has energy. The energy is up to you. It's up to the artists who bring it forth. The music can heal, the music can destroy. It is your choice as an artist. Me, I'm a healer. I'm coming from a lot of pain, so I want to heal people. So I want to use music as a healing process. That's all.

Do you do that through your radio show at KFAI?

Absolutely. So KFAI every Sunday, I call it "Healing In The Mix." So my music is called Healing In The Mix when it comes to KFAI Radio. And I'm also dropping an album called Sounds of Recovery, because I'm somebody in recovery, and I'm writing music. All the time I talk about recovery.

Why is that so important to you?

Because people in recovery, we get judged, we get shamed, we get blamed. Families cut us off. Community shames us, everybody shames us. Even me as an artist, people tell me "You're an addict, you're ashamed" and everything. But I want to show people, as an artist, people who are in recovery are the most powerful people. You know why? Because we're facing ourselves throughout the day. You know why? Because I'm fighting myself 24 hours, everything can be triggering. If somebody hurt me today, I can trigger, and I can go back to drinking. I could do a lot of things, but I'm working on myself, and music is healing me. That's why.

What would you say is the most gratifying part of you being a DJ?

When I started as a DJ as a Somali woman, I was shamed. Now I'm a rapper; I'm still shamed. Because, number one, I'm a Somali female DJ, I'm a Muslim, I'm a single mother, I'm Black, and all the odds are against me, even in the music industry, males are dominated. Women are still fighting today, even if they are not Somali. We are still fighting as women in the music industry. But I want to tell them: women are powerful. People in recovery are more powerful. Because people in recovery are the most powerful because we're facing ourselves. Even today, I'm facing myself. I was nervous coming here. I was shaking coming over here, but I kept telling myself, "Healing is possible. Recovery is possible. Through God, anything is possible."

What can the Carbon Sound audience expect from your DJ set today?

I call myself the first international Somali female DJ, but I wanted to watch one word: International. That means I could play all types of music around the world. When I say Somali, because I always support Somali music first, when I say International, I could play Jamaica, Nigeria, Liberia, America, everywhere. Take me everywhere. I'm a musician. As an artist, I should play all types of music. And I should rap, and I should produce.

Anything else we missed? Anything else you want to share?

I just want to say shout out to Carbon Sound for having me here. Thank you guys. I bless you guys. We're gonna bless today. I go by the name DJ Fawzi, the first international Somali female DJ. I'm here with Carbon Sound, and today you're gonna hear Somali music and all good music.

Maija García stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about all things The Capri: a historic cultural arts center and vibrant community hub in North Minneapolis.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

Carbon Sound Community Voices, I am so excited. Carbon Sound family, in studio, we have a visionary artist. I mean, this lady got a resume, I know I got a little, you know, a little list to go by. She's recognized for her dynamic work across theater, film and television, music, dance and live installations. The Capri is a historic and beloved theater located in the North Minneapolis Community and situated on the popular West Broadway Street. And Maija García is going to come in and talk to us about all the work, or at least her most recent projects, because you got a lot of stuff going on. So Maija García, welcome to Carbon Sound studios, yay!

Maija García

Thank you so much. It's good to be here.

Sanni Brown

Thank you. Okay, so just real quick, can you familiarize us with the Capri and its role in North Minneapolis?

Maija García

Come on through. So like you said, it's right on West Broadway in the West Broadway corridor, and the Capri is about to celebrate 100 years in 2027. Which also happens to be our address, 2027 West Broadway, which I found wildly beautiful.

Sanni Brown

I don't ignore stuff like that at all.

Maija García

So the Capri is an historic space. It's an historic theater that has stood the test of time. It is the last of 13 theaters in the Northside. So there used to be 13 theaters in North Minneapolis, and now there's one. So we really hold an important space in our community. And in the last five years, the Capri was renovated and expanded. So it's a 250-seat house, which, you know, we present film, music, theater, dance, community convenings, panels, forums, all of the above, and now we have an open space with a black box theater. We can hold conferences, we can hold parties, we can do performance spaces in our black box. But we also have a Best Buy Teen Tech Center, so free for teens to come and interact with all kinds of technology, film, music. We have a podcast studio, recording studio, a film and TV studio. They can do 3D printing, they can do editing, etc. And then we also have classrooms and a rehearsal studio. So everything is possible at the Capri, and we serve people across the life cycle: youth, adults, elders, families. I just like to say, when people come to the Capri they get lit up, and they connect and they convene.

The Capri renovations

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Sanni Brown

My next question was gonna be, what makes the Capri unique from other theater spaces, but I feel like you already said. Could you be specific? Because I grew up in theater, so just hearing that you can do all that at the theater is crazy to me, but for people who may not know, they may have a young ear, they may not know what to expect from theaters. What would make Capri different from regular theater spaces?

Maija García

For a couple of reasons, I think we're distinct. One is that we are intergenerational. We serve youth, we have youth development programs for middle school and high school students. But then we also have apprenticeship programs for young professionals to learn all areas of production, sound, lighting, projection. And then we have programs for adults, like our Capri Glee, which is 100-person choir led by J.D. Steele. We also have the MacPhail Community Youth Choir, also led by J.D. Steele. We have a big band, a Capri big band, where musicians come to practice big band jazz. So we really have an intergenerational community. We have a multicultural community. It is a space that centers Black life and Black culture, and everyone is welcome. And it's also an interdisciplinary space. And so musicians know the Capri, and it's really a gateway for a lot of, especially Black musicians in the Twin Cities. You know, you better come through the Capri at least once, it's kind of a gateway for a lot of early careers. But we also celebrate musicians at the height of their careers, and celebrate musicians who have made an impact in the Twin Cities and across the globe. But we also present theater. We present film. We have a partnership with the Minneapolis Film Society, and so we present first Thursday films, the popcorn is popping. And then after the show, after the film, we have a community conversation. And that's really something that we thread throughout our programming, is that we're really about creating inspiring experiences for folks, but then also giving people a chance to talk, to connect.

Sanni Brown

That's awesome. I grew up in the theater, and I felt like the theater was just where you go to see performances, versus it sounds like, yes, you can come see performances, but you could also come here to learn. You can also come here to study. You can also come here to network.

Maija García

That's right, and finally, we're also a production house, so a lot of organizations and advocacy groups, they book our space to do their own thing. So we kind of lean in, and meet people where they are and bring our creative services, if you will, to whatever your vision is. You want to have a fundraiser — you want to do a Carbon Sound fundraiser, any number of events, educational events, networking events, marketplace events. We can do it all. We have a beautiful lobby space. We have a gorgeous art gallery, so we're also supporting visual artists as well.

Sanni Brown

I see why you've been open for 100 years. I mean, it sounds like you're really understanding the theater needs, not just performance, but also, we can also help you learn about the theater world. The Capri often pairs film centering Black stories and history with community conversation, like you just said, why is that important to have the conversation piece versus just going in there, seeing the show and going about your business?

Maija García

Yeah, it's such a great question. You know, when any of us have an experience where we're inside of a theater, we see a film, so much gets lifted within us, right? It's almost like our cells start to regenerate more quickly, you know, like we become more alive. That's what art does for us. We become more alive, as we were saying, we become more present, and then we become more available to one another. And so to engage in conversation, a community conversation, a dialog, to ask big questions, to dig in, to disagree. This is the practice of democracy in action, as far as I'm concerned. It's a civic engagement, but it's also an opportunity for people to really voice their opinions and their real feelings, their responses to what they're seeing on stage or on screen, and it's enlightening because it allows people to amplify their worldview by hearing the voices and the opinions of others, and it creates connections in our community that I think are so vital. We need to know one another, even if we don't know each other's names, our hearts have beat at the same pace next to one another in a theater, and when we see each other on the street, we nod, we smile, we connect, right? So that's just how we, I think, how we weave and embed culture in our community.

Sanni Brown

How does that help, in terms of feedback for the people who are putting on the programs, or the people who are the actors, everybody that's behind the curtain, how does the conversations help you guys?

Maija García

You know, when I first started out, I started this organization called Organic Magnetics. I named it Organic Magnetics because I see art as a natural way that we bring people together. And I had this big vision, "Oh, we're going to create transformative experiences for audiences." And after about five years, I had an epiphany, and I realized the transformation is happening among those involved in the art making, more than anything.

Sanni Brown

I think that's so hard to grasp, because I think we go into it like, I'm gonna help everybody, and then you find out, you get help.

Maija García

It's like being the change we want to see in the world, right? And the beautiful thing about theater, or any sort of collaborative endeavor, creative endeavor, is that collaboration is at the heart of it. And that transformative experience for everybody involved is the gift that you give, that you offer your audience, and they get a taste of it, but we are getting the real meal when we engage in creative endeavor. To answer your question, we want to fly the doors open for people to get more involved behind the scenes, right? Whether that's an apprentice getting involved in the tech booth, learning how to run a light board or a sound board, building real skills that they can bring into any corporate world. You know, production skills are life skills and transferable skills, but also just to have the experience of building something greater than yourself, right? Building something you couldn't do on your own, and you learn how to do it with other people. And anybody can learn that at any stage of life, right? So we like to fly the doors open and say, "Come create with us. Co-create with us."

Sanni Brown

I like that playfulness. There's a playfulness to it. How can we engage in the play? How can we support? How can we, well, number one, find out more about The Capri? Because somebody might just be listening and be like, "I wanna play too!" And then, how can we support?

Maija García

Well, I would say, first things first, just come by. You know, check out our calendar, thecapri.org. We have all kinds of events happening all the time. And so, you know, tap in. There are free events, there are really low cost events. We don't turn anybody away. So come tap in and check it out if you haven't been to the Capri or you haven't been in a while, if you haven't seen it since the renovation, you're definitely gonna wanna check out our gallery and our black box. And then if you sign up on our newsletter, you'll get regular updates. We promise not to blast you too often, but, you know, get involved, also. There are a lot of opportunities to volunteer, there's a lot of opportunities to sort of dig in on some community forums. We have a lot of town halls. Al McFarlane from Insight News hosts regular town halls about sort of the economic resurgence and renaissance in North Minneapolis. So there's a lot of beautiful things happening. Northside Forward, you know, African American Leadership Forum, there's a lot of organizations that are working concurrently to build North Minneapolis' wealth and well-being.

