Happiness
Late night rapping with friends!
Five years ago I accidentally started an artist development hub, U of C (University of College). Today, Ash Wednesday, the collective takes another step towards establishing itself as a premiere space for collaboration with the release of ‘Happiness’.
U of C currently has about 30-35 participating artists and producers from multiple countries. We casually released 3 albums ‘Spring Semester ‘23, Fall Semester ‘23 and Tripping Vol. 1 & 2 over the last few years - forgoing traditional releases in favor of digital collection. At the top of the year, we successfully secured distribution via Symphonic to help us expand our reach. This year we’ll be releasing a multitude of singles to allow us ample time to highlight individual artists - starting with ‘Happiness.’ The song features me and Ai-Que with production from Vegas’ Jon Baylor amplifying the long held belief within the U of C community that we must actively choose joy.
Recently, Marek Klippendichter of Eldoradio in Dortmund took the time to sit down with a handful of us to discuss our experience within the U of C. He allotted us 2 hours to share some perspective as well as a few of our favorite tunes we’ve made together thus far. You can listen to the entire show here @ 2pm est!
What I was hoping to convey during our interview ultimately was expressed by the participating artists. They mentioned the camaraderie. They revered the sense of belonging. They spoke about the trust and friendships that are built through collaboration. How the relationships they’ve formed in the space have turned into extended family by sharing the births of children and the loss of family members together.
The experience as a whole is highlighted in the recording of ‘Happiness’. When the semester prompted us to get a minimum of 4 people on a song to help break the ice, I did my best to get as many voices as possible on a call and response hook. Whether it was new fathers yelling “eating ice cream, playing games with my kids!” or adventure seekers reciting “outside mesmerized by the simplest things!” - it was clear the process was helping us experience that ephemeral feeling of happiness.
You can support the U of C project as a whole by following along on Unreleased. The U of C Discord remains free to join while deciding whether it’s the right space for you. I look forward to sharing more as U of C continues to reach its full potential.
til then, choose joy.
<3
apr
