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Art Beat Blog: Totem Star offers online music programs to youth in response to COVID-19
Photo Credit: Avi Loud
Check out City of Seattle’s Art Beat article titled "Totem Star offers online music programs to youth in response to COVID-19" written by Erika Lindsay featuring Totem Star Artists Totem Star Co-Founder Daniel Pak.
The article highlights Pak's history, how he came to stating Totem Star, and also discusses his work with Kore Ionz including their latest video release "Superhero."
Below is a snippet of the Crosscut article by JaLynn Montes:
"Daniel Pak has been making music for the good part of his 37 years on the planet. While on hiatus from his studies in metallurgical engineering and on a visit with friends, he had an epiphany: music was meant to be the center of his life’s work.
He was feeling 'sick and tired of seeing the status quo,' he says, 'with oppression and violence being so pervasive; it [was] maddening.'
Music, he figured, would connect him 'with like-minded people who really want change to happen.'
So he rejected an attractive offer to work as a high-paid nuclear engineer at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, where Pak was raised. Instead, he chose to pursue a career as an artist, or, as he puts it, 'a culture worker.'"
Check out the entire article at Crosscut.com.
Annual Retreat
Top L-R: Daniel Pak, Brian Myers, Carrie Siahpush, Krista Welch, Jon Stone, Amr Awwad, Wendy Simmons, Thaddeus Turner, Mirabai Kukathas. Bottom L-R: April Nishimura, Matt Sablan, Barbara Mitchell, Zoser Dunbar, Shawna Angelou, Paul Laughlin.
By Daniel Pak
On Sunday, March 31 our board, staff, and interns took over a conference room at The Collective, a dope social club, workspace, and “urban basecamp” in the heart of South Lake Union for our annual retreat. Rainier Valley Corps Director of Capacity Building April Nishimura started it off with a comprehensive assessment of Totem Star based on an organization-wide survey. Here’s a quick summary of the results:
Top Strengths
- Our staff does their job well and work as a team.
- Our work is strongly informed by diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- We have a strong board, deeply invested in our mission, values, and strategic planning.
Top Needs
- Space! We’ve outgrown our 225 square foot space and recently launched a New HQ Task Force.
- Fundraising with a specific emphasis on individual donors.
- More staff members to support our work and life balance.
Thanks for the presentation April! Board President Jon Stone then led us on an amazing ride up a bell curve of strategic planning. We dug deep into who we are (value proposition), the ecosystem in which we exist (industry structure map), variables that affect our organization (context map), and some aspirational goals (five bold steps). So much to dive into, and thanks to an amazing lunch from Marination, we made it!
Totem Star is currently in a phase of growth, but no matter how much we grow as a community and as an organization, we will always be a family. It brought so much fulfillment and joy to see our deeply engaged board of directors, our caring and hard-working staff, and our inquisitive and inspired young interns all in the same room together, planning the future of Totem Star.
L-R: Deputy Director Paul Laughlin, Amr “ZAG” Awwad, Teaching Artist and Program Coordinator Matt Sablan, Zoser Dunbar (cheesing), Mirabai Kukathas
It’s a blessing to be working with such loving folks, and to close I want to share a quote by a high school history teacher who recently brought his class to Totem Star to interview our artists for their project on race in 21st century America. Later in the evening after the visit he wrote me and said, “Still reflecting on our conversation. You have a good group of people you get to spend time with - people who seem filled with purpose and joy. I aspire to the same.”
Amr “ZAG” Awwad. Photo by Daniel Pak.
Zoser Dunbar. Photo by Daniel Pak.
Mirabai Kukathas. Photo by Daniel Pak.
Songwriting and Inspiration
Totem Star Artist, ZAG shares about his process for songwriting and the inspiration when it comes to writing your own material.
By Amr “ZAG” Awwad
Yo, ZAG here with another Music Biz blog. This time we’re covering songwriting and the inspiration when it comes to writing your own material. As a Hip-Hop artist, we often have the highest bar to set when it comes to intricate lyricism and uniqueness. Although you may not see that being the case when it comes to many rappers in our mainstream. Anyway, that’s a topic for another day!
