We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Morris Sally a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Morris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I wanted to bring something new to Greenville, and the Upstate of SC, in the form of HipHop. I saw a Beat Cypher online in Atlanta, called Controllerise, that showed me how to do it. I actually seen Controllerise in person in Asheville NC and Atlanta GA. Their events and performances really sparked me to do the same thing in SC, but I had no stage equipment, not even a drum machine. I only had the name of the event…The SCLofi TakeOver Beat Cypher. I first purchased a drum machine, on credit, making monthly payments, and started posting simple beat videos online, wanting to be part of the beat making community on social media. Then the pandemic hit in 2020, and the world was at a stand still. But while I was laid off from work I was able to practice my craft as a beat maker, and received 1k a week from unemployment. The money from unemployment I brought my stage equipment (mixer, speakers, etc.). Next, I needed a venue to host the beat cypher. Not just any venue, but a venue that understood Hiphop, and really saw my vision. Because this type of event was not a money maker off the top, and the attendance had to be built one person at a time, by staying consistent with the monthly events. Finally back at work, I was expressing my ideas of this beat cypher to some coworkers, coworker Mr. Frank over heard the conversation, and said “Big Moe I got a store.” I said, “Who got a store?!?!”. Mr. Frank laughed and said “I GOT A STORE!”. I couldn’t believe it. I then proceeded to talk to him intensely about my ideas of the beat cypher now and in the future. We set up the meeting at the store (Hadiyah’s Dream located Downtown Greenville sC), got the blessing of Co-owner Ms. Von and the Bowen family. The first beat cypher was June 2021! Outside of a few family members and friends no one showed up. I performed a 4 hr event by myself for months. I was promoting and marketing online consistently, doing paid ads, and still no one was coming. I thought I had took a risk with my money and time for nothing. But, what keep me going was Mr. Frank and Ms. Von kept encouraging me that what I was doing was new and it was going to take some time to catch on in the area. Also, reminding me that the few that did come to the event really enjoyed themselves. Finally in October of 2021 someone found my event on Instagram and messaged all of his friends, that person was Coach K (resident of Greenville SC). I thought finally this event is going to take off! October event starts, about halfway through, nobody showed up but Coach K. He started making calls, still no one showed up. The November event, no one showed up but Coach K. He asked could he perform with me, me saying yes, Coach K left came back with his Dj equipment, and we rocked the rest of that event live on instagram. A week later Coach K asked me if he could do a vinyl release during my beat cypher event, and it was a definite yes! The December vinyl release and beat cypher event was a success (20-30 in attendance). The rest is history. Now the “SCLofi TakeOver “ Beat Cypher event averages about 40+ in attendance, also beat makers and MCs come from all over the SC, Atlanta, Charlotte, Asheville, and beyond.

Morris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, first off I’m 55 years old. HipHop is only 50 years old, so I remember when there was no such thing as Hiphop. So, my experience is everything. Being a listener, consumer, fan, intern, artist, producer, manager, and an event curator. I’ve released my own independent projects on cassette, vinyl, CDs, and digital. I’ve managed producers to get placements on MTV, VH-1, and Shady Records. I’m mentioned in 2 significant HipHop books, Wheels of Steel the memoir Dj JFX and For Whom the Cowbell Tolls 25 Years of Paul’s Boutique (Beastie Boys). Now, the curator of The SCLofi Beat Cypher, I’m trying to bring back the purpose of HipHop. I know we all are trying to make money with our craft, but at what cost? Not only do I want my event to bring together some very talented individuals, but also educate them with the business part, and technology within the music world. I feel I’m one of the first to talk about AI and expose my attendees to Metaverse education. So, for me SCLofi is everything. The past, the present, and future of HipHop.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Study and create a team around NFTs. This will be the game changer for independent artists and indie labels. You have so many options for the sell of your music and merchandise. You can really give your fans and supporters an over the top experience through their purchase of your music and merch NFTs. The sky ain’t even the limit!

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

I wish every major city would build a minimum money rental space that could have attendance up to a hundred people capacity. Equipped with an concession stand, stage, stage equipment, and lighting. So artists and creatives can bring something new to their area without the fear of it not succeeding, and risking it all.      

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sclofi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sclofi/

Image Credits
Photos by: Mo1Only and Zell