Sanni Brown

Website or any socials that we need to know about?

Maija García

Everything is @thecapri. @thecaprinorthmpls on Instagram. But if you check out our website, www.thecapri.org, you can find everything from there. Also, if you're interested in booking a space or rehearsal —

Sanni Brown

Dream chasers, I be telling you, there's opportunity sitting right in your face, right up the street, around the way.

Maija García

We got you!

Sanni Brown

thecapri.org. Thank you. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Maija García

Y'all rock.

Terresa Hardaway stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about building community through Black Garnet Books, the importance of Black and brown storytelling, and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

Carbon Sound family, we are in with another interview. I'm so excited to meet people from the community. It's the little girl in me. It's just so cool. But in studio, we have an abolitionist — it's so crazy how you look, because I feel like your reputation, I would be terrified to meet you because you look like you about that business. Abolitionist, design researcher, author, anti-racist facilitator, creative director, organizer, educator, and more. She's dedicated to the liberation, and I like liberation, of Black and brown people through art and design, from Black Garnet Books, Terresa Hardaway, welcome, welcome, welcome, yay!

Terresa Hardaway

Thank you so much for having me.

Sanni Brown

You look like you about that business on paper, baby.

Terresa Hardaway

I am, I am about that business. I am about that in person, if I need to be.

Sanni Brown

I gathered that, but you so pretty, so it's off-putting. So for people who may not be familiar, what is Black Garnet Books, and how would you describe it?

Terresa Hardaway

Black Garnet Books is a bookstore. We are a bookstore that I would describe as a place of imagination, creativity, abolition, a place where Black and brown people are centered, queer folks are centered, and it becomes this third space that people can really see themselves on the shelves.

Sanni Brown

Was that intentional? That it be a third space?

Terresa Hardaway

I don't know if it was intentional, necessarily, you know, it was founded by a completely different person. And so when I acquired it, I have always created like these organizing spaces that do become third spaces, where people are coming there to build community, build friendships, build relationships. And so for me, naturally, Black Garnet Books becomes a third space.

Sanni Brown

I like that. No, because I hear about adults needing a third space, shout out to y'all for that.

Terresa Hardaway

Thank you.

Sanni Brown

What inspired the creation of Black Garnet Books, and why was it important to build a space like this one?

Terresa Hardaway

So this space was started by a dear friend and fellow community organizer, Dionne Sims in 2020. She saw a need, she saw that the community needed to fight back and be able to expand and uplift the narratives of Black and brown people, especially during that time. And so she saw that need, and that's why it was created. And then when I acquired it in 2024, I continued on with that same mission, we have, I think, the same vision for what we'd see that bookstore being in community. It's to disrupt anti-blackness, it's to disrupt the racism that is prevalent in our publishing and book industries. It is for us to be able to bring folks together and hear new authors, hear folks who are speaking about our stories and telling the counter-story, frankly.

Sanni Brown

I like that. That sounds like storytelling, and when I was in school, I learned how important storytelling is to the human experience. So right now, we in a moment where people feeling overwhelmed and restless and angry. What role do you feel like storytelling and literature play in helping people to stay grounded during this time?

Terresa Hardaway

Oh, wow. Well, as an educator as well, I think it is super important for us to be able to talk about our stories, or talk about the narratives I think that especially underrepresented. When I was thinking about this question, I was thinking about this in the framing of like past, present, future. And so storytelling plays a role in those three areas. We have to understand the past, right? We have to understand the counter-histories that aren't being told so that we can understand what's happening today. So in order for us to get from that past piece, we have to then see authors who are talking about the real systemic oppression that is happening in this moment, and be able to help us define that and put words to it. Because when we begin to understand it, we can start to call it out, and we can start to actively move forward in changing that present-day reality. And then we move into future, I just think about the imaginations of Black and brown people and how we are constantly holding on to hope. We have to, in order for us to even be in this — to live a life —

Sanni Brown

Exist.

Terresa Hardaway

Exist, you know, we have to hold on to that hope and that future piece. And so when I think about the future with regard to storytelling, I think about all the authors who are giving us abolitionist futures, who are giving us what collective liberation could look like, who are giving us ways to build relationship and overcome all of these things. And so I think about storytelling in that way, that past, that present, that future being really highlighted so that we can understand where we came from, understand where we're living in now, and understand the future that we all should be trying to fight for.

Sanni Brown

I love that. That's a great segue into my next question. So how are you painting the future with the work that you're doing? What are the initiatives that you're taking? Any events? Anything we need to keep an eye peeled out, in case we want to get involved, we want to support.

Terresa Hardaway

We are constantly doing a ton of events at Black Garnet Books, we have a book club that we have every single month that is a different topic.

Sanni Brown

How do you join the book club? I've been talking about book club since I was a little girl. I've always wanted to join.

Terresa Hardaway

Well, at Black Garnet Books, it's the most accessible thing. Just show up. The book is going to be posted on our website. We also make a post about it on our social media. But you get the book for 15% off, and you just show up to the book club. You can show up having read a chapter, having read the whole book, but just show up and you build community and have conversation about that. So we have a fantasy genre book club. We have an abolitionist genre book club, and we have a graphic novel book club. So we have these kind of three separate areas that folks can join one of, they can join all three of them, but you would get that book for 15% off and build community. All the events that I'm talking about are going to be at the bookstore.

Sanni Brown

How can we support you? People who are listening, how can we support? How can we get the word out about you? Where can we follow you?

Terresa Hardaway

Yeah, you can follow us on all platforms, at Black Garnet Books, and you can support us by attending events, subscribing to our newsletter, shopping in-store or online, attending things that we're doing in community, because we're oftentimes, for instance, we'll be at Pride this year, and so, stopping by our table and supporting us there. There are many ways I think that folks can engage with us if you just pay attention to what we're posting on social and show up to the things that we're doing around community.

Sanni Brown

Terresa, thank you so much for coming in today. You're awesome, and I love your look!

Terresa Hardaway

Thank you!

abel. is a longstanding house DJ and vibe curator in the Twin Cities. To abel., DJing is all about setting the vibe in a room so people can come to the dance floor, move, forget what they're doing, and escape through the music. As a strong advocate for ‘less sections, more dance floors,’ he believes “more dance floors will equalize the way that we think about the music that we love so much, which is electronic.”

In his mix for Carbon Sound, abel. warmly welcomes you to the dance floor.

We chatted with abel. about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

My name is Abel. I am a — that's a good question. It's very existential question isn't it? Who am I? Who are we? No, my name's Abel. I am a house music DJ, vibe curator in the city. I have been DJing since 2009, and I play all sorts of music. House music is kind of home for me. But yeah, music is kind of where I like to vibe.

What was your introduction to house music?

My introduction to electronic music in general was this compilation — oh, I cannot remember the name of it, but a friend of mine was just playing something in their car, this was back in college, and the song that really kind of got me was this track called — also cannot remember that. Wow, my brain — just when you have to talk about something, your brain just goes blah. But no, I was listening to a compilation CD in a friend's car, and the music was just so compelling. And I was like, "What is this?" And she was like, "Let me take you on a trip." And she loaned me the CD. And then following that, I actually went on a study abroad trip to Scotland, and I found a car boot sale, is what they call it, it's kind of like a rummage sale or garage sale. And I bought just tons of CDs, and I was just listening to all of it. By the time I came back, I had got all of it on my computer and just started DJing. Just started, like, stitching stories together, stitching songs together, with my little Trakor X1 controller. And I guess the rest is what they say is history, right?

So you started DJing because of that friend's CD, or did you just have a love and a knack for music?

I think I've always had a love for new music. Ever since I was a kid, you know, the stereotypical choir kid, I was one of the kids who would remake songs, like popular songs, and rewrite them so that they were choir-friendly. And then I found my way into a lot of just stitching music together, like making little track mixtapes from radio edits. Like, I'll put a cassette player into it and then hit record, and then get myself a mixtape from that. When I first moved here, back in 2003, I was chronically online. There was this promo that Coca-Cola had back in, like, 2006, 2005, 2004, something like that, and it was kind of like a Habbo Hotel, but it was for making music. And the currency in this was, they'd give you like preset music or whatever, and then you made a snippet, and then you'd perform it in front of all the avatars, and they'd vote for it and say if it's good or not. And then if it was really good, they'd give you currency and you got to buy like your furniture and your posters for your hotel room, and people came to the hotel room and hung out. And I really enjoyed it. So I found myself on Sony Acid, the DAW I used back then. And then I went into Fruity Loops, and then I went into Ableton Live. And then I was like, "I really like this music thing a lot." So I picked up DJing as kind of like my artistic and my creative outlet.

What's the difference between being a DJ and being a "vibe curator"?

I think the culture has changed the definition of what DJing is. I think when you think about the original definition of disc jockeying, it was really just grabbing songs, grabbing music together, and setting a vibe in a room. The greats did it. You know, Ron Carroll, Larry Levan, they knew how to control and set a room's vibe for hours and hours and hours. Didn't matter what they played. They played disco, they played funk, they played what was to be known as house, and people just danced. And that was DJing back then. You hear DJing now, and you think, big stage, you think Ultra Music Festival, you think that it's a viable way to make millions and millions of dollars. And you forget that at its core, it's about setting a room. At its core, the whole idea of making, of this thing that we do, is an art form, is setting a vibe in a room so people can come and forget what they're doing. So I still call myself a DJ because that's the vocabulary, that's the colloquialism. But at its core, I'm a vibe curator. I like to play music in a room and get people moving, dancing, forgetting where they are, what they're doing at that moment, and just like focusing on the fact that this is an escape for them, where they are at this moment.

Is that where "less sections, more dance floors" comes from?

Yes, I have a hate-hate relationship with sections. I hate sections. I think they take away so much from the dance floor. People are there for the wrong reasons. It is "show me" culture in its worst form. And I get it, venues and bars and clubs have to make money. I understand it. But you know, at its core, again, going back to the original reason for this thing that we call dance music, it's right there in its name — dance music. We want sweaty dance floors. We want to just get on the floor and just pound concrete or lawn or whatever the medium is that is under our feet, and just enjoy ourselves and not sit in a couch and look and watch people and pop bottles. I mean, that is not what we're here for, especially in electronic music. If you think about the history of it here, think about where it came from, it is such a departure from the club culture that we have now. And I think something around just more dance floors will equalize the way that we think about the music that we love so much, which is electronic.

