[Music]
before i dial inspired the next
hindrance – the overdose and the
products of bad decisions
imagine if linen was living like Tupac
he died by the bullet never living to
his fullest the letters left us a
blueprint through the power of music
imma teach the youth to use it and pray
that they don’t abuse it and I get why
the elders confuse it so I offer my
apologies for rhymes filled with
misogyny obviously you see the pain and
hatred disgust you point a finger at the
youth they pointed right back at us
blame the man in the mirror for mistrust
and if there’s anyone to blame for the
record is just us see there’s two paths
you could take with this movement
tell them you shouldn’t choose it or use
it to gain influence encouragement to
pick up a pen when times are hard life
imitating arts and silly yours David’s
harp
[Applause]
I can let you in on a secret I’m not a
rapper seriously I just say thank you to
all the young people that come to the
studio and I get to rap with every
single day kids from all around San
Diego County come they come from youth
shelters and they come from foster care
and they come for hip hop music most of
the time so I don’t rap because I love
rap
I rap because I love you so when I was
asked to give this talk I did what
anybody would do I was like mentorship I
googled it and in that process I learned
a few things I learned that what we know
about mentorship comes from a long line
of fictional characters fictional
characters that span all the way down
the history starting with a long time
ago a man named something line non-stick
all the way down to none other than the
master himself the master of mentorship
Yoda
and I have to admit Yoda was an amazing
mentor I mean this guy mentored the guy
that saved the galaxy so that’s hard
shoes to follow but the truth is nobody
ever crashed lands on my planet hops out
and asked for my advice so the question
then becomes how do we create lasting
relationships with the people around us
everyone in here has something that’s
valuable information that they have
that’s valuable to the person next to
them but how do you earn a voice in
someone’s life to be able to pass that
information along in 2006 I stepped out
on faith I quit my corporate job I
cashed in my 401k and I started a garage
studio in southeast San Diego and in
that process when I was done I looked
around and said so now I guess I
actually have to do music for a living
and the most amazing part about that
story was it was my wife that inspired
me to do that so after I was done a
young man named Ray Vaughn he’s a 15
year old he came to the studio and he
said how can I get studio time it was
more like yo I need some studio time
what do you see what you got going on
here so I said no man you can’t have
studio time I’m working like I got stuff
going on I got at work got to pay the
bills long story short this guy pressed
forward until I gave him studio time I
remember the first day that I knew that
mentorship was what I was supposed to do
in life
Ray Vaughn and his friends came in that
day I gave him a high five and I could
see the day just melt off these kids the
struggles of the of the neighborhood
everything they were going through our
school everything that was pressures in
their life just gone as they interacted
with music something changed in my heart
I know I had a heart for young people
that moment I knew I had information
that I wanted to get to them because I
had been through the same things they
been through walked in the same streets
but unfortunately at the time my
mentorship sounded something like this
[Music]
[Music]
rayvon everything that the light touches
is your kingdom but you must never kick
it at the trolley station so I mean that
didn’t work right no but genuinely I
really wanted to connect with these
young people I just couldn’t figure out
how
in 2008 a young man named Austin marched
into the studio pointing right at me and
said he was going to make music to save
the world and he did around that time in
2008 I was going through the most
troubling time of my entire life
my wife had to close her business
because of the economic downturn then
two months later we found out that we
were pregnant with my first daughter and
my gap insurance my Cobra gap insurance
lapsed from my previous employer who to
make matters even worse we got pulled
into the doctor’s office and told that
she had bilateral cyst on her ovaries
that could potentially be cancerous and
they might have to operate and that my
daughter had a 95 percent chance of
being born with Down syndrome so in the
middle of that storm I did what no
college-educated man should ever have to
do I walked into the welfare office the
same welfare office that my mother used
to work at and I asked for health
insurance for my wife was one of the
hardest things I’ve ever had to do so I
was back and forth between the hospital
and the studio and I had a studio
session with Austin I drove up to the
