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

Isaac, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have been doing music since I was in my teens and traveling the country doing shows at small venues. It was not until 2013 that I really was able to start making any real money from shows. Because my music has always been uplifting messages and clean lyrics, I was getting more opportunities to do events hosted by large organizations that catered to a wide range of people (including children). That is when I found my niche. Between doing those events and getting work writing commercials and jingles In 2013, I was one of the performers for the Birmingham City’s “50 years Forward” celebration. In 2015, I was asked to create some music for the Jefferson County Health Department for their Safe Sex Campaign. Later in 2015, I was able to be a part of the BET/Centric Celebration of Selma at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 2017, I was one of the performers for the dedication of the Civil Rights Monument at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. In 2019, I was on stage performing for the Celebration of Angela Davis in Birmingham. I was blessed to be voted at the Male Hip Hop artist of the Year for 2021 in the Alabama Music Awards. Music has afforded me the opportunity to use my voice a variety of ways.

That was just the start of my realization that my voice was the vehicle I needed to use. I started podcasting in 2020. I had a podcast, at the time, with a friend of mine (poetess LyssaLou) that was called “Mediums: The Podcast” about the struggles and journeys of artists and creatives. We interviewed artists and discussed their process. We did that for about a year. Also, during that time in 2020, I started a YouTube Channel with my friends, talking about Auburn University athletics, called “The War Rapport.”
The Mediums Podcast kind of fizzled out due to scheduling conflicts. We just were not able to keep recording, especially after the pandemic hit. However, The War Rapport took off. That channel has grown to over 8k subscribers on YouTube and is not the largest independent media company (not connected to some larger entity) that covers Auburn sports.

Isaac, 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?

Right now, my endeavor is to create music that inspires others and challenges me. I am still releasing projects (mostly small EPs). More of the music I am doing now is being used for sync licensing or for my own content on the YouTube channel. I have been writing a lot for that purpose lately, to give myself royalty free music to use. The channel’s growth is the thing I am most proud of. We have been able to do it all independently.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest thing that I had to change course on was the idea that I needed to be in the “record business”. I wanted to be a front man on big stages and thought that was the path to profitability for me in music. If I had pivoted to this direction a long time ago, I would be much further along. I, honestly, stumbled into this path. It was not anything calculated. I got opportunities to do a few things and they just kept coming, the more I did them.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

What people can do to help artists most is tell them the truth about why they do not support them. Help people really learn who has interest in their art so they can find a way to reach their real audience. I wasted a lot of time chasing audiences that were not listening to me. Creatives need to find pathways to their audience. Also, if you do support an artist/creative, make sure you show us love any way you can. Share our stuff, buy our stuff, etc. We cannot survive without that support

Contact Info:

• Website: githeartist.com and thewarrapport.com
• Instagram: @githeartist or @thewarrapport
• Facebook: G.I. Magus or The War Rapport
• Twitter: @githeartist or @TWRIkeJones
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR6LxMU8SIn5sXlOFr_t6g or https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWarRapport

Image Credits
2. Markee Canada 4. Jay Dexter 5. Jamil Glenn