Speaking of electronic, speaking of enjoying ourselves, speaking of dancing, what do you have in store for Carbon Sound today?

Good question, I don't know. I talked to a couple of friends a few months ago about this, at its core, like when I start playing, I don't know what mindset I'm in, I just hit the first song, and then the next one comes, and the next one comes, and the next one comes after that, and all of a sudden it's like an hour set, and I don't know which way I'm going. So it could be all house, it could be deep, it could be melodic, it could be a little bit of funk, it could be a little bit of hip-hop, I don't know. So we'll see where the vibe takes us today.

Mamé Bioh stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about all things Believe In What’s Possible: from community-forward events to youth-centered political activations and fellowships.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

Carbon Sound family, we have another Carbon Sound Community Voices interview. I'm so excited about these, because I get to actually see the faces that create the Minnesota creative scene, the Minnesota music scene, and everything beyond. Mamé Bioh is a community organizer, creative, and co-founder of Believe In What's Possible. And we gonna get down to why we is believing in what is possible. So Mamé Bioh welcome, welcome, welcome. Ok, so just straight to it. What is Believe In What's Possible? How did it start?

Mamé Bioh

Believe In What's Possible is a youth-led and youth centered nonprofit based in the Twin Cities and outside of the Twin Cities a little bit. We are a collective of amazing young leaders, specifically in the realm of politics, who've been either doing campaign work for the past few years, who've either been doing city work for the past few years, government work to some capacities, or who have been doing really great community work within the community for the past, like three to four years. I'll give a little bit of like my entry into the team. It's a team of, including me, four beautiful women. It was around end of '22, early '23, we had just had a really big state election. I was doing some really, really awesome community work with other organizations, and I had met my other co-founder, Chelsea, and we were in this position where a lot of the spaces that politics runs, that nonprofit spaces run, that just really heavy institutional community spaces operate, have very little young people in them. Very little BIPOC communities, very little marginalized communities, and so we were at a point where the work I was doing wasn't speaking to anybody in my generation. I had just did a voting turnout event where I had brought a bunch of my college friends with me, and afterwards, they're like, "Oh, that was fun. But I wouldn't do that again. I wouldn't really want to engage in that type of work." And also, I think specifically within past, like, five to six years, it's been a lot of just disillusionment around the ways people engage in politics, and around the trust that we have with the government, locally and nationally. But specifically nationally, I think it has really shifted and jaded a lot of the communities that really need —

Sanni Brown

Politics.

Mamé Bioh

You know what I mean? And so we all came together at a mentor's house, and we were just kind of ranting, like just talking the talk. I think we got to a point where we're like, "We don't want to be put in a position where it's so difficult for young people to come into these spaces." Whether it's leading a campaign, whether it's speaking at a hearing, whether it's showcasing artwork, whether it's even building your own campaign. And specifically, one of the things to know about the way politics works, is specifically when it comes to voting, voting operates off a reliability resource. So a lot of the databases that come into voting rely heavily on your consistency. And so, you become a reliable constituent based off of your consistency engaging with the system. Now, to the understanding, who definitely is not going to be the most reliable?

Sanni Brown

Young people.

Mamé Bioh

Young people, single mothers, Black people —

Sanni Brown

Disabled people.

Mamé Bioh

Do you see what I mean? Who's going to be the most reliable? Older white people. And it became this thing where the minute you didn't engage in the system, the minute you didn't engage in voting, it was another reason to just say, "Okay, we don't need to listen to you. We don't need to go into your neighborhood and actually speak to you." It's systemically utilized in that way. It's a cycle. They make it difficult, you back out, they use that exact reason to make it more difficult.

Sanni Brown

Okay, so gaslighting, political gaslighting.

Mamé Bioh

Oh, absolutely.

Sanni Brown

Gotcha. So, y'all got together, y'all having this conversation. You like, "Ok, we need to do something." And so you are now in this conversation, you're realizing certain trends that are used in politics and what's holding these communities back. So then who decides, "Look, we got to put boots on the ground. We got to get this moving."?

Mamé Bioh

So what happened was we wanted to do something extremely different. We really wanted to create a bridge for young people to have a level of connection building, community building, but do it in a way that brought them to the polls. We launched our kind of first year programming. Did a couple events, we did a sip and paint, we did a day party, which was really beautiful.

Sanni Brown

And what age group do you work with the most?

Mamé Bioh

So currently, the age group that we work with is 14 to 29.

Sanni Brown

Because you said sip and paint. I want to be clear.

Mamé Bioh

It's like matcha. You know what I mean?

Sanni Brown

Ok, cocoa. Talking about cocoa.

Mamé Bioh

So it's 14 to 29, specifically because until you turn 30, you are not deemed reliable yet.

Sanni Brown

Wow, I didn't know that.

Mamé Bioh

It's much more complicated than that, but in that retrospect. Even when my co-founders has been voting since they were able to, has been engaging, has been going to polls with their parents, but is not seen as a reliable constituent. Has been working campaigns, but isn't fully looked at from that —

Sanni Brown

It's also interesting that that data is being collected, and analyzed in that way I should say.

Mamé Bioh

It's specifically analyzed because, again, candidates want to — I don't say take the easy way, but they want to make sure that they're getting a bang for their buck. And so like, majority of the work that they're doing when it comes to young people, is going to college campuses, maybe a couple weeks, maybe not even the last week before voting, and saying, "Hey, here's my pamphlet. You should come." Not doing anything. And so we wanted to create more of a nonpartisan, very much community-centered way of operating where we hosted events. So since then, we were able to kind of launch Believe In What's Possible through a variety of programming, one called Scheme Space that created kind of like a thought space, and a thought space and a building space for young people to come share their thoughts, share resources, share understanding and grow as a collective. Then we had Turn Up to Turn Out, which was our community-led, community-forward, kind of like event program where we hosted drag shows, we hosted day parties, and we're doing some really cool stuff this year. I can't say yet, but just some really fun event spaces for people to just feel like a political space is actually for them. And then the other thing that we currently just launched, it's going to be coming in our second year, is the People's Studio.

Sanni Brown

What's the People's Studio?

Mamé Bioh

The People's Studio is one of my favorite things. It is a fellowship program for young creatives and aspiring community organizers —

Sanni Brown

To get involved in the political process?

Mamé Bioh

So what we want to do is we want to bring in the two worlds of creative curation and political action and civic engagement and community organizing and bring them together. So we had a great group of around like eight to nine young people who joined our fellowship and became fellows. And we taught them the fundamentals of what it means to be a community organizer, from understanding mobilizing, from understanding influence to understanding power, really, and understanding what does that what does that power look like? How do you understand it? How do you understand it from the power that you haven't used yet? How do you understand it from the power that someone actually has? And how do you understand the power from how you influence in the spaces that you have, the social settings that you have. Cool, you're a musician and you have a fan base, you can easily create art that pushes that fan base, you know what I mean? And so really creating young leaders in the city who can truly start utilizing their voices a lot more strongly.

Sanni Brown

And the tools that they naturally have.

Mamé Bioh

Exactly, exactly. So it was a beautiful program, and I'm really excited to launch it this year.

Sanni Brown

If other young people want to be a part of this, this sounds really exciting — to me, because I'm nosy. I got a nosiness, and I know that there are young people who are listening, who are also nosy, and they have their ear to the ground, but they might feel like, "I don't know, I didn't grow up around that dynamic." How could they get in touch with you? How can they follow you?

Mamé Bioh

Follow the Believe In What's Possible page, @believinwhatspossible.

Sanni Brown

When you say page, what social media?

Mamé Bioh

Instagram, go to our Instagram. We have our website there as well. You can join our email list. You'll always get the emails from us. We're always posting on Instagram, always reposting stuff. You can even DM the Instagram page and we'll respond back. And then also, I'm a community organizer, so if you want to have coffee, want to sit down, talk more, get to understand how to do that, hit me up. Heyitsmame on Instagram.

Sanni Brown

It's such a big undertaking that you're doing with this, so I'm glad that we can use our platform to support you, and I'm hoping you can come back out here and tell us more about the events that you're doing.

Mamé Bioh

Of course.

Sanni Brown

Mamé Bioh in studio, Carbon Sound. Thank you so much.

Mamé Bioh

Thank you.

DJ PEACEBOII is a DJ and event curator based in Minneapolis. He first started DJing because he felt a need to explore more diverse sounds he thought were missing from the Minneapolis scene. This solo endeavor soon became one built with other community members and creatives, leading to events like Battle for the Belt and various club appearances.

In his mix for Carbon Sound, DJ PEACEBOII celebrates 5 years in the game with Afrobeats, R&B, and more.

We chatted with DJ PEACEBOII about his background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

I'm DJ PEACEBOII, I feel like I DJ for the people. I like to read the rooms, see the vibes, see what's going on. I don't like to be put in a certain box. I feel like I could do Hip-Hop, R&B, Dancehall, even EDM, like, whatever the vibes is, I'm able to do it.

When did you first start DJing?

I started DJing five years ago. I just came up on five years.

What made you want to start DJing?

I just felt the need for it. It wasn't a lot of diversity as far as music in the Minneapolis scene, and that was something that I felt like I brought to the table. Just playing different stuff, not the same set, not the same music all the time, and giving people actual vibes.

Over the course of these five years, have you had favorite spots to DJ at?

I really don't have a favorite spot, because I pretty much DJ everywhere. As long as they got a good sound system, it works for me.

Do you have any highs and lows when it comes to DJing over that time?

Yeah, I mean it was one point where I was doing my own shows, I was killing it, doing my own thing, and then the venue that I was doing my stuff at had shut down for like a year. So that kind of messed me up, because I was known for having my own stuff. So it kind of switched my mindset to not just doing my own thing, but tapping in with other people, building relationships with other people. So if I do ever get in that type of situation, I won't just be stagnant, and not moving around and DJing.

You were mentioning how certain sounds in Minneapolis weren't being covered. Do you feel like that's changed?

