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Behind The Record

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Behind The Record Returns To #GiveCredit behind-record-returns-givecredit-behind-scenes-music-creators

Behind The Record Returns To #GiveCredit To The Behind-The-Scenes Music Creators

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The Recording Academy's global social media initiative to celebrate the music makers behind the records you love is back to give credit where credit is due
GRAMMYs
Oct 14, 2020 - 10:11 am

On Oct. 15, join the Recording Academy for Behind The Record, a global social media initiative celebrating the producers, mixers, engineers, songwriters, composers and all the creators across all music genres who work tirelessly to make the songs and albums you love. This year's launch is marked by a new animated film narrated by spoken word artist and Recording Academy Chicago Chapter President J. Ivy highlighting 33 album titles to help tell the story about everyone who works Behind the Record.

Behind the Record’s mission is to inspire a conversation around the importance of credits, while giving credit where credit is due, especially during a time when the music community needs it the most.

Launched in 2019, Behind the Record returns this year to honor the work of all music creators by highlighting their contributions through album credits. Last year’s campaign featured more than 3,000 credit covers created and shared by artists, reaching hundreds of millions of fans around the world.

https://twitter.com/bandzoogle/status/1316386422111309824

We're thrilled to be a partner of @RecordingAcad's #BehindTheRecord-bringing the names of the producers, mixers, engineers, songwriters, composers, and collaborators who work behind the record to the front. Learn more about the initiative here: https://t.co/qNKgvVYhZh #GiveCredit pic.twitter.com/PeaQ5pgJZT

— Bandzoogle (@bandzoogle) October 14, 2020

To participate, artists can create a custom Credit Cover to post on Instagram and other social networks, using the hashtags #BehindTheRecord and #GiveCredit, on Oct. 15 where they can tag all the creators who worked on their record and invite other artists to do the same. The Credit Covers, which can be created for a single track or a full album, will live in a gallery on the Behind the Record website where music fans can view and discover the roles of creatives behind some of their favorite records.

New for this year, artists participating in Behind the Record can sign the #GiveCredit petition, an official artist petition urging all digital music streaming services to display complete credits for songwriters, producers, engineers and non-featured performers on albums and tracks, the same way lyrics are available to those seeking them. Sadly, liner notes were largely left behind in the evolution of digital streaming. As a result, artists haven’t had a platform to publicly recognize the incredibly talented musicians and creators behind the music we love. By signing this petition, we hope to change that for future music-makers.

Behind the Record is supported by the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing®. Jaxsta, the world's largest public-facing, dedicated database of official music credits, provided credits for Warner Music, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Merlin releases.

Look for your favorite artists' Credit Covers on Oct. 15, and be sure to follow and join the global conversation on social media using the hashtags #BehindTheRecord #GiveCredit and #WeAreMusic. Together, we can ensure that all creators are recognized for their work and contributions Behind the Record.

Learn More About The Recording Academy's Behind The Record

Donnie Simpson

Donnie Simpson

Photo: Aaron Davidson/Getty Images

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Radio And TV Legend Donnie Simpson On The Key To His Decades-Long Career: "I Don't Have To Be Great––I Just Have To Be Me"

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In honor of his recent induction into the Radio Hall Of Fame, GRAMMY.com highlights the broadcasting icon's celebrated career, his impact on media and culture, and his ongoing advocacy for Black representation in radio and TV
Eliza Berkon
GRAMMYs
Jan 6, 2021 - 3:43 pm

About five years ago, Washington, D.C., DJ Donnie Simpson emerged from retirement after a little coaxing from his wife, Pam.

"She framed it really [nicely]. She said, 'Donnie, everywhere you go, all you hear is how much people love you and they wish you'd do something else. And God has given you a gift that you should be sharing with people,'" Simpson tells GRAMMY.com over a Zoom interview. "That's what she said, but what I heard was, 'Get out.'"

The affable radio and television icon ultimately returned to the airwaves in 2015. Five years later, he received one of the highest accolades in the radio industry: Last October, he was inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame, an honor recognizing his contributions to the radio medium over the last half-century. 