studio and I I wiped my face and I did
what most people do when they’re going
through a really tough time in life I
put on a fake a smile I could possibly
put on it was like what’s up guys how
you doing let’s do some music twenty
minutes into that studio session I was
I was done I put my hands in my face and
I just sobbed and eventually I heard
Austin hey Brandon are you okay it
wasn’t okay so I just let it all go
I took the mask off I let him see the
struggle of my day I told him all the
details and one by one’s young people in
the studio they comforted me and then
they started to tell me what they were
going through that was the first day
that I earned an authentic voice in
somebody’s life because I was willing to
take off the mask at the David’s harp
Foundation as instructors we all have
flashlights and soda every one of you
this flashlight is so powerful because
you have two options with it you can
either take the flashlight as a mentor
and point it at your mentee and you can
figure out what’s wrong well we got to
fix that that needs to be changed you
got to make sure you do that now don’t
forget that now you’re gonna you can
either do that or you can take that
flashlight you can hold it directly
above your head and as that light pours
down on you you can let them see your
flaws along with the things that you
think good at the things that you
struggle with along with the things that
you succeed in and then if they’re
willing they walk into that light with
you and you can have a real conversation
all right so I told you guys that the
kids come for hip hop music now the
coolest part about this is hip hop music
provides the perfect metaphor for
mentorship are you guys ready
all right check this out
if you want to inspire voices like this
get out and noon in a room full of
inner-city kids
stands on the floor from my homies jump
kick making music is my song giving him
my own machine mics the headphones on
yeah you can feel the spirit for my soul
inside his records smile to his friend
foes homies girls yes no pass him pain
loving hate like their doubt and fate
before I found this music life and death
really felt a saint that’s my little
brother David now David is a special kid
the day that I met him I was actually
struggling to figure out how I was going
to keep the doors open to this studio
and I let him into that process so today
I represent truth in David’s life even
when he doesn’t want to hear it now the
truth is David is actually an amazing
rapper but I’m telling him he’s gonna be
a lawyer whether he believes me or not
if you’re really ready to inspire voices
like this I felt like I was all alone
then I had nowhere to go man I was in
the system for the past uses people
trying to change me but I never let it
faze me I was done with my life for sure
I had a door planned in my head I’m a
party all night and drinks in my eyes
see the light but the Lord brought five
angels in my life and I swear without
them I wouldn’t even be a la dish give
it up that’s living
that is my little sister Livi Livi when
we first met she was on the run from
probation and her casa brought her into
the program so she started to be trading
grades for studio time after being out
of school for almost two years and I’m
telling you she has a three point eight
seven GPA now all right so let’s get to
this metaphor let’s do it are you guys
ready to make a beat with me let’s
figure out what it takes to mentor and
build a relationship all right so let’s
go so check it out first
[Music]
first you got the kick drum the kick
drum and hip-hop is the heartbeat
without love I’m telling you right now
you have no chance at having a
relationship that’s worthwhile you have
to love deeply before you can have them
into a relationship
the second element the snare drum the
snare drum represents accountability if
you’re going to actually hold someone
accountable in a relationship to see
past themselves to their dreams you have
to have that snare drum that two and
four kick one two three four is so
consistent
speaking of consistency the next element
in mentorship the hi-hat
[Music]
without consistency without showing up
consistently your relationship crumbles
most people stop right here they go okay
we got we got something Erica structure
but without the melody of transparency
this isn’t worthy of a voice you haven’t
earned a voice but when you’re
transparent yeah
now that is worthy of a voice you can do
stuff like this
[Music]
pushing you in no noon in the room full
of inner city kids nails on the floor
from my home kid music is giving it my
all my see my foes on me
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
all I ever wanted to do for the last ten
years of my life was be strong for these
young people but I found out that
perfect power is actually found in
weakness so the question is are we ready
are we willing to take off our masks
thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
before i dial inspired the next