Yeah, for sure. It's just right now we have a shortage on clubs, because a lot of clubs have shut down, but I feel like it's a lot of dope DJs out there that bring a lot of diversity now to the scene.

What can you tell us about Battle for the Belt?

That was something I came up with, I think it was last year, because I wanted to bring like, that competition to the Minneapolis scene. And I felt like we got a lot of dope artists, and everybody feel like they the best. So I'm like, "Shoot, let's see who gonna be the best." And then my boy Rick from Water Wave TV, he reached out to me for the last one we just did, and me and him collabed on it, and it was a great turnout.

What observations did you make about putting competition on display like that?

If I'm being honest, you actually see who take it serious and who don't. You actually see who's just taking it as a hobby and who's actually trying to make it. It's like a big difference.

Knowing you take it seriously, what can we expect from this set today?

I'm energy, man. So it's just a lot of energy, a lot of dope vibes, I'm gonna try to get into some like transition, I'm gonna try to take it around and then bring it back, we just gonna travel everywhere, man.

Duol Chut of Diesel J's and Smokin on the Runway stopped by to talk to Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about starting his own business, his upcoming events, and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

In studio, I've been talking about it all week, organizer of Diesel J's, a rolling paper company that hosts community events based around business education, fashion shows, and artist showcases — and honestly, I just met you last year, and you was hustling, Carbon Sound family, Duol Chut.

Duol Chut

Thank you for the introduction, Sanni, and it's a pleasure.

Sanni Brown

So first and foremost, what is Diesel J and how did that come to be?

Duol Chut

So there was a time where my nickname was Diesel. I have, like especially in college, I was just known to have good bud. I'm a connoisseur. I'm just very connoisseur minded.

Sanni Brown

When he say bud, he mean weed?

Duol Chut

Yeah, cannabis. I don't know, what terminology should we be using?

Sanni Brown

I mean, it's legal.

Duol Chut

Yeah, exactly, right? That's what we trying to preach. But that's where the name Diesel J's came from. So we're an organic, all-natural rolling paper brand, and we host community events, mainly cannabis inspired, but we also do a few other ones too.

Sanni Brown

How do you put on community events? Because I feel like marijuana is legalized now, but I just grew up most of my life it was illegal. I don't know, I feel like I'm still in the dark ages of it being illegal, and I'm even still scared to say it on air.

Duol Chut

Honestly, it was like right after COVID, I just stopped drinking. So I just went California sober. So it's been about, really, five years.

Sanni Brown

Pause. What is California sober?

Duol Chut

California sober just means that I don't drink alcohol, or if it's just a special occasion, I'll have a glass of champagne. But for the most part, I just consume cannabis.

Sanni Brown

What was the thing that made you decide to do that?

Duol Chut

Honestly, I had a drinking problem. It was college, but just for a small town and things like that, I just saw what it really did to me and did to like, friends and family. And it was just one of those situations I saw how I was doing without it, and I'm like, "I can't go back." And so that's why I've been California sober for so long. And I just felt like cannabis has helped me be more creative, be more disciplined, and really just kind of figure out what I want to do, and I'm just going at it.

Sanni Brown

You just said that was what you was doing as a part of college life. And then you pivot into Diesel J's, into this company, what was the moment in COVID that made you be like, you want to go from consuming it, to "I want the community to be able to consume, as well as the culture" and coming together and creating this whole experience around it?

Duol Chut

Honestly, it was for representation. In 2020 when COVID happened, I lost my job. So I was figuring out a lot of different things, I started doing reselling of electronics, and I wanted to get into business for sure, 100%. And by 2022, I wasn't drinking, I stopped smoking backwoods, I got the tobacco out of my system, and I just went through all the rolling papers that's out there, all the major brands, and I just didn't really like the experience with them. And I'm like, "Okay, let me just start my own." But what really made me go full out on it was, I have a best friend, he passed away in 2020, and it was kind of due to alcohol. I stopped drinking before that, but after that, I'm like, "Okay, I'm just gonna launch it." I can't really think on it. I'm a person who likes to plan so I had everything written out. It's like, "Okay, I just have to do it, and I'm gonna figure it out. I'm just gonna really apply what I know in business and really figure this out." Because that's the only thing I could do.

Sanni Brown

What does ownership and Black entrepreneurship mean to you, and how did that tie into you creating this business?

Duol Chut

Ownership is huge to me. Have you heard of Earn Your Leisure?

Sanni Brown

I have heard of that, yeah.

Duol Chut

So 2020, 2021 is when they launched, I watched one of their first three episodes on YouTube, and so I literally have been following their story since then. From what they were doing and who they were bringing on, and watching them literally start off a podcast just like this, using their phones just like this to kind of get where they're at now, I took that as inspiration and really watched them and took that into consideration with what I'm doing.

Sanni Brown

Okay, so when does the fashion show come in? How did you tie this in to that? Because I feel like a fashion show is so formal and everybody's got to be on they point, and this seems more like laid back and relaxed. How do you merge them two vibes?

Duol Chut

I guess I'm kind of both. I'm from the military background, I've been doing sports since like sixth grade, so I'm very disciplined, detailed-oriented. I also like to smoke weed and kick back. Before I started even doing our own fashion show, I was a photographer for Black Fashion Week, so I was doing fashion shows, helping them put it together. We'd do seven shows a season, so I did that for a full year. One thing I always recommend to people, if you're really trying to get into a space, and if you're really trying to grow your skills, I just gave my photography for free. Like, this is a great way for me to step in, I was able to do that, they loved the work, I was able to meet a lot of people from there, really able to connect with a lot of different models, different artists. And they called me back the next season. Like, "Hey, we want you to do photography again, and this time we'll pay you. We really loved what you did last time." And plus, I was setting up, still kind of getting my name out there, and so I appreciate Black Fashion Week and Natalie Morrow for that. It was her, Shamika and Ambers Foundation. So that's kind of how I got started into fashion, like, actually working there. But my cousin, she's actually a designer, she was involved in New York Fashion Week. She was the very first fashion show I went to back in like, 2017. I just went out there with my cousins, one of my homies from high school, he was a model. So I'm like, "Okay, cool, this is pretty dope." I just came back from the military, so I was just chilling. Like, I'm about to go to college, it wasn't really anything I was in tune with, but that was my first experience with that. I came back to it once I started my business, because I'm like, "Let me do photography, because it'll save me money, I'll learn the skill, and I could use that as well." And that's kind of where it took me from there, and kind of seeing the lack of it, because I was going to fashion shows and I was going to cannabis events, a lot of them were still underground feel, even though it's kind of legal. And so what came to be was Smokin on the Runway, which was the fact that I have a cannabis brand, mainly rolling papers, but we have some apparel. People didn't really look at cannabis apparel, except for drug rugs, or Cookies, that was like the only major brand people know.

Sanni Brown

I'm telling you, I'm trying to figure out, where does the fashion come in? I have never thought of the cannabis community being known for fashion.

Duol Chut

But there is designers, because guess what? All these same designers, artists, and models love cannabis. They never actually got to experience the actual events because —

Sanni Brown

It was illegal, too.

Duol Chut

They just, "I'm trying to just smoke weed. I'm not trying to get locked up." And so that's still that same stigma. So we're just trying to change that by bringing those two things together, and really showcasing these designers and these people who are cannabis advocates, and some of these designers, they don't have to be a cannabis brand. They're just incorporating cannabis themes into their designs, if that's symbolism, if that's materials like hemp and sustainability. So we do upcycle, so sustainability is a huge part of that. And then we also add a lot of color.

Sanni Brown

So you got a fashion show coming up on May 3. Is the hemp folks gonna be in the building?

Duol Chut

You know it's going to be, you're gonna see some great designs. And additionally, from the fashion show, we're gonna have a limited-edition collaboration with KelsTheGawd. It's going to be his album release as well. Keep that on the hush. I'm just kidding, tell everybody! We trying to have you guys come out. So it's gonna be a limited-edition release of the cones, they're going to be available there. We're gonna have some preorders, so I'm excited for that. This has been one of our goals, and there was just so much synergy coming up for it, and it just felt great.

Sanni Brown

I know you got your show on May 3, but do you have anything else that you could give us like a Carbon Sound exclusive about?

Duol Chut

So we have the NECANN afterparty May 14. And so NECANN, they are the Northeastern Cannabis Association. They do conferences like CHAMPS Trade Show, they do that all across the country, and they came to emerging markets. What I love about NECANN is they're very socially focused, so they work with the community to put this together. They have a percentage of their booth space set aside for social equity applicants. And then additionally, they try to make sure to highlight a lot of the different artists that are coming through. They have like an art basil. So we're doing the official afterparty for them. And it's just another way for us to really kind of grow, connect with different professionals across the country, and also kind of just introduce them to what Minnesota is about. So we're gonna do what we do already, and kind of do that for the conference afterparty, and show them what to expect of our Minnesota cannabis. And the teaser right here is we're trying to put together a free community event at the end of May and early June, and have it become a running series. Because one thing that we've talked about is during all this time and isolation with the cold, with Metro Surge and everything going on, there's a lot of trauma. Psychologically speaking, you need at least four to six positive experiences to kind of get over that negative experience in all relationships. And when I say relationships, I mean community as well. We're trying to put together these free community events, and these events in general, it's just kind of bringing back joy, like you need that so much, especially during this time. And the best way people feel that is through the arts. So we're definitely trying to bring that together.

Sanni Brown

How can we follow you? How can we keep up with you and support what you're doing, so that you can further continue to support the community with your projects.

Duol Chut

You can find us on IG at smokinontherunway, and you can find us on Instagram at chief.diesel for our rolling papers. You can also find us at www.dieseljpapers.com, and at www.sotrmn.org, which is abbreviations for smokinontherunwaymn.org.

Sanni Brown

Thank you so much Duol, thank you for coming out. What makes your rolling papers different than other people's rolling papers?

Duol Chut

I'm glad you asked. So what makes our papers different from most of the papers that you see, is ours is not made out of hemp, it's not made out of rice paper, which is predominantly what's used. We use wood pulp. So ours are called brown paper, so they have a browner tint to them, so it's still all organic, all natural, wood pulp is. But it has like, thicker fibers, so it just burns slower, less likely to canoe. And I enjoy that texture and that consistency better, because if it's dry, or if it's kind of a little bit more moist, it still burns well, and it doesn't just flame out or burn unevenly.