Today I’ll be going through my own process of songwriting with ya’ll and some tips and tricks that I’ve learned since I started spitting in 6th grade.
You Don’t Always Have To Rhyme
Remember that time when you were in 3rd grade and you were asked to write a poem? And all you could think of is “The Fat Cat ate a Black Bat then sat on my Lap.” Yeah, turns out you don’t always have to do this. More important than rhyming is actually creating a scenario with your words that also happen to fit on a beat.
“Making all of this money hoping I don't get rich
Cause ni**as still getting bodied for foams
Sometimes the truth don't rhyme
Sometime the lies get millions of views”
- Chance The Rapper on “Acid Rain”
Yes, rhyming is obviously an integral part of songwriting for the most part, but remember lyricsdon’t always have to rhyme. Rhyming can even curb your creativity, especially if you find yourself trying too hard, because it can keep you distracted from finishing the idea you’re trying to write down.
You Can Rhyme the Ends with the Beginnings
You can take the last word you used in your first sentence and instead of trying to rhyme it with the next one, you can build up your story by rhyming that word with the first word in the next sentence and build up a new rhyme scheme from there.
“Life was stagnant for a 9th grade cat with a heart for rappin’
No Cappin’, only beanies with American Flags
Corrupted by whitewashed American standards, yes
So I packed my bags and headed West”
- ZAG
Here, I’m talking about how I wanted to pursue a career in “Rappin’” followed by the rhyme, “No Cappin’” which means “No lie” but also literally no caps; as at the time I only wore beanies with American flags on them. A double entendre and a true story.
You Can Continue Your Line Into the Next Bar
When I started writing my own raps, I always thought every line had to end at the end of the bar. I thought it was a very strict art form, until I met MF DOOM. A rather ugly brother with flows that's gorgeous, he became some sort of an inspiration for me when it comes to rapping outside of the box. There really isn’t much to say about it, you have to listen to him yourself to know what I’m saying.
Kendrick Lamar is also really good with this, I suggest you check out “Sing About Me, Dying of Thirst” from his album, Good Kid M.A.A.D City
When it comes to inspiration, there’s a huge difference between inspiration and biting. You can be inspired by other artists’ lyrics and persona, but it becomes biting when you copy someone’s exact lyrics. Kinda similar to writing an essay, where you can cite other authors (inspiration) in an essay (song) without completely copying them.
An excellent example of a piece of art that’s heavily inspired by other artists without losing its integrity is Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Lin Manuel Miranda made sure to litter Hip-Hop references throughout the play as to pay respects to those that shaped black music, especially that most of the cast for Hamilton are indeed black and brown themselves.
An example of this would be 10 Duel Commandments in Hamilton that is a take on Biggie’s 10 Crack Commandments. You can listen to both below and see that even though one is inspired by the other, they are both still two separate bodies of work, and the only way to notice it is if you know both songs.
There are some wrong ways in which you can bite someone else’s lyrics. Sometimes certain rappers can get too lazy and just keep ripping lines from one of their dead friends. Yeah, it’s really sad, but Joey Bada$$ isn’t really making this easy for us when he keeps recycling lyrics from his late friend Jamal Dewar, also known as Capital STEEZ.
“Teach her many lessons
Reduce the stress and balance out the imperfections”
- Joey Bada$$ on “500 Benz”
“I got these bi***es stressing
I never love 'em, I just balance out they imperfections”
- Capital STEEZ on “Vinyls”
“Unfortunately, I am not that type of niglet
But pass the pot, let me skillet”
- Joey Bada$$ on “1Train”
“Keep a stash even when my pockets was looking thin
So pass the pot and let me skillet”
- Capital STEEZ on “Chicago”
There are many other instances where Joey is stealing lyrics from STEEZ without paying proper respect, to the point where STEEZ even prophesied this in his last song recorded 10 days before his untimely death.
