Mama We Made It!

"You are your star player." EVERYBODY FROM THE TOWN STAND UP! It's the mid 80's in East Oakland, a young Murph is born as the city is still feeling the impact of the "crack era". His mother, a special education teacher, and gifted Gospel singer who wrote songs in her dreams. His father, a multi-business owning, self-made man, who holds down the definition of working hard. Murph lived in a juxtaposition - a kid from the East Oakland streets, and a private school student. But his true identity was hoops, and ball was life. Playing for some of the top teams in the country, Murphs basketball dreams were becoming a reality. With work ethic instilled by his father, he took on multiple jobs to make his own money, and build his own future. But it wasn't until a unexpected injury happened that Murph began to see the world differently, and dig deep into who he really was without basketball. After High School, he attended UC Santa Cruz, a place that would soon become a beautiful escape. As basketball was turning off, music was turning on, and Young Murph arrived. Music gave him a voice, a community, and a chance to dream again. This new found path would lead him to LA, a place where music was thriving, and you can either dive in and swim, or quickly drown. We often struggle to keep our heads above water, and sometimes all we need is the confidence to keep going. Taking the lessons he learned from his father, the support and encouragement from his mother, Murph kept fighting to live his dream. His sword got sharper, his mind got stronger, and his desire to succeed became unstoppable. Welcome to the journey of Young Murph The Kidd. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is YMTK. #MamaWeMadeIt

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"What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create." Enter Mir: born in the Bay, grew up in LA, made in Brooklyn. She was a "fortune baby", raised by her Buddhist mother, who at the time was finishing college and entering grad school. After graduating, they moved to LA and lived with Mir's grandparents. This would soon become an environment that encouraged Mir's gifts and imagination, as she was being conditioned to be great. Hyper aware at an early age, and influenced by adults, Mir's way of seeing the world was guided by truth, and always speaking it. But, this would conflict with her life as a child, as she was labeled the "weird kid" in school, struggled with isolation, and found herself caught in the middle of life or death. However, it's often the darkest experiences that show us the clearest path. For Mir, that path was music. It became her outlet, her love, her connection to life, and every choice she made was driven by her need to stay close to it. Moving to NY, she instantly locked in with the city's pulse, entrenched herself in the music community, and learned as much as she could about the business. Her desire to see the world through music would lead her from internships to corner offices, and become a warrior of her environment. "Don't forget how powerful you are." Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mir Harris. #MamaWeMadeIt

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"You have to believe it first, before anyone else can believe it." Los Angeles, CA, born and raised, Kevin was banging on pots and pans at the age of 2. He grew up surrounded by legends; their music was the soundtrack of his youth, and their stage was his playground. Supported by both his parents, and inspired by his father Keb' Mo', Kevin was taught to harness his truth, and let music guide his path. Drums were life, and Kevin's deep appreciation for musicality led him to be one of the stand-out drummers among a community of LA's finest musicians. But it wasn't until he graduated high school that he wanted to express himself more ways than one. Following his "dharma", Kevin went from a drummer to drum programmer, producer to songwriter, singer to artist. The evolution was organic, and if you let it, everything falls into place. But that's just it, you have to let it. "I didn't get into music to be a star, I got into music to be able to live making music." When you focus only on what you would like to see happen in your life, and accept everything, the journey suddenly becomes clear. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is K. Roosevelt. #MamaWeMadeIt