Sanni Brown

Well, thank you. I really appreciate you coming into Carbon Sound fasho.

Duol Chut

I appreciate it, Sanni.

Righteous Emcee stopped by to talk Carbon Sound’s host Sanni about his new album, A Legendary Run.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown

It's The Message, Carbon Sound Music for Life. An independent hip-hop artist, curator, community builder rooted in the Twin Cities, and just recently came out with one of the dopest hip-hop albums I've heard in 2026 so far. The name of the album is called A Legendary Run, Carbon Sound family, please welcome Righteous Emcee. Thank you so much for coming in, man.

Righteous Emcee

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Sanni Brown

So just straight out the gate, this album, A Legendary Run. Where did that come from? It dropped February 23, 2026, we ain't too far removed.

Righteous Emcee

So initially, I started recording another album. I started recording that, maybe, like, two years ago. And the producer of that album, he had a baby. So he was like, "Yo, I ain't gonna be able to really move around and do a lot of things." So, you know, I kind of took that opportunity just to create something new. And I started making songs, and literally, it just start forming itself, and it turned into A Legendary Run. And as independent artists, a lot of times, we don't look at our journeys as careers, right? We tend to think it's just something that we do, and we love it or whatever, but no, this is a career. And you put a lot of time and effort and energy and money into this craft. It's a career. So I had to take a step back and kind of look at all of the things that I've done, and really just give myself a round of applause. We don't tend to do that so often. A lot of times, we just so stuck in like, survival mode, and I just gotta get it, I gotta get it. But sometimes it's cool to celebrate the wins, and look back at all of the things that you've gone through and say, "Wow, look where I'm at." I think about all of the times when I was a kid, and I would stand on the front porch of my mama's house in Chicago and pretend like I was on a stage and be rapping and doing all the things. And to look at my life now, I've touched all the stages that you can probably touch in this city. So yeah, that's a beautiful thing. I look at A Legendary Run as me looking at it from the standpoint of like, "Wow, I've done a lot," but also, "I got more to do."

Sanni Brown

What would you say are the top three things, real things, that make up Righteous Emcee that you poured into this album?

Righteous Emcee

I would say vulnerability is probably the number one thing that I put into it, just being okay with saying certain things, right? Being ok with talking about what you've been through, being ok with telling your best friends that you love them. Just being ok with certain things because we live in a society where, especially for Black men, we're taught, "Hey, all that crying, check that at the door." But it's like, nah, it's okay to deal with things and go through emotions and feel certain things. So vulnerability was definitely one of them, I would say just knowing who you are. And I know for me personally, I won't speak for anybody else, but for me, I've always kind of been ok with playing the background, because I look at it as everybody has a role to play, right? Everybody has a position. And I've always just said, "Hey, y'all go to the front. I'm cool with playing it back. I'll work on this, and y'all be the stars." But it's like, I'm a star; I can shine bright too. So a lot of it is really about just me saying, "You know what, I know who I am."

Sanni Brown

I'm really glad you said that, because we have a lot of young people listening, and I need them to hear that. They have that star quality as well. Okay, what's the third thing you put in?

Righteous Emcee

I would say just love. Love for the craft, love for the people in my life, love for my kids. It's kind of like how they talk about when your grandma or somebody would make a dish. They would say they put the love in it, measured everything and everything was delicious. And that's how I looked at this album, like, "I'm not gonna rush it." It took a while, it took a year and a half to complete, but it's like, "I'm gonna take my time, I'm gonna put my all into it, and I'm gonna really give everybody just all of me."

Sanni Brown

You can tell. There was a lot of rawness on the album. What does legendary mean to you?

Righteous Emcee

I think that's for whoever is dealing with that, that's for them to decide. I don't think legendary comes with boxes to check off. I think it's however you look at it. Maybe you've overcome an addiction, "I'm legendary," right? Because I did something that so many people couldn't do or still struggling with, right? It could be anything, really. It could be anything that makes you feel like you're legendary. And I know for me personally, what makes me feel like I'm legendary is that when I look back in my life and look back at all of the things that I've been through and where I've come, I never knew that I would be married with children. I never thought that I would be on these stages, like I couldn't see past a year for a long time. But it's like now I'm here, I'm sitting with y'all, and I'm talking about this album, that's legendary to me. So it's whatever you want it to be.

Sanni Brown

How else are you gonna show us Righteous Emcee? What other events you got going on to show us the culture?

Righteous Emcee

April 17, I'll be performing at Acadia. It's for a show for a brother of mine who's out of New Orleans, he's coming here. So that's like the first performance that I'm having post the album. I'm kind of still in that creative mode right now, so I recently just dropped a three-piece special. And basically what that is, is for anybody who actually went to EVEN to purchase the album, I gave them access to three songs, three original songs that I created just for them to have. So I sent that to them, and everybody really enjoyed it. They really loved it. Somebody even said, "Hey, man, I'm loving this with the album, this is crazy." So I'm kind of in this space where I like giving out these small EPs that really pack a punch, so to speak. So I'm putting out another one very soon, but I'm gonna make that available to everybody, and that's gonna be coming soon. So yeah, I'm just really in creative mode right now. Got another album coming out, my brother Bushido.Chop. who's one of the dopest emcees, producers in the city, he's producing my next album that's gonna be coming out sometime in May, and that's gonna be called Subs No Dubs. Hope everybody appreciate that when it come out, and we gonna do it again.

Sanni Brown

We missed this question, but please tell us more about your EVEN account.

Righteous Emcee

EVEN is basically a platform where you can sell your music direct to consumer. And I've been kind of on that for a while and just trying to navigate, like, what's the best way to do that? Because sometimes you put something out and you put a price tag on it, some people feel a way about that, because things are so readily available now. I tell people all the time, streaming to me ain't nothing but a utility at this point. You pay your bill, you get it for the month, and you just pay it again. So you lose a sense of value when it comes to the music, right? It's just like it's always there. But when you actually have to go somewhere, pay for it, do the whole process, download it, all these type of things, you kind of appreciate it just a little bit more through that process. So I wanted people to really appreciate the music and sit with the music. You pay $10 for it, so, "Hey, I'm gonna actually sit with this and listen to it." And then also, you put a lot into the music. Studio time and mixing and mastering and all of these type of things, that ain't free, that costs money. So you want to see some type of return. But for me, it's really not about making the money off of the album. It's just about creating the space where the album can live and breathe. And it's just not something that you can just, "Oh, here it go right here, and I can skip through the songs," and "Oh, it got a little dot by the song, I guess that means that's the best song, let me listen to it." So it eliminates that, and you can just love and sit with the album.

Sanni Brown

Is there a handle we're supposed to follow you on?

Righteous Emcee

Yeah, you can go to Even.biz, and then type in Righteous Emcee, and you'll find me.

Sanni Brown

How can we just keep up with you? What if we're new to town and we just happen to pull into the Twin Cities and we heard this interview, how do we keep up with Righteous Emcee?

Righteous Emcee

Just follow me on Instagram. That's where I'm at, that's the hub for everything. Go to Instagram, righteousemcee on Instagram. Anything new is happening with me, that's where you will probably see it.

Sanni Brown

I gotta follow you. A Legendary Run by Righteous Emcee. If you like lyricism, you like people talking that spit, okay, this is the album for you. In my opinion, no skips. Thank you for doing what you're doing. Thank you for being who you are, and thank you for coming in to Carbon Sound studios.

Righteous Emcee

Thank you for having me.

Sanni Brown

I appreciate you so much. I cannot wait to get that song in here. I already made somebody cry. What is it called?

Righteous Emcee

“'95 Regal.”

Sanni Brown

“'95 Regal,” I knew it was a Buick! That Regal baby, that Regal done got me through some things. Thank you Righteous Emcee, thank you so much.

Righteous Emcee

Appreciate it.

Effy Kawira, also known as Effygasm, is a DJ, director, writer, producer, and more. A masterful curator and worldbuilder, Effygasm uses her filmmaking experience to create sets from beginning to end that tell a story. One of her favorite parts about DJing is discovering new sounds, and she noted the importance of opening up audiences to fresh sonic experiences as a DJ.

In her mix for Carbon Sound, Effygasm was looking to party. She mentioned craving the experience of truly turning up with no thoughts and no worries. So, under the guidance of Effygasm, turn up to this set in your house, your car, or really anywhere, and dance away.

We chatted with Effygasm about her background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

Hi, I'm Effy Kawira, aka Effygasm.

Are there any artistic practices you come from?

Yeah, I do a lot of things. I guess I'd say I'm kind of multidisciplinary. I'm not only a DJ — I'm a director, I'm a writer, I'm a producer. What else do I do? I'm also on a journey of starting something very new that's coming out soon, which basically kind of ties in every single thing that I've learned from all of the various creative practices that I've invested my time and my energy into. And it's truly a culmination of all of it, which I'm really, really excited for it to come out, but I don't want to see too much...But you'll see it in like a month.

In the things you mentioned, I think of visual art. Has DJing helped you as a visual artist, or do you see them as separate practices?

I see them together. When I started creating more visual work, for example, like working in music videos, music would inspire visuals for me. I have a very visual brain, and I can think of what I see and describe it and express it. And I think that without music, I don't think my visual eye would be as refined. I think that there's an importance to my understanding of music and developing that practice, too. It goes into the whole process of building a world and trying to convey a message, and I think for me, comes a lot from what I hear and what things make me feel in that way. So I don't think that they're separate; I think more so they're intertwined for me. I think everything I do, in a way, feels like it's super intertwined.

Is that why you wanted to become a DJ? What's the origin story?

When I first started wanting to become a DJ, I was like, 18, 19 — no, actually, I was younger. This was like, SoundCloud, Majestic Casual, Tumblr, that era of music, and I wanted to be a DJ, because I felt like I was being introduced to all these different sounds. And my mind wasn't even thinking, like, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna produce." I was like, "I want to DJ." I think music became so much more interesting to me, and I felt like there was so much discovery that I wanted to be part of it. And so that's why I wanted to become a DJ, because I was just like, "Wow, I want to explore this. I want to share this as well." I think that was a big part for me, and then eventually I became a DJ.