“How you not going to give me mine, every time I rip a line
I haven't seen the limelight, in a right mind
Rappers base their careers off of white lies
A ghost writer been why he so nice
And the time he spit some of his lines it's no concept”
- Capital STEEZ on “Last Straw”
I don’t think there’s harm in taking certain lines from other artists if you’re planning on crediting them somehow in your music, whether that be Lin Manuel Miranda’s way by making obvious Hip-Hop references throughout Hamilton, or interpolating lyrics, like how I do in one of my poems.
“Raising generations of youth that speak truth to power
Telling the Nas from the hilltop that this world is ours”
- ZAG on “Yesterday”
Nas means people in Arabic, my mother tongue. It’s also the name of the Queensbridge Hip-Hop legend, who has a song called “The World is Yours” off his debut album Illmatic. So I’m interpolating that in my song while still mentioning Nas, as a way of paying respect.
So there ya go! Hopefully my tips are going to come in handy the next time you pick up a pen and pad. Also, I’ll be leaving one extra link relating to what I’ve been writing about in case you’re interested in doing more research on your own.
Zoser
By: Edgar Vega
Tell us a little about how you discovered your love for music. Who are some of your greatest influences?
My first album that I ever listened to was heavier things by John Mayer. After realizing how much the record meant to me. I began to put words on pages. My biggest influences are Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, and Mac Miller.
Tell us about your song. What inspired you? How do you hope listeners will receive your messages.
Ms. Valentine is a basic love that I wrote after chasing someone for a long time. I compare the love to drugs to explain the addiction that I felt for that person. I hope that listeners will relate to it!
What have you learned from your experience with Totem Star? What are some of the biggest take aways?
During my time at Totem Star I've learned to be one with others. I love this community with all my heart and as I grow along with the people I trust. I know who will be there for me during the fall.
Kiddus
Kiddus performing at Sky Church at MoPOP for The 2018 Residency Showcase. Photo Credit: The Residency
By: Edgar Vega
Tell us a little about how you discovered your love for music. Who are some of of your greatest influences?
My old high school had a piano class with keyboards, macs, midis, and mics. We had to create a hip-hop track as a class project. Our objective was to write a hot 16, hook and produce a beat for it on GarageBand. I was inspired to continue. Weeks later, I started producing for more students who rapped in the school. I am/was influenced by Pharrell Williams, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Travis Scott.
Tell us about your song. What inspired you? How do you hope listeners will receive your message?
They Tell Me is a song I wrote about my my adolescence in the Hillman City area. I plan to render my message through songwriting, and the visuals.
What have you learned from your experience with Totem Star? What are some of the biggest takeaways?
Create music that’s authentic to you.
What’s ZAG listening to?
By: Edgar Vega
What song do you currently have on repeat and why do you like it?
I have this album that I'm listening to at the moment. It's Drogas Wave by Lupe Fiasco, which was released last September. The first half of the album tells a story of slaves during the transatlantic slave trade whom were on board of a sinking slave ship. Instead of drowning, they grew gills and are able to breathe and live underwater. They were called Longchains. Armed with long chains for arms, hence their name, they proceeded to drown other slave ships to free their people from slavery. Some decided to run back to Africa's shores, while others are supposedly present to this day in the middle of the Atlantic, guarding the waters. The second half of the album relates to current life of African Americans in this country, as a sequel 400 years later to the first part of the album.
The reason I'm in love with this album and consider it my favorite, is not only because of what I said earlier, but also because of the complexity of Lupe's lyrics and how he could tell a story so vivid only though words. I can proceed to visualize in my head what he's saying. Also, every time I listen to the album, I discover something totally new in what he's saying; and that's the beauty of Hip-Hop poetry.
How would you describe your music preference in general? What qualities make a song truly great?
My music preference in terms of Hip-Hop, I'd say I like Boom Bap and Lo-Fi, or anything that is sample based. Yeah, I listen to the occasional Young Thug when I'm tryna turn up, but for the most part my favorite artists are the J Coles, Kendrick Lamars, and the Black Thoughts. I've also been lately into R&B after listening to some of SiR's stuff and that new Anderson.Paak joint, Oxnard.
