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

Hi MBE June, thanks for joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investment I ever made, without a doubt, is me purchasing my own (mobile) studio. The idea was first planted in my head back in 2012. I was in College at the time and I was studying the music industry, more than I was the curriculum in school at the time. I was watching everything from performances, to interviews and all the behind the scenes stuff too. I wanted to become the biggest artist in the world, so I was studying all the greats. At the time, Juicy J from Three Six Mafia was working on his solo career and he had the biggest song in the world “Bandz a make her dance”. Me being in college I remember hearing this song all the time on the radio and at all the college parties. It was a certified hit. I found it interesting that someone who had a lengthy and successful career as he had up to that point was still finding a way to not only stay relevant but continue to reach new heights. Being enamored by his continued success I dove deeper into what he was doing behind the scenes to have such longevity. Searching YouTube I came across a vlog that broke down the creative process behind the song and what went into making it. I imagined thousands of dollars went into making the song in a state of the art studio somewhere in Atlanta but to my surprise I couldn’t have been more wrong. I discovered that Juicy J had recorded that song in a hotel room and all it took was a laptop, a mic and an interface. The setup was simple and I was completely stunned. This motivated me to have my own traveling studio. At the time I had no idea how that simple discovery would change my life. Fast forward 5 years later 2017 following the release of my first studio album ‘JuneBo’ I had earned enough money to purchase my own home setup. When looking for the equipment I knew I had to have something mobile and compact enough to travel with me so I can setup and record wherever. By giving myself this advantage I was not only able to record myself on the go but I was also able to collaborate with a lot of different artist and producers due to the luxury of being able to pull up on them wherever. This led to the idea of using this tool to find new artist for my label and eventually start a mobile recording business based on this same concept. Now 10 years later from the day I discovered this hidden gem I have a mobile recording business based out of Atlanta, GA where I pull up and record people wherever they are. I am currently in the process of putting this mobile studio inside a van and putting the studio on wheels. This experience taught me to think outside the box and don’t assume that it takes a whole bunch of money to achieve success. All it takes is creativity and will. If you want something bad enough, put thought into how to obtain it and work towards your goal you can achieve it. Who knew that searching Juicy J on YouTube would one day lead to an innovative business for me 10 years later.

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 go by the name of MBE June I am a rapper/singer/songwriter and CEO of MBESTBR the Label. We are the future in music, fashion and culture. I am originally from Liberty City, Miami, FL but I grew up in Decatur, GA. I’ve been doing music my entire life for as long as I can remember. I started to take music serious around 2013 after dropping out of college. That’s around the time I released my first mixtape titled ‘Suede: The Preview’. The response I got from this project gave me the confidence to go all in with the music. I began to spend all day and night in the studio my parents built in our backyard. I would have friends and collaborators come by and have listening/jam sessions just to get a feel of how people would receive my music. After running up all the bills at the house I eventually started recording around the city in some of the biggest studios in Atlanta. From Patchwerk, to HotBeats to Grand Hustle studios where I met many artist who were on the Grand Hustle roster at the time. In 2016, I moved to Greenville, SC where my producer and collaborator Merv Bo resided and began to work on what would become my debut album ‘JuneBo’. The entire album was produced, mixed and mastered by Merv Bo which is where the idea for the name came from. Even the cover art for the album was created by the both of us. Following the success of JuneBo we went on to release three more projects that year titled ‘Halloween’, ‘Thanksgiving’ & ‘Christmas 2017’. In 2018 I moved back to Atlanta, GA to be there for the birth of my daughter Nala. At this time is when I decided to fulfill a 5 year dream of having my own home (mobile) studio. This eventually led to me branching out and collaborating with other artist and producers because I could come to them with the studio. In November 2020 I released my second studio album titled ‘No Elevators’ with producer Jay Krishna doing all the production for the album. The concept for this album was based on not taking shortcuts. Not skipping any steps in the process which led to the name no elevators. In 2021 I rebranded my record label which was started in 2015 and combined the former label MBE (Match Box Entertainment) & STBR (soon to be rich a model and standard I lived by that was given birth while still in college). The result was MBESTBR the label, which has already made a mark in the city in not only music but fashion and culture as well. What I’m most proud of is that now I can take my experiences and knowledge through my years of doing music and apply it to the younger generation to give them a jumpstart I never had. Part of me creating the mobile recording studio is because I always felt if I had access to something like this years ago it would have accelerated my growth and helped me perfect my craft. The key is staying consistent and the more access you have to a studio as an artist the more consistent you will be.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One thing about being a creative is no one shares your dream. Your vision is your vision because it was given to you. People aren’t just going to wake up and believe in you because you say so. You have to make them believe. Never wait around for some one to believe in you, believe in yourself before anybody else. I remember when my parents first built the studio in the backyard I couldn’t get them to take me seriously. So one day while they were at work I went on YouTube and watched videos on how to record and mix my own vocals. Once I felt comfortable enough I went into the studio and recorded my own song. Later that day when my parents got home I played the song for them. They were so impressed by my dedication and determination they began taking me seriously as an artist and they soon believed in me as well, but it started with self belief first.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The biggest resource that I wish I found out about earlier is the power of networking. Building relationships in any industry is fundamental. The more people you can get to know and put your talent in front of the more streams you have to flow through when it’s time to release whatever it is you have to offer the world. For example if you have one producer you really like working with that’s great but do not limit yourself because that’s only one person to circulate your music around. If you only work with one other artist its the same concept. Try to expand your network and build organic relationships, these relationships will prove their value later down the road.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mbe-june/1318923815
• Instagram: instagram.com/mbejune
• Facebook: Facebook.com/mbejune
• Twitter: twitter.com/mbejune
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfM7JqBTuRDCVsaf6EK6xZA

Image Credits
The Byrd Collective The Gym Complex