The honor is the culmination of the legend's celebrated, decades-long career in radio, which launched in the '70s when a teenaged Simpson got his start on the Detroit airwaves. At the time, he looked to a handful of local DJs as mentors, including the high-spirited Ernie Durham. 

"I did not adopt his on-air style, but I try very much to adopt his off-air style. He always carried it with class," Simpson said of Durham. "And that was the example to me: to always be kind to people, to look people in the eye, no matter who they were."

It wasn't until Simpson left Detroit, in 1977, and logged his first few years at WKYS 93.9 in D.C.––a station he would reformat and lead to No. 1 as program director––that he found his stride on air, he says. 

"It's something I always say, and it's so true: I don't have to be great––I just have to be me," Simpson says. "Being you always works because that's the spirit that connects us. That's the thing that makes you real to people; they feel you when you are you. When you're trying to be something else, they know that, too."

Simpson says he's long avoided listening to recordings of himself for fear that the inevitable analysis would disrupt the "magic" of what he'd helped create. That approach also extended to his TV career, which started—not counting a role he now laughs about on a short-lived dance show in Detroit—when he served as backup sports anchor for WRC-TV in the early '80s. Not long after, he began hosting a relatively new show on the then-burgeoning BET network. Simpson had concerns about whether the show was the right fit for him.

"BET, in its infancy, wasn't a very pretty baby. The quality wasn't there. I've always been protective of image, because that's all I have," Simpson says. "But after thinking about it for two days, I decided this: This is our first Black television network. If you have something to offer it, you have to do it."

The two-hour show, "Video Soul," which spotlighted Black artists at a time when MTV was almost exclusively focused on white musicians, became BET's highest-rated program at one point.

Jeriel Johnson, executive director of the Recording Academy's Washington, D.C., chapter, remembers watching "Video Soul" as a teen in his Cincinnati home. Simpson, he says, was a "steady presence of Black excellence."

"He was the face of BET," Johnson says. "He was just a staple, and he had such a calming voice and he was super smooth. I just looked up to him as a young, Black kid who loved music ... And I remember seeing him and being like, 'Wow, I could be on TV, too. If he can, I can.'"

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On the program, Simpson interviewed artists who were already riding the waves of success or were well on their way: Jodeci, SWV, New Edition, En Vogue, Mariah Carey, Take 6, Whitney Houston. Regardless of the star who graced the couch each night, Simpson took the same approach.

"For every guest I ever had on 'Video Soul,' they would bring me a bio with all this information on the artist … I wouldn't even read it," Simpson remembers. "That's the point of the interview, for me to get to know you."

Elise Perry, a producer and the president of the Recording Academy's Washington, D.C., chapter, worked behind the scenes on "Video Soul" in the '90s, a pivotal decade for both R&B and hip-hop, she notes.

"All of these different subgenres of R&B really started to have an uptick in the '90s, and the fact that BET was present visually at that time, representing Black music in that way—it was a very special time," Perry says. "There were a lot of Black folk there, and it was just like a party. It was where I got my 'master's degree,' I call it. Everybody was family … It was just like a mecca."

Read: Meet The Recording Academy D.C. Chapter's First Black Female President, Elise Perry

Simpson treated the crew like family and has continued to provide unparalleled support for the D.C. community over the years, Perry, a D.C. native, says.

"He's our family. He's our brother. He's our uncle. He's that dude next door. He's our neighbor. He's our friend," she says.

"Family" is also how GRAMMY-nominated producer Chucky Thompson describes Simpson, who had a big impact on him when he was growing up in D.C.

"I've learned so much about people from him, just the way that he's been excited about their careers," he says of Simpson. "It transcends to you. It's like, 'Wait a minute, Donnie's excited? Now I'm excited.'"

For Thompson, who helped craft hits for Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige in the '90s, "Video Soul" was formative.

"It was almost like another version of what 'Soul Train' meant," Thompson says. "But [Simpson] got even more personal with you because he was able to talk to the artists and give you a little bit of insight on what their journeys were … He gave me a lot of information on how to make it in this business."