Has that music discovery element been your favorite part about being a DJ? Or what would you say your favorite part is?

Yeah, I think the music discovery is really, really fun. I enjoy listening to something being like, "Oh my god, I love this. I can't wait to play this for other people, to hear how fire this song is." Or just to see people's reactions, I guess. And I think that DJs are important for introducing people to new sounds. I think a lot of people don't really take that time, like, it's really a study of its own. I don't think people take the time to discover new music or discover new genres. They just kind of stay in the lane of what they typically listen to, but as a DJ, you can open up people to new sonic experiences that they might have otherwise never heard of or ever experienced outside of you, and spark that curiosity for them to then go ahead and deepen that exploration for themselves, which I think is cool.

What are some notable highs and lows throughout your time as a DJ?

The highs of DJing are when you have a really great set, and you're excited about it, and then you play it, and everybody really, really loves it. And also, when you can truly build a set. I don't necessarily know how to explain it, but I'm sure y'all know what I'm talking about. When you build a set from beginning to end, and it feels like it's telling a story. I love those sets where I feel like I'm taking elements of my experience when it comes to filmmaking and telling a story through a set. That feels really satisfying to me. And lows — I hate playing for a crowd that wants to just hear the same shit. I don't want to play for a crowd who's not open to exploration, because then you're literally playing the same shit all the time. And I don't think that's a fun experience as someone who curates energy for any environment, and so I don't really enjoy those types of things. And I think sometimes clubs can be that way. But I also think it's particularly mainly in America, where it's like, people just want to hear what they want to hear, and people aren't open to new sounds or new sonic experiences. They want to hear the same shit that they listen to. And also TikTok. TikTok to me, I think ruins the experience of listening, because people only want to hear that sound bite that they heard on TikTok. But then once you're done with that, you have to transition because they don't want to hear it. They're now disengaged.

So I'm hearing exploration, discovery, storytelling. What kind of story are you hoping to tell for the Carbon Sound audience today?

Honestly, I've been in this energy where I'm craving, truly, to just freely party and turn up. I don't know, it sounds crazy, but I feel like I've just been desiring the experience of truly just turning up with no thoughts. And I feel like we don't have experiences like that anymore, where you could just go and turn up and be free and not worry about people being on their phone and people making videos of you, and you being in the video. And it's like, you have to be so aware of your experiences nowadays when you're out, even when you're just trying to enjoy yourself. I think for me, the set is that. I want people to just feel free, turn up in your house, turn up in your car, dance your ass off. That was the point of this. It's not going to be chill whatsoever. It's not a chill set at all.

Students from High School for Recording Arts (HSRA) sat down with Carbon Sound’s host Sanni and talked about the impact HSRA has had on their personal, educational, and creative growth.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sanni Brown 

It's The Message, Carbon Sound Music for Life. I love the kids. Y'all know I love the kids, and y'all know I love these interviews. We had this group in before, but it was just like the makers and the co-creators and the leaders of this group, but now we got the young folks coming in, and I appreciate that, because I love the kids. I love to listen to what the next generation is going through. In studio, we have High School for Recording Arts, Jahai and I'yani, and they will be coming in today, just to give us a little bit of understanding about the projects that they're working on. But let me just go ahead and run down the receipts. For over two decades, High School for Recording Arts has been a beacon of creativity and empowerment for young artists, providing a platform for students to explore their passion for music and expression. And the mission of High School for Recording Arts is to provide youth the opportunity to achieve a high school diploma through exploration and operation of the music business and other creative endeavors. Carbon Sound family, please welcome from High School for Recording Arts, Jahai and I'yani.

Jahai 

Hello hello!

I'yani 

Hi!

Sanni Brown 

First of all, I love kids. I worked with kids for 25 years before I pivoted into media. I'm just happy to have y'all in and have y'all young energy in today. So thank you for taking time out, because I know y'all could be ripping and running with projects y'all got going.

I'yani 

Thank you for having us.

Jahai 

Yeah, thank you so much.

Sanni Brown 

So tell me about what y'all do over at High School for Recording Arts. Are you both seniors?

Jahai 

I'm a senior.

I'yani 

I'm a senior as well.

Sanni Brown 

That's so exciting. Your senior year, I remember my senior year. Are y'all excited?

Jahai 

I'm excited, but a little scared. I feel old.

Sanni Brown 

What??

I'yani 

That's how I feel like. This is my last February as a teenager, I'll be 20 in June. So, like, I'm literally counting down the months. I will never be a teenager in the month of February ever again.

Sanni Brown  

I hear you. I like that you guys are paying attention, though. So what do you what are you scared of?

Jahai 

Just the unknown. I mean, we stay in the unknown all the time.

Sanni Brown 

Yeah, if you're a creative.

Jahai 

Yeah, that's for sure. It's a new step, not being in school.

Sanni Brown

And it's the end of another step.

Jahai 

Yep, new beginnings and new endings. But it's pretty awesome, but a little scary.

Sanni Brown 

How would you describe your whole high school career? Did you guys go to High School for Recording Arts your whole high school? Is that your whole high school experience?

Jahai 

Yeah, I did.

I'yani 

I did not. My high school experience goes like this. I have never really been a school person, like I love learning, but it's just something about sitting in a classroom under white light for hours and hours and hours at a time, and then you want me to go home and then keep doing the work. I've just never been that kind of learner. So that eventually led me to dropping out my junior year. I would go to the library during the school day and I would read all day. I would get tons of books, and I would just read at the library.

Sanni Brown 

This was after you dropped out?

I'yani 

Yes, this is like, what would have been my junior year. Because my mom — she didn't know that I dropped out. Because I love learning. So that's what I would do. I would just read all day. And then I started making music on my phone, on this app called BandLab, and I posted one of my songs that I made on Snapchat, and a student that used to go to the school, he slid up and was like, "Hey, I like your song." We became friends, and then he was telling me about it [HSRA], and what caught me at first was that school started at 9, because I'm used to, like, 7:40. So I'm like, "Ok, I'm kinda interested." And now I am still here. I was supposed to graduate from HSRA class of 2024, but I chose to stay because of how amazing the school is. Like they really put life into a person — they're not paying me to say this. On everything I love, if it was not for this school, I probably would not have anything going for myself, honestly.

Sanni Brown 

Thank you for sharing your story. That's beautiful how you was like "I ain't feeling this," and it navigated you to where you were supposed to be. That's brave, first of all. That's brave, and you're gonna need that when you graduate. So I hope you grab that. So Jahai, tell us your story.

Jahai 

I went to HSRA for my whole entire school year, but before that, I was homeschooled all my life. We moved around a lot, doing homeschooling because my mom knew that the school system isn't like, it's not all the way there. You know, the bullying, just like the unstructured, the systemic racism that goes through it. And I think at a point, me and my brother, we were like, "Ok, we're doing home schooling. We're getting into high school. I think it's time for us to kinda change what we're doing and go into high school." Not exactly for the learning experience, in like a typical school-related learning, but more of a socially and being around people our age. We were like, "Ok, this is our next step." Me and him had like, a whole meeting together. Like, "Ok, this is gonna be uncomfortable for us. We're kind of stagnant right now, and I think it's best for us to go into high school." And my brother's friend, he actually went to HSRA, but he was like, "Yo, this school is really dope. You should check it out. It's really musical, just check it out for like, one day." And we went up there and it was just like, day one, we were like, "Oh my god."

Sanni Brown 

What grabbed you on that day? When you went, what grabbed you? Like, "Nah, I gotta go here."

Jahai 

When we went, I was wearing a top hat, and a whole, like, suit. And everyone was just like, "Yo, I love what you're wearing. It's unusual, but it's dope." Everyone was so nice. 

Sanni Brown 

It was the energy.

Jahai 

Yeah, it was the energy.

Sanni Brown 

And probably the affirmative vibes. 

Jahai

I was like, "Ok, this is for me." I think HSRA, the way it's structured, kind of reminds me of homeschooling. How it's like, personal. It feels like I'm actually growing instead of doing the work, and that's it. We've had so many different like, life experience. I feel like it teaches you how to be human.

Sanni Brown 

Wow. Can you explain that more? Is it because they care about how the day is structured? What is happening, that it makes you feel like you're human? Is it the curriculum?

I'yani 

A mix of everything.

Jahai 

Yeah, it's a mix of everything. I think, instead of just like, "Ok, this is math for math, you're like, really learning how to apply this in a living situation.

Sanni Brown 

So they relate it to real life situations, versus "You need to know five plus five, and if you don't, you gonna fail."

Jahai 

Right, they make you use your brain. Critical thinking. So I think that's definitely one of the beautiful things about HSRA.

Sanni Brown 

You said that you got on your first plane, you shot a music video, what opportunities have come about since going to the school now?

Jahai 

Yeah, I mean, I've gotten to interview Mayor Carter. I've gotten to do many podcasts and learn how to economically use my creativity in a use. Like, I could start my own business; they've taught me things like that. Which I think is absolutely amazing. I've gotten to go out of state to meet with other schools and do projects and try so many things. It's a lot of dope opportunities.

Sanni Brown  

So based off what I'm hearing from both of you, somebody pitched the school to y'all. How would you all, now, after you've been there, you've experienced it, you're about to graduate, how would you pitch it to young people who may need what you guys are receiving? How would you pitch it?

I'yani 

Man, from the heart, the average school system, in my opinion, is just not built for success in everybody's life. And that does not mean that it's it for you, that it's just wraps. If you're one of those people who is like, "Man, school is really bugging me, I'm just not getting with this," whether it's hard, whether it's the people, the environment, whatever it is, I feel like HSRA offers something different because of how family-like it is. For example, the founder, T.C. Ellis, his sister works there, and everybody calls her "Mama Chi." And that's one of our values. We have four values: family, community, education, and respect. And keeping those values in mind, I really think changes the vibe of the school. It's very little that it's ever violent there. I feel like everybody is just like, "Hey, what's up? How are you doing?" Like I said, you want to be there. It's very welcoming. It's easy to make friends; it's easy to keep friends. And the teachers actually go above and beyond. Like, they'll connect with you one-on-one. They're not just gonna expect you to do the stuff. They will meet you where you're at. They will get very versatile, how they approach things. If one thing's not working for you, they're not just gonna give up on you and say, "Well, it's my way or the highway." I feel like the teachers there are not just there for the paycheck at the end of the day. They really put their hearts in it, and they go above and beyond for all the students, all the same.