hindrance – the overdose and the
products of bad decisions
imagine if linen was living like Tupac
he died by the bullet never living to
his fullest the letters left us a
blueprint through the power of music
imma teach the youth to use it and pray
that they don’t abuse it and I get why
the elders confuse it so I offer my
apologies for rhymes filled with
misogyny obviously you see the pain and
hatred disgust you point a finger at the
youth they pointed right back at us
blame the man in the mirror for mistrust
and if there’s anyone to blame for the
record is just us see there’s two paths
you could take with this movement
tell them you shouldn’t choose it or use
it to gain influence encouragement to
pick up a pen when times are hard life
imitating arts and silly yours David’s
harp
[Applause]
I can let you in on a secret I’m not a
rapper seriously I just say thank you to
all the young people that come to the
studio and I get to rap with every
single day kids from all around San
Diego County come they come from youth
shelters and they come from foster care
and they come for hip hop music most of
the time so I don’t rap because I love
rap
I rap because I love you so when I was
asked to give this talk I did what
anybody would do I was like mentorship I
googled it and in that process I learned
a few things I learned that what we know
about mentorship comes from a long line
of fictional characters fictional
characters that span all the way down
the history starting with a long time
ago a man named something line non-stick
all the way down to none other than the
master himself the master of mentorship
Yoda
and I have to admit Yoda was an amazing
mentor I mean this guy mentored the guy
that saved the galaxy so that’s hard
shoes to follow but the truth is nobody
ever crashed lands on my planet hops out
and asked for my advice so the question
then becomes how do we create lasting
relationships with the people around us
everyone in here has something that’s
valuable information that they have
that’s valuable to the person next to
them but how do you earn a voice in
someone’s life to be able to pass that
information along in 2006 I stepped out
on faith I quit my corporate job I
cashed in my 401k and I started a garage
studio in southeast San Diego and in
that process when I was done I looked
around and said so now I guess I
actually have to do music for a living
and the most amazing part about that
story was it was my wife that inspired
me to do that so after I was done a
young man named Ray Vaughn he’s a 15
year old he came to the studio and he
said how can I get studio time it was
more like yo I need some studio time
what do you see what you got going on
here so I said no man you can’t have
studio time I’m working like I got stuff
going on I got at work got to pay the
bills long story short this guy pressed
forward until I gave him studio time I
remember the first day that I knew that
mentorship was what I was supposed to do
in life
Ray Vaughn and his friends came in that
day I gave him a high five and I could
see the day just melt off these kids the
struggles of the of the neighborhood
everything they were going through our
school everything that was pressures in
their life just gone as they interacted
with music something changed in my heart
I know I had a heart for young people
that moment I knew I had information
that I wanted to get to them because I
had been through the same things they
been through walked in the same streets
but unfortunately at the time my
mentorship sounded something like this
[Music]
[Music]
rayvon everything that the light touches
is your kingdom but you must never kick
it at the trolley station so I mean that
didn’t work right no but genuinely I
really wanted to connect with these
young people I just couldn’t figure out
how
in 2008 a young man named Austin marched
into the studio pointing right at me and
said he was going to make music to save
the world and he did around that time in
2008 I was going through the most
troubling time of my entire life
my wife had to close her business
because of the economic downturn then
two months later we found out that we
were pregnant with my first daughter and
my gap insurance my Cobra gap insurance
lapsed from my previous employer who to
make matters even worse we got pulled
into the doctor’s office and told that
she had bilateral cyst on her ovaries
that could potentially be cancerous and
they might have to operate and that my
daughter had a 95 percent chance of
being born with Down syndrome so in the
middle of that storm I did what no
college-educated man should ever have to
do I walked into the welfare office the
same welfare office that my mother used
to work at and I asked for health
insurance for my wife was one of the
hardest things I’ve ever had to do so I
was back and forth between the hospital
and the studio and I had a studio
session with Austin I drove up to the
studio and I I wiped my face and I did