How does the music you listen to affect the music you make?
Lately, I've been drawing a lot of my inspiration from J Dilla and Lupe Fiasco. With Lupe, his lyricism motives me to up mine. I'm mesmerized by his worldplay, and I always aim to be more lyrical, while not reaching a point where people won't understand what I'm saying. Because what's the point of using complex worldplay if no one will be able to understand it, right? As for Dilla, his instrumentals don't need words for me to understand what he's saying. It's like his beats teach me how to vibe with the listener, and that I don't always need to be explicit with my message for people to understand what I'm saying.
Vrhilio
By: Edgar Vega
Whos Virg?
Hi my name is Virgilio Carbajal, my stage name is Vrhilio & I’m an artist.
Tell us a little about how you discovered your love for music. Who are some of your greatest influences?
I discovered my love for music when I would literally remember all the words to any song I would ever listen and I would become my own radio sometimes and just replay songs in my head all the time! Nothing else would be in my head, just music. My greatest influences are mostly, Notorious B.I.G to Tyler The Creator to Andre 3000 to Mac Miller, I’d say, they are all great artist.
Tell us about your song. What inspired you? How do you hope listeners will receive your messages.
Bojack is literally just a song about not listening to anybody who puts you down, especially your friends and family, Man, cause even your best est friends can disagree with your vision and not support you in a way.
What have you learned from your experience with Totem Star? What are some of the biggest take aways?
What I have learned from Totem Star is that I should always have confidence in my music. I should be prepared for the next opportunity and I should always be able to make every moment count.
ALLI 2018 Throwback
Photo by: Amy Piñon
By Amr Awwad
Summer of 2018, I had just wrapped up an awesome month-long program with The Residency as I got into ALLI, the Arts, Leadership, and Liberation Institute. It’s a two-week intensive summer program put on by Arts Corps, Youth Speaks, Massive Monkees, and Totem Star where 28 youth are trained in artistry, social justice and organizing. Youth leaders develop as cultural workers in four arts pathways: spoken word poetry, music production, visual art and breakdance. This cohort of youth hones their arts and organizing skills, while deepening their understandings of race and social justice issues. They collaborate, build community and create art that challenges oppression and envisions a more just world. Personally, I chose the music pathway, as I wanted to learn more about how to be a DJ. But anyways, that article isn’t about me. I’m here to talk about the program, and boy, was it dope.
Photo by: Amy Piñon
At the beginning of each day, we’d have everyone in one room to partake in different activities, meshing social justice and art in our work. For example, on one day, we were split into different groups and had to work with a quote that was given to us by the teaching artists. My group’s quote was about Revolution, and we had to create a performance piece that included all 4 pathways and perform it in front of the other groups. Overall, the activities were really good at giving youth the inspiration and creative path to fuse art, in its various forms, with elements of social justice.
Photo By: Amy Piñon
In each pathway, youth would practice on refining their craft but also delve into unknown territory in terms of new skills to learn. For me, before ALLI, I had ZERO knowledge on how to DJ and what it takes to mix music. By the end of the two weeks, I was able to DJ a 30 minute set in front of over 100 people. I also grew a passion for DJing and now get to DJ at other events.
Photo By: Amy Piñon
The day of the ALLI showcase, we had many people from the community come to see what we’ve been working on. They got to see a gallery of paintings made by the visual art pathway, and also attend an open mic that was hosted by two of our poetry pathway students, Bitanya and Suraya. For the show itself, which was hosted by Kid LIO, every ALLI participant got to shine on the stage and share their unique experience through their art.
How to expand your music library
Photo Credit: Amber Zbitnoff
By: Edgar Vega
How to expand your music library
If you want to open up and listen to some new music that you aint used to but you just don't know where to start then use some of these tips.
Go off of what you like.