Sanni Brown 

Thank you, I'yani. Alright, Jahai.

Jahai 

Couldn't have said it any better. It's a place for the weirdos. It teaches you that you should be weird. HSRA is the place where we accept your weirdness. We want you to thrive off your weirdness.

Sanni Brown 

I like that. It sounds like you guys are free to express yourself as humans. That's what it sounds like. And I know in the larger world, in the cool kids, they say that's weird, but the way I run my thing here is I lean into my own self-expression. So it's really exciting to see you guys have that, because I kind of had to find that, and I'm glad that you guys are receiving that in your youth, because I'm expecting to see some wild creativity in your future. You have a couple of mental health projects. It's called Tune in Speak Out. We're gonna take a break right now, but I wanna talk about that. Ok, so in studio, y'all, we got High School for Recording Arts, Jahai and I'yani. But when we come back, we're going to get into this Tune in Speak Out mental health project that you guys got going on for the youth. So we'll be back on The Message, Carbon Sound Music for Life.

Sanni Brown 

We are back with High School for Recording Arts seniors, Jahai and I'yani, and they are in today. We've gotten kind of a taste test of their high school career. They're in their senior year. They've discussed with us how, I would say, affirming High School for Recording Arts is. It's a space for the weirdos and for creatives, and a place where you can express yourself as a young person, and just giving us a contrast about a regular school setting and the setting of that High School for Recording Arts provides them. So first of all, thank you again for y'all being in. Let's get into this mental health here, because everything you guys are describing, it sounds so mentally soothing for a educational space. Not only does it sound like they're providing that, but you guys are actually creating more projects to put out here into the ether. So you have a project called Tune in Speak Out. What's that about?

Jahai 

I mean, I am the album cover. It was a long project, I'd say. It took a lot out of us.

Sanni Brown 

When did it start?

Jahai 

It might have been 2023.

I'yani 

I think that's maybe when it started. Because I remember sitting down with our advisor at the time, and she was like, "We need a project to get going for our advisory. What do you guys wanna do?” And a group of us just decided, of course, we want to make music. That's what that advisor is leaning towards. And we're like, "What about?" And we're like, "Let's just talk about how we feel. Let's just be vulnerable." So that's what we did. Some people on there curated the beats, there's vocals, there's rapping, there's spoken word, I'm pretty sure. But it is very honest, very vulnerable.

Sanni Brown 

So what is it? Is it a podcast? Is it an album?

Jahai and I'yani 

Both.

Sanni Brown 

Wait, what?

Jahai 

Yeah, I think between different songs, there's a podcast segment where I'm the host.

Sanni Brown 

So wait, is it a show? Or is it a —

I'yani 

It's an album. So like, if you go on Spotify and you play like, track one, it's gonna start off with, like, somebody starts speaking, and then the song starts playing, and then the next song will come on, somebody's talking, and then the song will come on. But you kinda correlate each different podcast segment together to kind of like, build that story, and then the music is kind of like, what gets you thinking and just feeling and then understanding, like, "Oh, this is how that correlates," if that makes sense.

Sanni Brown 

And it's you and your other classmates making this music?

Jahai and I'yani 

Yes.

Sanni Brown 

Oh, wow, and doing the podcast. What is the subject matter? How are you addressing your feelings on these podcasts and this project?

I'yani 

Well, me personally, I talked about feeling just heavy. Like my head's in the clouds — that's actually one of my lyrics. Feeling like my head is in the clouds, like I just can't lock in, and being vulnerable and just admitting that I feel that way, because I feel like that's a hard step for some people, and to just say like it's okay to feel how you feel, it's okay to not be okay. You don't always have to be good all the time. But also raising awareness on not dwelling in that feeling for too long, and patting your own self on the back and getting up and just trying again the next day.

Sanni Brown  

And so you're on the cover of this project.

Jahai 

Yes.

Sanni Brown 

Why are you the cover, poster child?

Jahai 

I think it was my willingness. We didn't really know what the cover was gonna be, and someone pulled me aside and was like, "Hey, I'm gonna take a picture of you." I was like, "Ok, dope. Let's do it." And then I see my face on the cover. I'm like, "Ok, this is cool."

I'yani 

Isn't that a recreation of Michael Jackson?

Jahai 

Yeah, it's a recreation of one of his albums. Not sure which one. But it just happened.

Sanni Brown 

What else is your contribution to the project? Are you speaking on the podcast?

Jahai 

Yeah, I'm mainly talking about, of course, like it's okay to be sad, depressed. It happens to all of us. And I think a lot of people would say, like, "No, you gotta do this. You gotta do that. You gotta smoke, you gotta drink." All these inhibitors, when really, it's you gotta just sit with yourself.

Sanni Brown 

Oh, my goodness, young people, it's hard though. It is hard, though. And I will tell you something as grown up, it gets harder, it gets harder. So is this student led? Outside of the adults going, "Hey, we gotta do a project," how hands-on are they? Or do they just let y'all take the reins?

I'yani 

They say "This is the rubric," basically, and then "go, just do it." Like we know how to make the beats. We know how to find a beat, we know how to record all of it. We know how to play the instruments. We know how to write our own stuff. They're like, "We're here if you need us," but they pretty much just, "This is the stuff that y'all need to hit. This is what we're expecting. Go work your magic."

Sanni Brown 

And y'all scared to step outside this? I mean, you just explained a regular adult day. I gotta figure out how to get food. I gotta figure out how to get to work. Y'all have the skill set. I want to ask you about, "And We're Back on the Ground." Is that from you guys?

Jahai and I'yani 

Yeah!

Sanni Brown 

I love that song so much. And we just put it in the system, maybe like in the last six months or something like that, and I be trying not to play it all the time. Is that connected to any project? Or what's that about?

I'yani  

I don't know, I feel like Marcus is really the person for that question. I hope Marcus hears this, either right now or at some point.

Sanni Brown 

That song cold, man!

I'yani 

Literally! He is so talented, and this man just came out of nowhere. We've been friends, classmates for months, and I did not know that this man can make music, let alone rap. And then he just comes, just trailblazing, just on fire.

Sanni Brown 

The cadence, the word play. And just want to confirm, y'all are teenagers?

Jahai 

Yeah, he was 15 making that song.

Sanni Brown 

He was 15?? Woah. I love that song so much. I love that song. I host Carbon Sound on two platforms, Minnesota Public Radio [The Current] and Carbon Sound. And I be trying my best not to play it. It's such a good song, there's so much soul, there's so much in there packed in that song so I'm like, "Dang, what y'all doin over there?? What y'all putting in the gumbo?"

I'yani 

I really hope that Stone and Marcus hear this. I can genuinely say that I had some of the most talented friends ever. I don't know if I'm biased, but you know when somebody shows you something and it's just not —

Sanni Brown 

Listen, I work in radio, ok. I work in radio so —

I'yani 

But my friends are genuinely talented. And it just makes me so proud and so happy. I'm seeing Yellow Roses do their thing, and then you giving Stone and Marcus that compliment, I want them to hear that so they know people see you and you're doing your spill.

Sanni Brown 

What message do you want to leave for the seniors behind you?

Jahai 

I think, at least for me, that it's important to take that role as a leader. To be a leader is to be uncomfortable, but it gives you so many opportunities and teaches you so much. Don't be scared, take that opportunity, even if it's not like "your thing." It's important to get out your comfort zone. It's so important. I think that's the main thing I want to leave when I graduate.

I'yani 

I will piggyback off Jahai and say being a leader in your own life is really important. It's up to you. I wouldn't be where I was if I didn't speak up and advocate for myself, if I didn't share my likes and my dislikes. And I think that it's really important to ask for help. Don't be afraid to depend on people. Don't be afraid to collaborate. Do not gatekeep stuff and keep stuff hidden. Collaborate with your friends, share your talents and your input, and get theirs on yours. Constructive criticism is very, very helpful. To conclude, my last words for the seniors after me: you can do it, believe in yourself, know in yourself, trust in yourself, all is good. It may get hard, but everything in life is hard. Just pick which one you'd rather deal with.

Sanni Brown 

Pick your hard.

I'yani 

Exactly. Pick your hard.

Sanni Brown  

You said that — don't be afraid to ask for help. So I'm gonna ask you to help me. How can Carbon Sound help young folks like y'all?

Jahai 

I think just more opportunities like this. I always love to preach that having young people come into a space like this, opportunities like this, kinda helps them be like, "Okay, I can be someone. I can do something."

I'yani 

Yeah, I would agree. Literally, opportunities like this are so monumental, because this is like, really professional. It's like, real, it's legit. This is an actual station, and you guys take us serious. You're treating us like adults and taking us serious. And I think that's really important, because a lot of young people are looked over just because they're a young person. And I feel like if more young people were given opportunities to be themselves and to be great, then it's contagious. It'll feed off.

Sanni Brown 

I asked what Carbon Sound can do for you. Now, what I need y'all to do for Carbon Sound is I need y'all to keep that spark inside. For real, for real. I appreciate y'all coming in and inspiring the young folks. And congratulations on your senior year. Take pictures. Just really lean in and enjoy this year, because you only get to be a senior once. Unless you know, you keep educating yourself. Really lock in on the moment and make those memories.

Jahai 

Can I give a shout-out?

Sanni Brown  

Absolutely!

Jahai 

Shout out to my band, Yellow Roses. We have a show on March 13, we just won the first round of Battle of the Bands.

Sanni Brown 

Oh, wow, congratulations!

Jahai 

Thank you. So please check us out on Instagram.

Sanni Brown 

Yellow Roses. What music?

Jahai 

I'd say a hardcore punk band. Be on the lookout.

Sanni Brown 

Well, congratulations. I'yani, anything you want to let us know about? Any projects we need to know about?

I'yani 

I'm just gonna say stay tuned for my foot in the door, because it's coming. Just be patient, because I'm working on some stuff, and my heart is in it. So if my heart is in it, it's true.

Sanni Brown 

I'yani, Jahai, thank y'all for coming in today.

Jahai and I'yani 

Thank you.

