Urban Pulse Direct Black Violin Aug. 2018 | Page 17

THE NEW BLACK RENAISANCE Continued the kids, it’s very impactful. Obviously, it’s impactful for the kids and they’re going to be transformed from it but for the community, the one’s making the decisions and policy makers seeing us together on stage really makes an impact and hopefully that can translate into contin- ued or increased funding for the arts. Stacey – So much of what our kids and even us in the case of reality tv, are being presented with things that are said to be real but are actually just the opposite. So, I’m glad you brought that up. Wil B – I think a lot of it has to do (lol) with just ig- norance to what was being presented to us. Whatever the criticism was, we knew. Even from the genesis of us picking up these instruments I would go into a bathroom and just play what I feel. I think, for us being patient and understanding how important it is to be yourself. Com- ing up, there was nothing like us. There was nothing to compare us. All we knew was classical music, Hip-Hop, and I knew that whenever I picked up this viola and you put on a beat and I start freestyling, man, that gave me life, that’s all I knew. So, for me, if you had something negative to say about it; I didn’t care because me being me made me feel a certain way. So, us being ourselves and doing what we love really connected with people. So, I think, as someone who’s looking to start anything new in life, I think the main thing to remember is be you, do you. There are going to be moments when you fall, there are going to be moments when you get knocked down but you’ll get back up so fast because this thing you do is natural, versus you literally creating something someone else is doing. Being someone else takes a lot more energy than just being true to yourself. At the end of the day, that’s what people gravitate to. As toxic as Cardi B may be and I don’t think she’s conducive to our young girls, I think there’s this rawness about her and I think, maybe in 10 years after she’s made all this money, she’ll realize you know, this place I was trying to reach, it’s not even worth it. Maybe I can start pealing back this onion to reveal who I really want to be you know, who I should be and then that can be something little girls can really aspire to. Maybe that’s the case, maybe that’s not the case but again it’s that realness that appeals to people. Regardless of what it is you be honest about it. Approach it in a way that’s real. Stacey – I’m glad you mentioned that because our platform encourages people to think outside the box and be creators of opportunity and we believe that it’s imperative that we use our god given skills to cre- We Tell Stories ate opportunities for others as a good business practice, which is something you and Kev have done. You’ve taken something that you love and that you’re passionate about and turned it into a bona-fide business even though ev- erything around you suggested this was not the way it’s done. We find that most people have the hardest time taking that first step. How did you and Kev have the con- fidence to say, ‘this will work and this is how we’re going to do it’ ? Wil B – That’s why we try to engage with our community. I’ll be real, I would have loved to see a few more colorful faces? But I didn’t plan it, that’s just real. The idea of Black Violin, when kids see us, we don’t even have to play a note. You see this Black guy that could be your dad or brother, depending on how old you are and you see this violin being played and I am who I am. You know what I’m saying? It is what it is – you see me play, you hear me speak, there’s an instant connection. Now, I don’t have to tell you that this is an option, you see it. Honestly, the fact that classical music and that instrument is not in our community is on purpose. Classical music, in general is like yea, we don’t need you guys, we’re good. You know what I’m say’n, it is what it is. It’s not good, it’s unfortunate but that’s just the reality of it. It’s just like Baseball. Baseball isn’t big in our community because they’d rather us bang our heads against each other. It’s about economics. I definitely want to be able to (as a matter of fact, my wife and I were talking about it) just try... to figure out ways to connect with our community. At the end of the day, once a little black boy, eight years old sees... of Business Owners Making Big Business Moves! Find more Black Violin go to www.updmediagroup.com www.updmediagroup.com Subscribe to UPDTV on YouTube. Want your story told? email us at [email protected] U R B A N PULSE DIRECT PAGE 17