Gallery • 2 Photos

Culver Carden

Junior Aiden Henry records in his personal studio for his next album.

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Bekele focuses on inspiring listeners

Sophomore Nebyu Bekele said he wakes up every morning thinking about winning a Grammy someday.

“(Rapping) is my passion. I mean (winning a grammy) is unrealistic right now, but that is my dream,” Bekele said. “I think music is something I’m going to be pursuing for a long time.”

Bekele said he feels the current rap scene includes lots of entertainers, but not enough artists who focus on real content.

“If you go on the radio, it’s really talking about having sex with a girl this guy likes or doing cocaine or (other) drugs,” Bekele said. “That’s not really helping people cope with a lot of things. (It’s) not really inspiring people.”

According to Bekele, he uses his music to talk about real-world problems in order to help and positively influence others.

“I just want to inspire a lot of people, and that’s always been my dream,” Bekele said. “Even as a kid I just wanted to help people, and music is an outlet for me that can help me share my story to help other people and inspire others.”

Sophomore Lola Ruff said she likes Bekele’s song “Valentine” the best because it sounds professional.

“A really popular (song) is his new one ‘Valentine,’” Ruff said. “That’s the best one. It sounds like a real song that you would hear on the radio.”

Bekele said his listeners encourage him even if he makes a mistake.

“My fan base is not big right now, I can say that, but I love my fans,” Bekele said. “They love to support me through the thick and thin, whether it’s a bad song I dropped or whatever they support me.”

Ruff said she appreciates the effort and ingenuity Bekele puts into his music.

“I think (his songs) are really creative. (His music) is unique because it is his own music and it’s all from scratch,” Ruff said.[/one-third-first]
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Armstrong dreams of a career in rap

According to senior Darrell Armstrong, the best rap song he’s written so far is called “Colors,” in which he discusses his perspective on race and society.

“It was just about a whole bunch of races and the things that can happen and what’s going on in society. (I wrote it) when I was younger, so it was just a lot of talking and me just expressing a lot of things,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said he uses rap as a creative outlet and would like to incorporate it into his future career.

“(I like rap) because I can express myself easily through rapping and that’s what I wanted to do as a dream going forward in life,” Armstrong said. “I think I have the potential (to do) it.”

Senior Joe Holloway said he likes Armstrong’s freestyles and rhythms. Holloway, a student DJ, said he respects those who make their own music.

“I appreciate anybody who is young, black and doing student art outside of school. I appreciate (Armstrong) for putting his stuff out there and making a name for himself,” Holloway said.

According to Armstrong, his mother motivates his rap career because she introduced him to music at a young age.

“My mom (inspires me) just because she’s always been into music, and she knows a lot of different music,” Armstrong said. “She’s helped me take a lot of different music as a kid, so I’m able to listen to all types of music.”

Armstrong said making new rap songs is his number one priority, and he wants to make a career out of his music.

“I want to see where it takes me. I want to just make as much music as I can and put as much out as I can and see where it goes,” Armstrong said. “(I want to) find people that can connect and see who can produce my music and see where it goes from there.”[/one-third]
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Henry aspires to help young artists

Junior Aidan Henry grew up listening to hip-hop and rap with his sister. Now, according to Aidan Henry, she motivates him to pursue a career in music.

“I have a pretty tight-knit family, and we’ve been through a decent amount of things in our life together,” Aidan Henry said. “I’d say (my sister) is my biggest inspiration for writing music.”

Olivia Henry, Aidan Henry’s sister, said music helped her bond with her younger brother.

“I think Aidan has always been super passionate about music, he has always done a great job with following his dreams,” Olivia Henry said. “I love the kid, and I’m super proud of him, and I’m glad that he’s passionate about something, and I’m really happy for him.”

Junior musician Marco Giovanelli, who performed with Aidan Henry for two performances, said Aidan Henry strives for perfection but is still easy to work with.

“He’s easy going, but he’s also picky to a certain extent to make sure the quality is good,” Giovanelli said. “I think he has improved greatly and I want him to keep trying to put out new music.”

Aidan Henry said local rappers encourage him to learn new instruments and experiment with different types of music.

“I really just like listening to local rappers – Brother Ali and Atmosphere. They inspired me to make my own music,” Aidan Henry said. “I want to make sure that I am learning new instruments and learning new music styles because I want to go into music (as a career).”

Aidan Henry said he wants to own a recording studio in the future because he does not consider rapping alone to be a stable career. According to Aidan Henry, one of his main goals is to make enough money with his music career to help others.

“I want to start a non-profit for people (that) aren’t as fortunate as I am to have music equipment,” Aidan

Henry said. “I want to start a recording studio where they can come in and make music for free within youth programs.” [/one-third]