Sanni Brown 

Alright, Carbon Sound, we're gonna get back to the music. Y'all, we in Music Class. It's The Message, Carbon Sound, Music for Life. Thank y'all.

Tarik Thornton is a veteran crate digger and radio host. Originally from New Orleans, Tarik has laid a foundation for himself in South Minneapolis through community efforts, including (but not limited to) his esteemed show Quiet Village on KRSM Radio. Tarik credits Minneapolis’ vibrant community and robust music scene with his growth as a DJ. In his mix for Carbon Sound, Tarik reminds listeners that music is resistance and honors the resiliency of Minnesotans.

We chatted with Tarik about his background and his intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you?

My name is Tarik Thornton. I am a Twin Cities transplant; I'm originally from New Orleans, born and raised there. I lived in New York for quite a while, traveled quite a bit for work, but I'm known for record digging and DJing and so forth. I've been in the game a long time, just doing radio and so forth, and some production as well.

Knowing that you've spent time in New Orleans, New York and Minneapolis, how would you compare and contrast those scenes?

So growing up in New Orleans, I always knew jazz and funk music, like that was always a thing. And then through that, I got introduced to hip-hop, and that kind of led me on this pilgrimage, for better words, to New York, where I kind of got to see hip-hop firsthand, like in the late 90s and early 2000s. So it all kind of was in sync, and then when I moved to the Midwest, I really got into — well, I always was a record digger — but when I got into the Midwest, I started discovering more soul music and 45s which actually, brought me here to DJ, and that's how I ended up in Minneapolis. And since I've been in Minneapolis, the moment I landed here, I was like, "Yo, this is a dope city." And I just love — you know, besides what we see going on now — I just knew the community here was way more vibrant and amazing than anything that I've ever experienced, like people were together in community. When I first landed here, I landed in South Minneapolis, and so that's been my foundation since I've been here. And actually, I will say being here has allowed me to grow as a DJ in ways that I never thought.

You've been around music your whole life. What made you want to start DJing?

Honestly, I just always had it. I learned about records on accident, like one Christmas morning, my mom or someone had bought my dad a record cleaner, and I opened the presents, and I thought it was a toy. So I started playing with it, and once my dad got up, he's like, "Oh, this is a record cleaner." And I was able to make the connection. Then before you know it, I had my own portable turntable and I was playing records. But I didn't really touch my first set of 1200s until college, because my parents couldn't afford it. They were super expensive way back then, and so I met a good friend and that's kind of how I really started learning the Technic 1200 which is like the staple of DJing.

How did location impact you as a DJ? You were saying how Minneapolis impacted you in ways you couldn't even think of. How does it do that?

Well, one of the things that's impacted me the most about Minneapolis is — there's always an undercurrent of the 70s scene here, and then you go into Prince and so forth. Especially in South Side, there's that lineage of artists that have always been around South Minneapolis since the 70s. And for me, being where I came from, and then I landed here, it just added more recipes to my cookbook. I was like, "Okay, I'm hearing this," the way my brain works, like, "How can I integrate this with this?" But also, I will say the diversity of the Twin Cities, but also the South Side, because there's so many different people that live in South Minneapolis. So when I go out and I play, I'm always thinking about the people in my community and what they would enjoy, then I add my taste to it.

Speaking of community, you've been a part of community radio at KRSM. When did you start there and what has that experience been like?

I started at KRSM in the very beginning, actually, like in the grant stages. And I kind of just held my ground until it was the right opportunity. And then the studio went up, and I got the call. So I was probably one of the first shows on KRSM when they first came around, and it's been an amazing experience to kind of tie in radio and then actually create my own sound from that. I feel like nowadays, people, when they listen to my show, say like, "Oh, when I listen to your show, when I hear you DJ, it's like medicine" or "I just really love the way you curate the show." But it's really about having people disconnect from whatever is going on out here in the world, and just kind of challenging themselves to listen to things differently. Being a product of hip-hop, I can play a rock song, a funk song, a hip-hop song, and then play a folk song in the same set. So it challenges the listener, right? It's like, "What is this? Why is this dude playing this way? Why is he not just playing one genre?" I feel like you gotta give people food for thought, especially nowadays. You gotta challenge the listener to think differently.

The challenge, is that the most gratifying part of DJing for you or what would you say is the most gratifying part of DJing?

The most gratifying part for me is actually when I'm just kind of zoned out and doing my thing and doing my set, and someone will just thank me. You know, it's very simple, because I know if that person was kind enough or thoughtful enough to thank me, that means that they heard something that they were able to connect to. And for me, that's what DJing is about, whether it's playing that record that somebody never heard, or playing a record that actually connects with your audience. That's what it's about.

How are you planning to connect with the Carbon Sound audience today? What do you have in store for us?

I was thinking about this — one thing I will say out of this experience that we're experiencing right now with the occupation and ICE and so forth, is Minnesotans are Minnesotans, you know? I love the way the city looks out and takes care of each other, like it kind of moves as one. And so I just brought music to kind of reflect on that, but then reflect on how music is resistance. When everything first started happening, it was just weird, because it's like just do what you can, do what you can, do what you can, and I was like, "Okay, this is what I'm gonna do to be a part of what's resistance, however you feel it." And it doesn't mean you have to be on the street, but resistance, what's going on, we feel it in our bodies. And so for me, resistance is self-care, taking care of your body, making sure that you're feeling good, no matter how chaotic things are around you. Or making sure you're kind of centered in your own self, no matter what's going on around you, so you can be your best person and do your best work. The set's more about — I can't describe it, really. I guess you’ll hear it.

The Mayor, also known as Awa Mally, is a community-forward DJ and creative. Although she’s relatively new to the world of DJing, she has made a name for herself in the Twin Cities, performing at high-energy parties like Samambo, inMotion, and more. She recommends the same process for new or aspiring DJs — get out there and perform, learn, and listen to as much diverse music as possible. If you're not familiar with Awa as a DJ, her all-time favorites mix for Carbon Sound is a perfect introduction.

We chatted with The Mayor about her background and her mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

Who are you and where did your DJ name come from?

I'm Awa Mally, also known as The Mayor. My DJ name came from just being out and about in the city, community events, art events, and then also just repping Minneapolis. People just randomly started calling me The Mayor, and I ran with it. And then when I became a DJ, I was like, "I need a name." And it just kind of made sense.

You've had your hands in different art spaces. What made you want to become a DJ? How'd that start?

Proximity and access, I would say. I've been around DJing my whole life because my dad is a DJ, and then in high school we had a DJ group, and then I also took some DJ classes. And with Reload.it, we also hosted a DJ workshop. So I've always just been around DJs and DJing, but I've never had interest until, I think it was two years ago, when I just had the free time and the interest to pick up a hobby and learn a new skill. It just made sense.

How's it been going so far? What have the learning experiences looked like?

It's been really great. I mean, I'm here now. It's one of those things where I think of it as, always just do your hobby. I had no intentions to do a lot of things I've been able to do with DJing, at all. I just really wanted to give my brain some exercise. And I've been able to do some really cool things, and it just makes me happy to fulfill something that I had on my list, but also just to see how many avenues and outlets you're able to access just by trying something out.

Do you have any specific moments or memories that have stood out?

Okay, this is gonna be one — after I do this, this will be one. And in November, I DJed outside in the Red Bull Jeep for their event, so that was really cool. DJing Samambo was really cool, because that was my first public DJing event, and so just having to kind of beg Kwey and set up a date, because I started DJing, and I was like, "Kwey, we need to set a date so I have something to work towards." So that was really cool, because I feel like that was my DJ introduction.

How does this differ from your other artistic practices?

There's no breaks when you're DJing. You're performing in front of people, like there is no break. Usually with photography, maybe I could catch like a little 5 minute, 10 minute break, but it's really ongoing. And obviously people are attentive the whole time. That's kind of the thing — with everything else, there's so many different ways where it's about you, but it's not about you at the same time, whereas DJing, I feel like you and the crowd or whatever you're doing, it's a constant interaction the whole time. But also, I've realized there's a lot of connection between DJing and so many art forms. You learn buttons, you learn how things work together, and you kind of just bring in your own taste to it.

Is that relationship with the audience exciting or daunting?

Okay, as someone who is a big audience advocate, I am pro-audience over the DJ. Being on the other side of, I guess the stage or the DJ booth, I love it. I feel like parties need to be an interaction and conversation between the dance floor, the DJs, everybody involved. So I like it because I'm playing music and you're responding to it, but you're also dancing or not dancing, and I'm also responding to that. And I feel like it needs to be an active engagement. So I like the friction, but also I like the fun when we're all singing songs together and we're all dancing together, when we're all noticing. I played a gig for the design camp, and I was playing some Mk.gee and some other stuff. And obviously people were at a conference, so they couldn't respond, but when they had breaks, they'd come up to me and be like, "Oh my God, were you playing Mk.gee? Oh my God, I think I heard that song. Oh my God, I know this song." I love things like that. I feel like it's a conversation, versus we're all just kind of being forced to be here with each other. I think more interaction is necessary.

What kind of conversation are you planning to have with the Carbon Sound audience today?

Today, the music I've decided to pick are songs that I feel like, throughout my whole lifetime, these are my favorite songs. I can't fit everything in there, so I'm probably not gonna be able to play everything. But these are songs that no matter what day it is, no matter the weather, I want to hear this song. So I hope maybe other people can relate.

So we're getting The Mayor's all-time favorites in a set.

In a sense, but I will say the set is kind of influenced by the world currently, but it's still my favorite songs. And it's because I usually DJ high-energy parties. And for someone who likes melancholy music, sometimes there's really no place for some of the music I listen to, so I feel like this is also my way of being able to play music that I really, really want to listen, that I just feel like I can't play at midnight.

Anything else we missed?

 A lot of people say they want to DJ, and they don't know how. I always tell people just do it. It's way more intimidating visually than it actually is. If you type on a keyboard, if you scroll on TikTok, if you have a Nintendo, if you can order from the McDonald's menu, I don't know, you can literally DJ. So I think just go for it. Do it, either get a board or just learn how to DJ on your computer. And then, I think it's important for people to listen to more music, listen to diverse music. Use your freedom, and listen to all the music in the world.