Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandon Russell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Brandon, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have plenty of meaningful projects currently out now available on all streaming platforms, and I’m excited to announce my new project, “MIND Over Matter” will be released on March 13, 2024! I haven’t done a full project in a few years and figured it was time to see and show my growth and development, versatility, and authenticity as an artist. My previous EP’s (State of MIND, Outta Sight, Outta MIND) were very brief, short, and to the point. With “MIND Over Matter” I’m able to give more, expound on my life and current events, and deliver a message of a lesson I had to learn myself! The title is self-explanatory of what that lesson is. Anything can be accomplished and NOTHING is impossible if you put your MIND to it! I wouldn’t have made it this far as an emerging artist and entrepreneur if I did not have this mentality. My goal is to share that with the world and help inspire others who dream, wish, and simply have the will to want and/or be better!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am MINDFRAME! Born Brandon Russell from the streets of Memphis, TN, living in the Nashville area now. I’m a dynamic artist who’s rewriting the rap game. Talented rapper, songwriter, and singer, I bring my unique blend of southern hip-hop, soul, and R&B to the forefront. My music is a raw reflection of my life, embracing experiences, and challenges. Im also a College Graduate of “thee” Tennessee State University, an Army Veteran (13 years), and an Entrepreneur! I own and design for my clothing brand, AirBornKings, LifeLongDreams (ABKLLD) CLothing. I started rapping and performing at a very young age and instantly fell in love.

My compelling singles like “Homegoing Celebration”, “Strange Change”, “Look At Me Now”, “One More Time”, and “Lay Ya Down” have hit the airwaves across multiple states and even internationally. My style is rooted in something from nothing! My music delves into life’s intricacies, self-motivation, hustle, women, and the joy of living. My recent hits “BACK IN MY BAG”, “Aye Mane Say Mane”, and “Conversations With a Playa” showcase my ever-evolving sound. I also have been nominated for various awards, including Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Slept on Artist of the Year, Business/Brand of the Year, Website/App of the Year, and Slept on Clothing Brand of the Year making my rise undeniable. My clothing brand is a reflection of my music and my message which makes everything full circle. It consists of urban wear for men, women, and children. All products are available on my website www.thankgodimframe.com. Also, all of my music, videos, and blog placements are located there as well. It’s a one-stop shop!

I’ve been featured on prominent platforms like Hoodrich Radio, The Progress Report, Thisis50, The Source, and many more capturing hearts, fans, and supporters with my intricate flow and powerful content. I also have a few music videos with over 500,000 views on YouTube as well.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have plenty of them. I have been involved in the music business industry for some time now, and it’s not for the weak! This game/business will chew you up, spit you out, and walk right over you. There have been many times an event will not go as planned, promoters/booking agents did not hold up their ends, and ultimately, a bad turnout of attendance. This is bad news for an artist and entrepreneur whose sole purpose needs people’s attention and monetary support. A specific story I can tell you was when I was performing in a Fashion Show “Festival” in Atlanta, GA. I was a headlining artist, my brand ABKLLD Clothing was being featured on the runway and worn by models during my performance, and I had a vendor space to sell my brand as well. The location that was shown to me previously before the show was a HUGE warehouse space and stage setup. Needless to say, once I arrived, the venue was a small back area of a club and barbershop lol. But, I adapted to that and continued to push forward as most professionals do. The DJ arrived an hour late after the event was “supposed” to have started, and the event as a whole started 2 hours late. The show organizer wanted me there 4 hours earlier for sound check, booth setup, and clothing assignment to the models. I was also told a mass media presence would be there and plenty of “celebrity guests” and none of those were present. It gets worse..lol. There was no actual runway or stage, and the sound system was horrible. I pushed through, did the show, networked to the best of my abilities, and even still made a few sales. This story illustrates my true love for what I do and is a true testament to my resilience. Most would have left, given up, and never looked back, but not me! God gave me this gift and talent for a reason and I will see it through!

In your view, what can society do to support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

A simple answer would be to give rising/emerging independent artists more chances. Allow venues and booking agents to start looking into local artists to join in on shows with bigger talent. Also, I feel like more networking events should be created for artists to meet and work with prominent individuals at Record Labels, PROs, etc. I also feel like there should be way fewer Pay-To-Play showcases that have 30-50 artists performing in one night for “judges” to pick a winner for some package to benefit them that usually doesn’t. This is overused and over-saturated and does absolutely nothing for the artist. Except maybe to help them work on and build stage presence and better performing skills. To remedy this, I feel like a few events should be held with selected artists who can sell tickets and keep a profit for themselves. Many do not understand the cost/price of being an independent artist. It is tough! So at least putting a few dollars back in their pocket to reinvest in themselves is the least that can happen to better support artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thankgodimframe.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thankgodimframe
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thankgodimframe
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/thankgodimframe
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@ThankGodImFRAME
• Other: ABKLLD CLothing Social Media: www.instagram.com/abklldclothing www.facebook.com/abklldclothing