"Donnie Simpson is the standard," Joe Clair, comedian, radio personality, on-air veteran and host of "The Joe Clair Morning Show" on WPGC 95.5 FM in Washington, D.C., adds. "My mom and dad loved him, my siblings love him and people from a generation after me love him. That is a testament to who he is as a broadcaster and what he means to us as a voice for our community. I've worked with him throughout  the years, and he's given me valuable advice both for career moves and for negotiating my worth. He is a shining example for a life in radio and television on your own terms."

Yet becoming successful in the business, including achieving financial success, wasn't an easy journey for Simpson. The DJ has been vocal about the need for equitable pay for Black DJs. In recalling his own path to multimillion-dollar contracts, Simpson turns to a lyric from Elton John's "I've Seen That Movie Too": "It's a habit I have / I don't get pushed around."

"I've walked out [on deals], because you're not going to get me for half [the] price because I'm Black; those days are over," Simpson says, adding that in Detroit, he made one-fifth of what white DJs were making. "That was a very significant part of my career, to be able to be a part of changing that narrative, to letting them know you have to pay Black talent."

Simpson has also advocated for stations to put more of the DJ back into DJing. In the past few decades, he notes, many DJs have watched their curated playlists and airtime drift away due to technological advances and the consolidation of station ownership.

"So much of its personality has been stripped from it," Simpson says of the art of DJing. "I play whatever I want to play every day, but that's the magic of it to me … I don't want a computer programming music for me, because every day feels different. And I like to be tapped into that feeling."

In 1974, Simpson played Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets" on his show in Detroit, a decision he says he fretted about because "Black folks didn't know Elton John." He played the song twice that evening and got an overwhelming response from callers. John himself was soon on the phone with Simpson to discuss the record's success in Detroit; he handed Simpson a gold record for the single six months later.

"It's music that you wouldn't traditionally associate with Black radio; it's Elton. But that was a lesson to me," Simpson says. "It's all music to me; I don't care who made it. I just care what it sounds like [and] if it fits what I'm doing."

The fact that most DJs no longer have the latitude to craft their own playlists is a big loss for radio, Simpson says.

"You have young people out here with great ears that will never get the chance to express themselves musically because it's all programmed for them," he says. "I used to love it when wheels would touch down in Atlanta or New Orleans [or] L.A.—wherever it was. I couldn't wait to pull out my little transistor radio and hear what they were doing in that city, because it was always different."

After Simpson learned he'd be inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame this year, he took a look at its roster of honorees over the past three decades. When he didn't see New York DJ and “Chief Rocker" Frankie Crocker and other Black radio icons on the list, the announcement gave him pause.

"These are voices that you should know about, some great talents through the years ... legends that have gone largely ignored," he says. "But I also, in my acceptance speech, acknowledged that the [Radio Hall Of Fame] is trying to correct that. You look at the list of inductees this year, with Angie Martinez, The Breakfast Club, Sway Calloway and me––man, it's like #OscarsTooBlack. It's a lot of people of color that went in this year. So they have recognized that, and I applaud them for that."

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At a time when systemic racism and police brutality against Black people have come to the forefront of the national dialogue, Simpson says he feels compelled to speak out.

"If I were not on the radio, if I didn't have a microphone, I think I would still feel that responsibility to whatever people I encounter that I could talk to, to tell them how important this moment in history is for us," Simpson says. "I am so honored that I have had a platform for, now, 51 years to allow these voices to come on the radio or on TV and talk about these matters that make a difference to our community."

In 2010, Simpson retired from WPGC, where he'd hosted a morning show for nearly two decades, after contending with a "toxic" environment. But five years later, he was back at the other end of the dial on D.C.'s WMMJ Majic 102.3. Now, another retirement seems like the furthest thing from his mind.

"What's there not to love about it? I sit there kicking it with people I love. We have all the fun we can stand," Simpson says.

As praise continues to roll in from industry A-listers for his Radio Hall Of Fame induction, Simpson has advice for the many artists and listeners who now look to him for guidance as he once looked to his own mentors: "Be kind."