If you mainly listen to hip hop and you want to expand then something you can do is start by your favorite song. Hip Hop is always sampling something so if you like something from the beat you can start looking around for something similar to that. This definitely helped me when I was only stuck listening to Hip Hop.
What you've heard.
Although as of now you might be stuck thinking “I don't like anything out of Hip Hop” your wrong! I used to really really like the song “Super freak” by Rick James and I didnt know it wasn't Hip Hop. Sometimes you'll realise that a lot of the catchy songs you like that are always being played at the store arent Hip Hop so that can really be a way to start you out.
Just cannonball into it.
Sometimes you just need a jump into the unknown waters to test things out. It won't hurt to just explore if you don't like something then you don't but you'll never really know if you keep telling yourself you wish to expand but stay in the same little circle of repeated melodies and drum loops .
Thanks for reading :) Sincerely, Edgar Vega
J Blanco
For the fourteenth installment of The Song, our monthly artist spotlight and music newsletter, we present producer / multi-instrumentalist Justus White aka “J Blanco,” with his new beat tape, “Blanco.”
In his interview, J Blanco shares, "Before I came to Totem Star, I was a really shy person and it helped me become more outgoing and not be afraid to share my music with other people and play in front of people.”
Read the entire interview and listen to the "Blanco" beat tape by J Blanco.
Totem Star on King 5 News
Totem Star co-founder Daniel Pak. Photo courtesy King 5 News.
"Totem Star is all about spreading messages throughout the world that will help other people, bring light to others lives," singer-songwriter Sharmaine Tillmon explained to the King 5 News camera during a recent interview while rehearsing her new song “Home” with Justus White, Edgar Vega, and Matt Sablan.
Angela Russell, host of Take 5 on King 5 News, came down to the studio to learn more about Totem Star and produced this amazing story which broadcasted during the evening news on October 29, 2018.
How To Feel Comfortable Sharing Music
Photo Credit: Amber Zbitnoff
By: Edgar Vega
Tips on how to feel comfortable with you art
Me myself I have never really felt comfortable sharing any of my music with anyone because I used to have a mindset that told me I sucked at making music and it would bring my confidence down. A Lot of artist struggle when it comes to sharing there music and its fine, everyone's been there and it's just a process and something you have to grow out of it you wanna grow as an artist. These are a couple tips that personally helped me when I first started making music and I hope they can help you to step out of your comfort zone.
Know that your art is unique.
I know this will sound corny but it's true and this was one of the main things that helped me out. No one is going to have YOUR sound because its your sound and artist get there own sound from picking up things as they grow up and no one has lived the same childhood as someone else. Your sound is unique and it is something new the world hasn't heard and yes maybe you could be taking inspiration but no one starts a new sound without inspiration from other art forms. A unique sound is something everyone has and you should share it with the world because it'll always be something new, never the same.
You always gotta start at the bottom of the hill.
Don't be hard so yourself because you aren't a Kendrick lamar or J.Cole writer it all takes time and growth. Music is a constant trial and error sort of thing so the only way to get better at your writing and music is to go through a lot of bad lyrics. Trust me I been there I used to think beans and cheese used to rhyme and now I try and keep those in there seperate lane.
Get feedback
If the first two weren't enough for you than just ask for feedback. Have someone listen to what you got and ask them what you could improve or what would sound better and all sorts of questions like that. This is a perfect way of sharing music and also growing out of that shy stage where you don't wanna share your music. Feedback from your friends will definitely be helpful so I think this is a great idea if you're indecisive about some of your work.
That is all I have and I hope it can help you out but always remember, To follow your own unique sound and to never be shy of sharing something because you never know how far you can get by sharing some of your work. Love yall :)
Sincerely, Edgar Vega A.K.A “PRIMOE”
What's Edgar Listening To?
Take a quick glimpse into the current vibe, inspiration, and story of Totem Star artists.
What song do you have on repeat and why do you like it?
“Dedicate” by Lil Wayne off his newly-released Carter V album, because it has a groovy beat with mad flow and mad bars. My favorite lyrics off the song is “And your water don’t drip so your garden ain’t sh*t”
How would you describe your music preference in general? What’s the most important thing for you in a song?
