T
he community of Black musicians in Charlotte is in good hands as it continues to expand and diversify. Despite being a relatively newer city with growth predicated on the banking industry, the rise of musical artistry in Charlotte is evolving year after year. At nearly any gas station pump or light post, QR codes are posted to access a rising artist’s music. While national publicity is focused on North Carolina artists such as DaBaby or J. Cole, there arenumerous artists in the city of Charlotte creating beautiful music and pushing the bounds of genre. Two artists I had the pleasure of speaking with about the continued development of Black music in Charlotte were Te’Jani and Nia J. Te’Jani is a songwriter, singer, producer, and musical engineer who creates a fusion of electronic, punk, pop, and hip hop music. He describes his music as “for Black kids who grew up on Guitar Hero 3” and cites the video game as the origin of his obsession with music. I asked what his favorite song from the game was and he mentioned “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys as a major influence in his music. I was impressed by the range of Te’Jani’s influences as they traversed multiple genres including pop/ indie rock band Florence the Machine, metalcore band August Burns Red, producer Sam Gellaitry, and rappers Chance the Rapper and Donald Glover. I also learned that Te’Jani has begun focusing on short films to accompany his songs, which immediately reminded me of much of Glover’s work on his album Because the Internet.
“You don’t know how it feels when someone says “Black people don’t do that” Te’Jani expressed mixed feelings toward his childhood in Atlanta, as he often felt ostracized by the people around
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him due to his musical interests. During that time, many rap acts such as Soulja Boy and Akon were exploding in the city, yet Te’Jani preferred listening to more punk or metal artists. However, he felt some pressure to begin his artistic pursuits as a rapper because he felt it was easier to write rap verses than lyrical choruses. I was interested in his growth as an artist, as many of his newer songs have strayed from hip hop and while he still maintains some of the drums associated with rap, he now merges many genres into a style of his own. “I am a super nerd about music arrangement and engineering,” Te’Jani told me, and he prides himself on his knowledge of the technicalities of music. “I Want People to Know that it is Okay to ask for Help” When speaking to Te’Jani about the message he wants to portray, he mentioned that it was something he has really focused on over the last few months. He says the main message he wants to convey is that it is okay to ask for help. As someone who has struggled with acceptance, self-harm, and feeling like they were not living in truth in regards to religion, Te’Jani sees asking for help as one of the hardest but most important things he has done in life, and as something that has changed his life. Though he feels he is a perfectionist when producing or arranging music, he has found that there is just as much importance in his lyrics and his message. Te’Jani calls Charlotte home base for him and appreciates the city as it is where he really came into his own as a musician. As an intern at Black Pearl Studios, Te’Jani was able to meet and learn from many artists in the city, as well as starting to ingratiate himself in the community of Black artists in Charlotte. One artist he has met and befriended during this time is Nia J, who I also had the opportunity to speak to about her musical endeavors.