Each morning, Simpson takes a walk or run beside the Potomac River. While he says there's a health benefit to the ritual, he's got an additional reason to step out of his door.

"What I'm really doing is collecting smiles," Simpson says. "That's kind of my purpose: to bring warmth and joy."

Tune in for a special Up Close & Personal conversation discussing Donnie Simpson's career and life in broadcasting. Moderated by Jimmy Jam, the event premieres Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 4:30 p.m. PST/7:30 p.m. EST via the Recording Academy's official Facebook page.

Beyond The Beltway: A Closer Look At Washington D.C.'s Vibrant Music Community

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Kelley Purcell

Photo: Ashley Stewart of ANS Photography

 
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VP Of Member & Industry Relations Kelley Purcell On How Recording Academy Members Can Make A Difference

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Purcell talks to GRAMMY.com about her new role and why it's so important for Recording Academy members to vote in the upcoming Awards cycle
GRAMMYs
Nov 5, 2020 - 7:00 am

The Recording Academy has announced the appointment of Kelley Purcell as Vice President of Membership & Industry Relations. The appointment follows the Recording Academy's restructure, which aims to streamline the organization and sharpen focus on its service to music. Reporting to Chief Industry Officer Ruby Marchand, Purcell will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of membership outreach, peer review, member account services, and the Academy's Chapter systems, including regional and local teams, Chapter events and programming, and all facets of Chapter service. 

"We are pleased to have Kelley as our Vice President of Membership & Industry Relations," said Marchand. "Her expertise and history of being a driving force within the Membership & Industry Relations department make her a great asset to this organization. This is yet another step towards the Academy's transformational commitment as we strive for greater inclusivity and work to ensure our membership reflects the diverse individuals who make up our music community."

Purcell joined the Recording Academy as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter in 2013. She later transitioned to Senior Director of Member Outreach, leading industry outreach efforts across the Membership & Industry Relations department. During her tenure, she project managed a cross-department team of IT, Digital Media and Communications colleagues over a two-year period and successfully implemented historic changes to the Academy's membership systems. She also led the recruitment efforts to diversify Academy membership and was the liaison to the Academy's first-ever Peer Review Panel, responsible for training this body and serving as its point person.

Below, Purcell talks to GRAMMY.com about her new role and why it's so important for Recording Academy members to vote in the upcoming Awards cycle.

Can you tell us a little about your professional background and what led to your new role at the Recording Academy?

I have loved music since a young age but I think the power of music, and the arts in general, was cemented for me in college. I was an Economics major, but throughout my college career I was also very involved in lots of arts-focused extracurricular activities that gave me purpose and helped me develop a stronger sense of self. During that time I realized that if my career was going to mean something to me, it had to center around the arts in some way, and I committed to using all of my business skills to further something that had real meaning to me.

After building my career in arts administration in various positions, I was thrilled to join the Recording Academy as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter where I could focus my professional energies in support of music makers, specifically. Since joining the Academy I have held several roles within the Membership & Industry Relations team and am honored to now become the Vice President, where I can apply everything I’ve learned thus far for the greater good of the department as a whole.
 
What specifically do you hope to bring to your new role in Membership?

I want to ensure that every member of the Recording Academy understands that their membership can make a difference. Whether that’s participating in the GRAMMY Awards process, advocating for the rights of the music community in Washington D.C., or raising money for MusiCares or standing up for music education, this membership body plays a huge role in shaping the music industry that we want to see. Every member's voice counts and we are stronger together.    
 
Why is it so important for current Recording Academy members to vote in the upcoming Awards cycle?

The GRAMMY award represents what professional music creators decide are the best musical works of the year. Because it’s the only award that is peer-to-peer, it is ideal when all peers are reflected in the process.
 
What can you tell us about the benefits of membership at the Recording Academy?

Membership is the lifeblood of the Recording Academy and the foundation of all that we do. Recording Academy members have the opportunity to play a part in creating a better world for music and its makers. In addition to advocating for the rights of music makers, supporting the next generation of the music industry and helping fellow music people in times of need, members can submit projects for GRAMMY Awards consideration, propose amendments to GRAMMY Awards rules, run for a Recording Academy Board, participate in member-only programs and more. The Recording Academy is a very special community of people who are united by how much they care about the music industry and want it to thrive.
 