My music taste is all over the place. I listen to artists from Lil Wayne to Danny Brown to Capital STEEZ (RIP) to 6lack. The most important thing for me in a song is a nice baseline. Kinda like “Ronnie Drake” by Isiah Rashad.
How does the music you listen to affect the music you make?
Everything I make is basically a combination of everything I’m listening to.
25ilu
Photo Credit: Amber Zbitnoff
For the tenth installment of The Song, our monthly artist spotlight and newsletter, we present vocalist and producer 25ilu with their new song "HeartHeartHeart."
In the interview, 25ilu shares about their Totem Star experience: "I've met a bunch of other great young artists like myself who inspire me and make really good music too, and continue to open my mind not only to new music, but ideas, values, stories, and friendships; most of all, Totem Star gave me a community and a family that I could rely on when I hit rock bottom or didn't believe in my own vision, and to further me both as an individual and an artist."
Read the entire interview and listen to "HeartHeartHeart" by 25ilu.
Photos: Summer Kickoff Kicks Off in High Gear Once Again
On Friday, June 15, 2018 we hosted our fourth annual Summer Kickoff youth arts showcase at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Hosted by emcees LIO and Mirabai Kukathas, the showcase featured nearly two hours of songs and poems by some of the dopest and wokest young artists to set foot in our studio. The showcase was also the official release party for the Respect the Vibez mixtape, our third compilation album to date, featuring the recordings of thirty Totem Star artists. Check out these photos from the celebration, which take you from the behind-the-scenes pre-show huddle into the action and lights on the stage.
Plan Your Daily Routine and Take Control of Your Creative Work Flow
By Daniel Pak
@pakrocks // daniel@pak.rocks // pak@totemstar.org
School's out for the summer! I've been playing a lot of Lego, soccer, and 'ukulele with my kids and visiting with family in Minnesota. Its been wonderful! But after a week or so of fun in the sun, I always start to get that itch. The need to write. And especially in the summer, when there is much less structure in my daily schedule, it's so easy to get distracted, racking up hours swiping aimlessly on social media and being lured into late night binging on Netflix.
Planning a daily routine is crucial to a productive creative work flow. I was reminded late last night while reading a Universal Audio blog on producer/composer Che Pope (Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean), who talked about balancing being both a producer and a business person at the same time. He talked about handling business calls and emails in the morning and focusing on music from the afternoon on. Last summer I made sure to block off hours in my calendar to spend time in my studio and write, with my phone and wifi shut off so that I wouldn't be distracted by calls, texts, or emails.
Pope's interview reminded of a great infographic I was hooked on a couple of years ago, titled The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People, which shows the daily schedules of people like Mozart, Maya Angelou, and Pablo Picasso, all based on their diaries, letters, and other documentation. Check it out and be sure to hover over the colored blocks of time to see the specifics of what they were all doing.
Everyone has a different daily routine that works for them, but the important thing is to figure out what works best for you and to stick with it. Keep those songs coming!
Neo Truth
Photo Credit: Lorena Merlin
For the ninth installment of The Song, our monthly artist spotlight and newsletter, we present hip-hop lyricist Neo Truth with his song "Broken."
In his interview he shares, "'Broken' is about the absence of a father. I wrote this song when I was going through a personal struggle and felt all types of mixed emotions. 'Broken' is very personal to me. I wouldn't normally put something like this out but I hope that some one out there can relate."
Click here to check out Neo Truth's new artist profile page and listen to his song "Broken."
Sharmaine
For the eighth installment of The Song, our monthly artist spotlight and newsletter, we present singer-songwriter Sharmaine with her new song "Home."
In her interview she shares, "Music really found me and said, "this is a part of you," and I listened. I love how free it makes me feel. I love the community it brings. I love how you don’t always have to use words to express a feeling or emotion but instead through melodies or humming."
Click here to check out Sharmaine's new artist profile page and listen to her new song "Home."