We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Orend Johnson Jr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Orend below.
Orend, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
My upcoming project is called the Yan Dubbas: Perfect Season. Their is no backstory behind the project. My intentions is to make the most intricate sonically sound album while introducing the Language of Reveyahphi. Yan Dubbas is my first word I created which means good morning. I guess my backstory is my intentions, that is to show the world they are witnessing a genius and a master of literature arts and sonics displaying his full ability as an artist.
Orend, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Growing up listening to oldies with my grandfather, inspired me and instilled a deep love of music within me. After being inspired by the greats that came before me, I executed my plan and started working on my craft.
As far as problems, I only need help with networking with music supervisors in the film/sync industry. I own my publishing and masters and all exclusive license to to my compositions.
I also provide publishing services, representation,mixing and mastering, and artists development.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
From my personal experience, society shuns down on artists that speaks their minds on social issues through unapologetic messages and illustrations. We usually recieve backlash from religious groups and from people who are bias against certain arts. We are just as important as the pope, a church choir, a monk, or anyone who surrounds their lives upon religious beliefs. Us as artists are told to shut up or don’t ruin your image or stop being a sinner, instead of being exalted for pushing the boundaries and showing the world the true colors. Aren’t we all just the dirt we step on? We step on each other and treat each other as dirty as the next person but never understood that every object and human has dirt upon itself. We need dirt to help each other stay grounded because the ground is made from the very essence we despise. Is it wrong and secular to show who we really are?”
“Society should understand that creators are humans that tells their life stories and experiences through art, and we are highly sensitive to energies around us. Our journey and our methods of getting our message out may not be the same as a preacher in church or a teacher in school. We don’t go off of a book, we go off of how we see the world and ourselves and the environment around us and we are emotional intelligent which is what the world lacks. For instance, a super religious person will only see the wrong that an artist does but will never ask why that person does or say the things he or she expresses. A rapper or singer might cuss but say something really deep that a pastor may talk about, a painter may paint a painting of a naked person to illustrate someone’s beauty through a lesson to empower a group of women or men, while we have teachers in school ignoring a child being bullied just for the way they look or dress. We should stop judging and understand that our message through art is the expressing what’s wrong and what’s right with the world in God’s eyes. That artist we judge is living the purpose God gave them and we should support their journey if they’re using their platform to speak up for the oppressed and systematically ignored. Who knows, NWA can drop a gospel album today with F-bombs throughout the project, that’s their way of telling young folks to stop the killing, hustle the right way, stay in school and off the streets, and be a real father or mother and instill knowledge and wisdom to help the next generation become better. People look at the littlest things like a cuss word, if it’s so bad to say, why isn’t it not illegal to say. Someone’s art is literally saving a life, a depressed life right now.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I read many books, watched many videos, and wrote many essays with importance behind the subtext but nothing teaches more than communicating with someone. I have a big fat honest mouth; I will talk to everyone I see because trading wisdom and laughter is all we ever need. Conversations inspire authors to write and creators to create. My resources are people who have experienced a certain thing I’m looking for. Networking helps us think and find clarity. You want to study business? Go call a friend you know that owns multiple companies and execute off of the information they gave you. Want to be a better parent? Go talk to your parents or anyone that is a right fit to be a parent and take notes on that advice and be the best dad and mom you can be. Want to learn how to fix a car? Go ask a local mechanic to teach you. Why stuff our faces in front of papers all day being bored when there’s a huge world of resources. Nothing wrong with reading but information can be changed on paper millions of times and the truth will never be the truth until we go out and see for ourselves. Take the bible for example, the truth about God was changed to please the churches of Europe and Martin Luther changed their dialects to please himself, now the entire world is fooled but won’t travel to Africa and seek truth themselves. My philosophy is let life and experience teach us before your world is fed with illusions. Im 22 and been reading my whole life about Aristotle, William Shakespeare, The Black Autocrats, The 48 Laws of Power, Billionaires, The secrets of America, the truth of Judah, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soul music, Religion,etc. I’m a college student as well but I learn best by being active in the world than being stuck in for walls reading a book. I grew up in a household where my mom made me read about our people and the truth of God but I gained better knowledge by networking with people that knew things things. We don’t need P.H.Ds and Scholars to learn, information is found everywhere, matter of fact, most my information and wisdom came from older people who never been to school in their life or younger people who are wealthier than me and never went to college. Life is so much more than a book or degree. Theirs so many industries out their and so much money to be earned, we can break into any industry without dedicating our lives to outdated information or paying off student loans.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @thatoptimisticgboy
- Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/optimisticgangsta/hard-times-feat-tjay-dream
Image Credits
Orend Johnson Jr, Shawna Long, Tajuana Elise Johnson