What can you tell us about how all 12 Chapters engage RA members on a year-round basis?

Each of the 12 Chapters are a great resource for members to learn more about the best ways in which to get involved in all the Recording Academy does. Board members are elected at the local level to represent their communities and provide connective tissue between each member and the organization as a whole. In addition to producing local events and programs, Chapters help members become aware of all Academy initiatives and how each person can be of service to the greater mission.
 
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

To learn more about how to join the Recording Academy, please visit grammy.com/join!

Recording Academy Invites & Celebrates Its 2020 New Member Class

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2020 New Member Class Roundtable

 
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Recording Academy Invites & Celebrates Its 2020 New Member Class

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Academy President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. says, "We'll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community"
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 9, 2020 - 6:30 am

Today the Recording Academy invited more than 2,300 music professionals the join as its 2020 new member class. The invitees come from wide-ranging backgrounds, genres and disciplines. They have made important contributions to music and posess the potential to influence progressive changes within the music industry.

By the numbers, the 2020 class of invitees is 48 percent female, 21 percent African American/African descent, 8 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent Asian American and Pacific Islander. The representation of this class also spans ages, genre and region. The Recording Academy's current membership is 26 percent female and 25 percent from traditionally underrepresented communities.

"We are proud of the strides we've made toward ensuring our membership is diverse and inclusive, which is reflected within this new pool of invitees,” said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "While this progress signifies meaningful impact, there's still more work to be done. We'll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community. Furthermore, we’re excited to see how the contributions of the incoming new member class will help inspire meaningful change within the music industry."

Ensuring that the Recording Academy's membership is fully representative of the music community has been a longstanding goal of Recording Academy Trustees. In December 2019, the Recording Academy pledged to implement 17 of 18 reforms set forth by the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, including increasing outreach to diverse communities and doubling the number of women voters by 2025. Specifically, this means 2,500 new women voters by the year 2025. 

To celebrate the incoming new member class, GRAMMY.com Editor-In-Chief Justin Joseph hosted a roundtable discussion on June 24 titled "Your Academy: Welcoming the 2020 New Member Class." Featuring new invitees and existing members, the conversation showcased an authentic look into what it means to be a member of the Academy, the important initiatives worked on year-round, progress members hope to see within the Academy, and diversity and inclusion in the music industry at large.

“As part of the Membership Committee for the last year for the LA Chapter… this is what I tell everyone when we’re talking about Membership in the Recording Academy," GRAMMY winner John Legend explained. "As much as we all complain about who won the GRAMMY this year for this or that, and how we’re not being represented in the right way, we literally can change it by being there—by showing up, by telling or collaborators to show up and be there…We can literally be the change that we want to see in the Academy.”

Coming from the opposite coast, GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar also weighed in on the importance of the duty and value of being an active Recording Academy member during the roundtable.

“I became a governor in my local Chapter in New York, and the second I engaged on that level, everything really changed for me as far as understanding what the Academy had for me and what I could bring to the Academy," she said. "That give-and-take was very important to me, personally.”

This message of service resonated with the new members, such as Ozuna, the Latin trap/pop hitmaker who has been hailed as the "New King of Reggaeton."

“I’m entering the Recording Academy as a new member—even though I thankfully have had success early on and throughout my career—but I am still new to experiences in the music industry," Ozuna said. "On this zoom call, I’ve learned that I can influence in the music industry by doing more than just producing and making songs.”

classof2020-infographic_final.jpg

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 “At first I had the idea that the Academy was more of over 40, non-black men who would base all action on popularity and stats," admitted versatile singer/songwriter Victoria Monet during the roundtable. "Now learning more about what is actually happening, I think that’s important to communicate to my peers, because I think they also have no idea—they just want the GRAMMY—if they don’t get it, they complain and have no idea about the process.”

With this diverse new class enriching the landscape of the Academy, showcasing more talents from more areas of the music community than ever before, the view for many incoming members feels more like home, somewhere anyone can see themselves making a meaningful difference.

