A Music Artist On How To Change the Conversation About Race in America

As you know, February is Black History Month. We don’t think black history should be celebrated for only one month; but should be celebrated every day. At Consciously Unbiased, we’ll be shining a light on the impact makers who are changing the conversation about race in America this month—and all year long.

Today we’re talking to K. Credle, business school graduate, former college basketball player, poet, music artist, and CEO of the music record label Credle Entertainment. His debut album, Lone Wolf 2, Part 1, focuses on raising awareness about the mental health crisis in America, particularly among the black community. You can listen to the full conversation here and read on for how he is using his music to create change.

ON BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP…

“Black entrepreneurship is very important. I even bring it back to 1921 to the massacre that happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [Many] people are not familiar with it, but we had a black Wall Street and were don’t pretty well and there was a race riot…We were minding our business, creating black businesses, and creating the opportunity for ourselves in spite of slavery and everything that happened prior to that.

Just to see us doing well and for hatred to override that, it was pretty embarrassing for American history. It’s all right because, at the end of the day, we’re back and stronger than ever. I really see a lot of black businesses growing and we’re actually getting support. I feel like it’s not just black people supporting black businesses; I’m seeing other races doing it as well. That’s very important as far as growth, because black entrepreneurship is very key for us.

ON HOW HAVING MANY BLACK WOMEN ON HIS TEAM SHAPED HIM…

“I’ve been getting shaped by black women my whole life. My mom, my grandmother, my great grandmother, my aunts, cousins, my sister. I don’t force anything; it’s just the energy that comes with the people that I’m working with and how genuine the black women around me are. The majority of my fan base is black women. I have nothing but love and respect for black women and the support that I’ve been getting from them since I was a child. And it’s just dope working with the black women that I have on my team.”

ON WHO INSPIRES HIM…

“Outside of my family, like my father and my sister, I’d say the music artists who aren’t afraid to be different. Childish Gambino Kid Cudi, and ,controversial, but Kanye West, musically. Even though I may disagree with some of the things he may say, that’s just how he feels and he is going to say it anyways. That’s just how it should be.”

ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CONSCIOUSLY BLACK…

“To me, to be consciously black means not only accepting who you are, but the history as well. Unfortunately, you bump into people who have been bashed mentally by watching television, or the way they’ve been treated; sometimes they hate themselves. Or they grew to do that. But to be consciously black is to love yourself; to love everything about—not only you—but your history as well. To acknowledge who you are at the end of the day, and just accepting everything.”

ON MICRO-PROGRESSIONS, OR SMALL MOVES WE CAN DO TO CREATE CHANGE…

“It’s hard to retrain yourself, relearn things, or go about things differently. I think it starts with having an open mind, really looking into the mirror and asking yourself, ‘How can I get better?’ or ‘How can I be more accepting?’ or ‘Am I as accepting as I think I am?’ It’s tough to know until you’re in the situation. But once a situation shows your true colors, either you’re going to acknowledge it or you’re not. And that’s up to you.”

Show Notes:

February 17, 2020 Performance at S.O.B.’s

February 22, 2020 WXLVS Howl Showcase & Competition at Starr Bar

New Single: Fall Back

Tulsa Race Massacre

Kid Cudi