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"Look in the mirror and talk to yourself for 5 minutes." George's journey started in Oakland, down to East LA, and moved throughout South LA. Much of what he remembers is being a bad-ass kid, constantly getting kicked out schools. Never had a chance to make real friends, disrespected all his teachers, and never stuck to something long enough to be good at it. But when George would go home to his mom, and Oma, it was all love; an incredible dichotomy. It wasn't until high school, that George would soon realize being bad was no longer cool, and for once in his life, he needed something to care about. Picking up a camera for the first time opened the flood gates and it was time to "tap in". "When you tap into one positive thing, your entire world is affected." George became hungry for learning and known among the community for his work - and his work ethic. He expanded into video, and would shoot during the day, and have you a final edited project by night. Working with some of the top LA rappers during a time when digital content was about to peak, George's game was elevating to a high level very quickly. But in order to reach out full potential, we sometimes need to be pushed past our own limits. For George, that meant getting kicked out the house, and for the first time in his life, the safety net was gone. He was alone, realizing for once, who he was, and the person he was becoming. Now, George has toured with some of the biggest stars, worked with the top athletes, and is led by his drive to inspire. Where does that drive come from? "Being able to know I can always do better." Ladies and Gentlemen, this is George Jefferson. #MamaWeMadeIt 

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"Once you start meeting your true self half way, you'll have a much easier journey." Born in Cairo, Egypt, a Coptic Orthodox Egyptian, Youssef came to the US for religious reasons when he was six years old. His parents made the true "immigrant sacrifice" to spend their life savings to save their life. When arriving to the States, they moved around a lot, first living in Hancock Park, then later South Central. Youssef didn't speak English, or have the tools to communicate and express himself. This led to locking himself in the library, reading everything he could, to figure it out and survive. The once nice, gullible, naive kid, would soon become the troublemaker who wanted a story and adventure. However, Youssef was always very smart, and had a natural curious character, but never learned how to work hard. He would use being smart as a facade of a hard worker, and struggled with finding which direction to go in, and committing to one dream. He bounced around from physics to music, creative writing, production, and many other paths. Tired of being the dude who always showed up with a new project, he found himself asking, "What is success?". Was it money? Status? Validation? For Youssef, it suddenly became clear, and simple. It was spending time with the people he cared about, maintaining friends and relationships. The weight was lifted, and the pressure was off. Going back to his passion for art, cars and design, the jack of all trades now has something to master. Youssef found his target, and the fear of working hard was gone. And when the day is done, "if my mom is proud of who I've become, that's all I need." Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Youssef Grant. #MamaWeMadeIt

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"Get bit or get better." Vero Beach, FL on a 3-acre farm, surrounded by animals, trees, fruits, veggies, and huge family - a young Priscilla was roaming free. Though introverted and timid, she was in love with MTV, had ballerina aspirations, and was drawn towards forensic science. Mom and Dad were both church singers, and it came natural for Priscilla at the age of 2. But as a military kid, growing up in a strict household and moving around frequently, Priscilla struggled with expressing herself. To find her voice, she would secretly record and write songs when her parents weren't home, and post videos on YouTube (back when it was still beta). This was the start of it all. Soon, the country girl made a strong decision to express herself as an adult, and she was going to do it her own way, and chase her dreams. Priscilla moved to LA, and was quickly consumed by the industry, landing a record deal. But we all know, the industry can eat you up fast, and even as success was happening on the outside, she found herself deeply struggling and unhappy on the inside. It's in these moments where we have to decide to fight and keep moving forward, or let the darkness consume us. For Priscilla, she had to ask herself 3 questions; "Did you lie? Did you steal? Did you cheat?" If the answer is no, then you have to keep going. 10 years later, she survived one of the most arduous and debilitating experiences in this business, transitioned from being an artist to a multi-hit songwriter, and continues to fight and be a benchmark for the next generation. "We are here to create, my responsibility is to teach, educate, and help shape the new format of what the industry is going to be." Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Priscilla Renea. #MamaWeMadeIt