 “I had a realization one day," said rising artist Kiana Ledé. "Why can’t I be the girl that represents all the other girls that feel like me? I think that coincides with how I felt about the GRAMMYs and the Recording Academy. I have definitely been the person to sit back and complain, and cry, and be upset when I haven’t seen myself being represented. And then I realized I have so much power within myself—to put myself in that position—to represent people like me. I can be that person to step out and do that.”

Seconding Lede's empowering words, GRAMMY-winning gospel legend and ardent advocate for music creators' rights Yolanda Adams talked about the education and opportunities Academy membership can help unlock.

 “It is up to us as artists to educate ourselves," Adams said. "We need to get ourselves informed, and the great place to do that is start with the Recording Academy’s websites, their webinars, all of those things are there just for you to make sure that your transition from non-member to member is worth it, because there’s so many things that are afforded to you through the Academy.”

Ultimately, the power is in the hands of the members, which underscores the importance of this year's class becoming involved in the process.

“As much change as you want to see, you can be the voice that makes it happen," said Legend. "If you want to get involved, if you want to make difference, you really have the ability to do so right away. You don’t have to wait until you have more seniority... You can come into these meetings right away, have your voice heard, and folks really want to be responsive to what you have to say.”

Tammy Hurt, Vice Chair of the Academy's Board of Trustees, backed up Legend's powerful words with some insight on what's keeps her passionately involved in the process. "One of my favorite things about the Academy is that everything we do is 100 percent peer-driven," she shared. "The process is driven specifically by the Members who serve the Academy. If there’s something that you love, that you want to get involved with, you’re passionate about, by all means. If there’s something you want to change, by all means. It’s rolling up your sleeves, showing up, engaging and being part of the process.”

In fact, the more than 2,300 new invitations extended today represent the continuation of the Academy's community-driven and peer-reviewed membership model, which was implemented in 2018 in an ongoing effort to be more representative and relevant.

"Building out our membership body is a process that encourages inclusivity from start to finish, and it's a privilege to extend invitations to the 2020 class of invitees that represent the wide-ranging backgrounds and crafts that makes the music industry so unique," said Kelley Purcell, Senior Director of Member Outreach at the Recording Academy. "These individuals will become the driving force behind the Recording Academy, and it's encouraging to see how our membership continues to evolve each year as we take steps toward building a more inclusive and vibrant community."

For more information on the Recording Academy's membership process and requirements, visit here. For full information and details surrounding the new class visit here.

The Recording Academy & Color Of Change Team Up To Promote Positive Change In The Music Industry

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Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone

Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone

Photo: Dylan O'Connor 

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How Artist Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone Is Helping Black Residents During Tough Times In Austin

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The member of hip-hop duo Riders Against the Storm was helping bring light to Black musicians’ struggles in Austin when the recent Texas winter storm pivoted his plans to help the community through tragedy
Jennifer Velez
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Feb 25, 2021 - 3:11 pm

Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone, who is half of the hip-hop duo Riders Against the Storm, was getting ready to produce a fundraiser livestream supporting the Black Live Music Fund he created in Austin when it seemed like the end of the world arrived. According to The New York Times, a catastrophic and deadly Texas winter storm hit, leaving as many as 400 million people without power the week of Feb. 20. 

Mahone established the fund to support Black musicians in the city financially. While the Texas capital has a liberal reputation, Mahone and other Black residents say it needs to address racism embedded in its core. Also, gentrification is pushing out Black and people of color. Black musicians face their own set of limitations in the city known to be the Live Music Capital of the World, and several have been open about the racism they’ve experienced in the scene.

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But when the storm hit in mid-February, plans for the livestream benefit that was supposed to occur on Feb. 19 stopped. Mahone, a community leader who has served in the Austin Music Commission and is a Recording Academy Texas Chapter member, pivoted to helping those affected by electricity loss since the state’s power plants were not equipped to handle freezing temperatures. 

Through the DAWA fund he created to aid fellow Black musicians of color and people of color who are “social workers, teachers, healing practitioners, and service industry workers,” he began to distribute money to people in the city, a majority of them Black. 

