8 Years Ago I Released An Album Nobody In My Hometown Listened To.. Now Thousands Around The World Stream It Every Month.
My name is Devine Carama, the director of Believing In Forever Inc, but first I'm a hip hop artist from Lexington, KY. Sometimes when immersed in a craft that isn't widely respected in the place you call "home", what you do can often be overlooked... I'm in the middle of working on a new full length project called "Worshiping In The Wilderness". But when I share that with many of my friends and associates here in KY, it's amazing how their perception and perspective is so different from the realities of what it takes to create an authentically personal and creative ALBUM. In a place where something is absent, that "something" tends to only resonate when it's attached to "fame". Hip hop artists are CREATORS and messengers in the purest sense! The storytellers of the voiceless and the soundtrack for the resistance!! Well, most of us.. lol. From developing diverse rhyme schemes, maintaining rhyme pocket presence, play with different beat metronomes, blending styles your comfortable with, with styles that will resonate more with your target audiences. The balance of making relevant music of today with creating timeless music that will last forever. Beat selection, album art, interludes, stop points, song titles, videos, brand building, etc. However, living in a place that doesn't really value "local" or "indie" music, especially hip hop music, your endeavors in the culture are often met with less intricate thoughts than that of the creator. If an abundance of fame, clout, or money is not attached with your musical journey, people are almost confused at your involvement in the process. Then mediums such as mainstream radio, TV or print news, rarely cover or play local art, so that kind of cuts off the life line towards that "fame" or "clout" with in ones hometown that could gain folks attention and be the spark to a career! But if I'm being honest, I can't really blame people in Lexington, KY for not taking the art form that I love more serious, because the true essence of hip hop culture (community, youth empowerment, a safe places for people dealing with trauma, a voice for the voiceless, social activism, etc) hasn't been embedded into the mainstream understanding of a city that looks at gentrification as a form of "diversity". Not only that, but overall in an era where the over saturation of music dominating our streaming services, we are lucky to even get one full listen from the fans that are now trained to listen quick and move on to the next Friday full of releases... One listen of an album that literally takes months or years of blood, sweat, tears, and experiences to make.... All genres of indie music suffer this reality, but I'm speaking directly to hip hop because that's what I represent....
However, there's a bright side. The beauty of how music is organized and consumed in 2020, is that it is. . . THERE, and always will be. The "going down the rabbit hole" nature of how people consume content today, opens up the opportunity for discovery of new things, even when those things weren't the intended target! I learn a long time ago to continue building a timeless and high quality discography and play the long game. Albums that went almost unnoticed by my fellow Lexingtonians, are now being streamed 8 years later by thousands of kids across the world. As my network reach grew and brand strengthened and expanded in other sectors, I've pulled more people back into my music catalog than ever before! My story is just one of many stories like it from other creators who are traveling the unconventional path towards making a difference with their voices. What happens when you're a tech nerd at heart, but living in a holler with limited opportunity? What happens when you're a revolutionary spoken word artist living in town that lacks diversity and doesn't value unique expression? Sometimes it may feel like those around you are a little "late to the party", but technology, education, and social media has given us access to the self-empowering keys that can break us out of the prisons of local irrelevancy and lack of opportunity. Remember, the mission is bigger than any one place. If you were created to create something, NOTHING can stop you! My advice to all my fellow creators: Keep creating. Then create alternative ways to create opportunities for what you created. Expand! Then come back and change the culture in your hometown and create opportunities for other creators. Hope that makes sense! Often times we scold others who put limitations on us and hold us back.. But honestly, there’s someone who you really need to clap at because they hold you back more than anyone else....... YOU.
No fear in 2020. Don’t fear your potential... GO! You got this!!