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"Never compromise your principles". It's the 90's in Compton, CA, and the police just raided your house again. You wake up to go to school 4 cities away, where all you have to do is look at someone the wrong way to catch a beat down. You're Black and Hispanic, you don't fit in, and the only crew you're rolling with is the books in your rolling backpack. Enter Denise (y'all ain't ready for the last name yet). Her mother was her rock, her step-father was her protector, and her abuelita was her reflection. But despite being a straight-A student, who just wanted to do the right thing, Denise wasn't becoming the person she wanted to be. Feeling like an outcast among her peers, she sought refuge in the one place she felt free; the library. It wasn't until High School that Denise decided life would be completely different. She made her first friends through sports, and joined a community through student council. But most importantly, she found her identity. Running for Student Body President, the reclusive "Denise" was gone, and the courageous "Jones" had arrived. It was the first time she loved herself, and proud of who she became. As she entered the real world, working various jobs to make ends meet, and taking different courses in college, she soon came across an old radio studio, a moment that would change her life again. She became obsessed with radio, dedicating everything she had to this new found passion. "But it's not always sunshine days, sometimes you get hit with storms." Struggling with being broke, rejected, unsupported, and alone, Denise had to dig deep to persevere. "I've never quit anything in my life, I always finish". Never giving up to live the lifestyle she wanted, Denise would go from fly on the wall, to intern to radio producer to TV, to spearheading "The New Tide of Pop Culture". The girl who once wanted to disappear, was now in front of the world. And the crazy part is, it's still just the beginning. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to say "you can do anything, go for it" - so, from Denise Jones & The Mama, We Made It Boyz, you can do anything, go for it. #MamaWeMadeIt

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"Hopefully, everything you've ever done, is to prepare you for everything you're about to do". Born in Detroit, but from L.A., Ajay was raised by his mother, an extremely hard-worker who took every opportunity to create something out of nothing - a quality that was passed to her son at a young age. Often helping his mother as she built her business, Ajay learned the value of work ethic, sacrifice, and being resourceful. As he got older, he started tapping into his ability to sell, along with his passion for creating things that provide value to people. That seller's high drove him through college, selling everything from candy, car audio, velour suits, gas and throwing "purse parties" - which you'll find about out soon... Although this path felt good in the moment, it soon became damaging as there was no greater good to this unsustainable lifestyle. It wasn't until Ajay stepped back to reevaluate his life, that he started asking himself more meaningful questions about his worth, time, goals, who he really was, and seeking to fill the void of not knowing his father. It wasn't until Ajay went through a period of darkness, that an inspiring light would finally shine. Struggling to find comfort in his own skin, it was time to look outward. It was then that Ajay realized, the way to feed ourselves, is to feed others. This moment would be the start of a global lunch-bag revolution, and an influential path of living through giving. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Ajay Relan. #MamaWeMadeIt #hashtaglunchbag

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"Just because a person manages to smile and has grace, does not mean they didn't arrive here through blood, sweat, and tears." Growing up in Inglewood, CA, with a large family of 5 sisters, and 5 step-sisters, Nia was the only sibling that was a musician. But it wasn't just about the act of playing music. Nia was into music in a way that was categorized as "other", and didn't have many peers who shared that. There was a strong, emotional connection to music, and as piano became her first real friend, it was the outlet for Nia's feelings. Her father was a music teacher, producer, manager, and had an in-house studio where locals would come and record. But when it came to Nia, he kept music at a distance, almost as a way of protecting her from this notoriously tough business. It wasn't until high school when Nia first got to play with other students - an amazing feeling, but the bar was set extremely high. On top of that, her father was her teacher. Constantly struggling to be heard, Nia became a workaholic and overachiever, hoping that she'd be noticed, and at the same time, proving she was "normal". But when you define yourself by what you do, you can lose touch with who you are. For Nia, that meant a nervous breakdown, and leaving music as she entered college. But little did she know, this devastating heartbreak would take her on an unexpected path of working with some of the world's most talented "creative angels" that would lead her to finally finding her voice. Then, and only, then, could she reunite with her long-lost friend, the piano. Sometimes, opportunities aren't packaged in an ideal way, but you have to take the leap. "Dream to be tenacious, persevering, and go for it". Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Nia Andrews. #MamaWeMadeIt

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