Mahone, originally from Pittsburgh, is well aware of Austin’s history with segregation and has noticed how gentrification is pushing out low-income people of color. When the pandemic hit, and it became apparent COVID-19 affected Black people at disproportionate rates, he saw that people began to notice what he had been observing. 

“There have been the beginnings of a shift that I think is going to ripple out into the future,” Mahone told GRAMMY.com in early February. Overall, city leaders “don't want to deal with the race question,” he continued.

When the storm hit, Mahone felt like the Black community just couldn’t get a break. “Gentrification and displacement, then a pandemic, now a hurricane-like weather-induced disaster,” he told GRAMMY.com via email. “It’s heavy.”

Now, as the snow is gone and the state copes with the aftermath, Mahone and his team are preparing to do another livestream shedding light on Black musicians’ experiences in Austin.

Mahone spoke with GRAMMY.com earlier this week before the release of Riders Against the Storm’s latest album Flowers For The Living, which came out Feb. 22, about how the Black community was affected during Texas’ winter storm. Via an upcoming livestream on their Riders Against the Storm FB page on February 26 at 7:30 p.m. CST, viewers can learn more about the Black music community’s struggles. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What does Austin look like right now? What’s going on?

It's surreal now because it's 70 degrees. The snow is gone, but the struggle is still here. A grid failed.  The system failed (again and again). People's homes were destroyed, some died; just about all were traumatized somehow by this. But the sun is out, so it feels like last week was some crazy alternate reality.  It does feel great to know that people stepped up and came together, helping each other survive and make it through. It's a little wild because it feels like everyone wants just to get “back to it.” But I still need to process so much for this experience. There were so many lessons.

How is the Black community being affected?

It feels like we just can't get a break overall. Gentrification and displacement, then a pandemic, now a hurricane-like, weather-induced disaster. It's heavy. The storm made me feel the weight of it all even more. Despite the haul, we came together and stood strong collectively. We were hit hard by this storm, but we held it down for each other however we could. I think this gave us a look at the power that we have, and I hope it pushes us towards more collective action.

How are musicians being affected?

Musicians are like everyone else—finding a way however we can.

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What are some of the things you’re doing to help?

Last week, I raised and distributed over $20k in direct cash assistance through DAWA, and by week's end, it will be over $30k, most likely.  Building coalitions with orgs across all races and sectors, I helped facilitate food, shelter, and distribution centers throughout the city.  This week, I am recovering, processing, checking in with my community, and looking to build stronger coalitions for future emergency/disaster response and relief in the future.

What’s the toughest part about going through this unexpected event?

I think the toughest part will be the aftermath. Going through it was intense, but now that the weather is back to “normal,” things ease back to “normal,” whatever that means in 2021, we can't forget the lessons. We can't forget what we did together, without assistance from the government. 

We can't go back to sleep and just move along as if this didn't just completely rock our world. We have to become more resilient, more aware of our environmental impacts, be more vigilant with our coalition building, understand the equity gaps, and be more empathetic towards each other. 

This event didn't just affect poor people or people of color. The grid went out for people across race and class lines.

Any thoughts on city and state leadership right now?

So many thoughts, but I am going to leave that for another day. What I can say is this was bound to happen. Some leaders have been aware of this for years and did nothing because… money—a familiar story. We can't put so much 'power' in their hands.  We have to take it back. What that looks like is on all of us that know the leadership failed. My job as an artist is to make this new path forward joyful and visible.

Do you have more details about the livestream event on Feb. 26?

The Thankful event is a livestream featuring seven Black artists/groups from Austin. People should tune in to learn more about Black musicians’ perspectives in the “Live Music Capital.” The two-hour program is a fundraiser for the Black Live Music Fund, featuring artist interviews and performances. Anyone can tune in and enjoy the program. I'm also excited that the event coincides with our new album, Flowers For The Living.

The Recording Academy Announces Inaugural Black Music Collective Event During GRAMMY Week 2021: John Legend, H.E.R., Quincy Jones, Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae And More Confirmed

 
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