Ocho Cares Artistry Scholarship

Being an artist means everything to me. It allows me the opportunity to express myself in ways my words cannot. I have been an avid violin player for almost 11 years, starting in 4th grade and continuing into my sophomore year of college. That was my first encounter with thinking of art as a form of expression. Through music, I found I could convey emotions better than through my own words. From there, I began to record my own music, setting up a home studio in my bedroom. The music I began making was raw and very personal, giving listeners a glimpse into my life with my lyrics explaining how I felt. I found it was easier to explain how I was feeling over a 3-minute instrumental than I ever could talking to someone. I really want to make music to help people in the same capacity many of my favorite artists helped me. They found a way to put my feelings into words. I want to be the voice people can relate to and talk about things that I find really important. For example, in mainstream rap music (until recently), it was considered taboo to express feelings of sadness and depression. Those who talked about their feelings were perceived as “soft” and “vulnerable.” It was always about flexing on “the haters” through your money, jewelry, and women. Earlier mainstream rap music promoted violence and was a catalyst to hate among rap groups and rappers. Many artists began to challenge that mindset and toxicity in the past few years with artists such as Kid Cudi, Xxxtentacion, and Juice WRLD. To name a few, they have really challenged that stigma in the rap industry. I have always wanted it to be my mission to help as many people as I can. If I can help people through my music, I will always strive to make an impact with every lyric I write. To achieve this dream, I plan to finish my Business Marketing major at Kansas State University (as debt-free as possible). I chose Business Marketing because I believe that the music industry is 80% about your branding and marketing, and only 20% everything else. The goal is to get people to buy into me and really believe in who I say I can become. From there, I want to move to Los Angeles to connect and network with people in that industry. I need the help of people who understand the industry and have big connections. I know that through my family, my faith, and my determination, I can make all my dreams a reality