what most people do when they’re going
through a really tough time in life I
put on a fake a smile I could possibly
put on it was like what’s up guys how
you doing let’s do some music twenty
minutes into that studio session I was
I was done I put my hands in my face and
I just sobbed and eventually I heard
Austin hey Brandon are you okay it
wasn’t okay so I just let it all go
I took the mask off I let him see the
struggle of my day I told him all the
details and one by one’s young people in
the studio they comforted me and then
they started to tell me what they were
going through that was the first day
that I earned an authentic voice in
somebody’s life because I was willing to
take off the mask at the David’s harp
Foundation as instructors we all have
flashlights and soda every one of you
this flashlight is so powerful because
you have two options with it you can
either take the flashlight as a mentor
and point it at your mentee and you can
figure out what’s wrong well we got to
fix that that needs to be changed you
got to make sure you do that now don’t
forget that now you’re gonna you can
either do that or you can take that
flashlight you can hold it directly
above your head and as that light pours
down on you you can let them see your
flaws along with the things that you
think good at the things that you
struggle with along with the things that
you succeed in and then if they’re
willing they walk into that light with
you and you can have a real conversation
all right so I told you guys that the
kids come for hip hop music now the
coolest part about this is hip hop music
provides the perfect metaphor for
mentorship are you guys ready
all right check this out
if you want to inspire voices like this
get out and noon in a room full of
inner-city kids
stands on the floor from my homies jump
kick making music is my song giving him
my own machine mics the headphones on
yeah you can feel the spirit for my soul
inside his records smile to his friend
foes homies girls yes no pass him pain
loving hate like their doubt and fate
before I found this music life and death
really felt a saint that’s my little
brother David now David is a special kid
the day that I met him I was actually
struggling to figure out how I was going
to keep the doors open to this studio
and I let him into that process so today
I represent truth in David’s life even
when he doesn’t want to hear it now the
truth is David is actually an amazing
rapper but I’m telling him he’s gonna be
a lawyer whether he believes me or not
if you’re really ready to inspire voices
like this I felt like I was all alone
then I had nowhere to go man I was in
the system for the past uses people
trying to change me but I never let it
faze me I was done with my life for sure
I had a door planned in my head I’m a
party all night and drinks in my eyes
see the light but the Lord brought five
angels in my life and I swear without
them I wouldn’t even be a la dish give
it up that’s living
that is my little sister Livi Livi when
we first met she was on the run from
probation and her casa brought her into
the program so she started to be trading
grades for studio time after being out
of school for almost two years and I’m
telling you she has a three point eight
seven GPA now all right so let’s get to
this metaphor let’s do it are you guys
ready to make a beat with me let’s
figure out what it takes to mentor and
build a relationship all right so let’s
go so check it out first
[Music]
first you got the kick drum the kick
drum and hip-hop is the heartbeat
without love I’m telling you right now
you have no chance at having a
relationship that’s worthwhile you have
to love deeply before you can have them
into a relationship
the second element the snare drum the
snare drum represents accountability if
you’re going to actually hold someone
accountable in a relationship to see
past themselves to their dreams you have
to have that snare drum that two and
four kick one two three four is so
consistent
speaking of consistency the next element
in mentorship the hi-hat
[Music]
without consistency without showing up
consistently your relationship crumbles
most people stop right here they go okay
we got we got something Erica structure
but without the melody of transparency
this isn’t worthy of a voice you haven’t
earned a voice but when you’re
transparent yeah
now that is worthy of a voice you can do
stuff like this
[Music]
pushing you in no noon in the room full
of inner city kids nails on the floor
from my home kid music is giving it my
all my see my foes on me
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
all I ever wanted to do for the last ten
years of my life was be strong for these
young people but I found out that
perfect power is actually found in
weakness so the question is are we ready
are we willing to take off our masks
thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
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