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

Tamira, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents are hustlers. My mother grew up in East Baltimore, and my father grew up ova West. My mother is an educator, and my father is a video editor for our local ABC news station. Growing up wasn’t easy for them. They each beat the odds and pursued a college education to provide a better life for my older brother (Sir Tizzy) and my older sister. They taught us to strive for more than just the average; they taught us how much of a privilege it is as a black person to believe in a dream and go after it because many of our forefathers did not have that same luxury. They taught us the importance of learning how to work on a team and how to lead. My mother taught us to know who you are and WHOSE you are, no matter what environment we’re put in, to see that we are here to spread God’s light and nothing more. She would never stop working; she would bring her laptop ANYWHERE and get what she had to get done, all while managing a household. My father taught me how to manifest anything truly; he showed me what true passion was. He taught me that if you want something, you are the only thing stopping you. He owned multiple businesses; he started a record label called Da Hill Records, as well as a videography business Slade Video Productions, as well as furthering his education later in life to become a physical education teacher; whatever my father wanted to do, he did, and my mother was behind him the entire time to support him. He taught me to take pride in our city and our culture. We couldn’t talk trash about the Ravens, EVER. I believe this upbringing is why I’m striving so hard to put Baltimore at the forefront of music. Because of my mother’s work ethic and my father’s passion for this city and music, I will bring a Grammy back to Baltimore. I will take my team of artists to places no Baltimore artist has ever been. Because of my mother’s educational background and my father’s will to learn anything, I take learning very seriously while on the road to mastering my craft. Because of them, I’m willing to do WHATEVER it takes for my artists and I to be successful. On average, I spend 12hrs a day in the studio; I dedicate at least 2 of those hours to taking notes in my business notebook on marketing strategies, music production tutorials, music business as a whole, etc. Without my parents being so supportive of me early on, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today…at least not this fast.

Tamira, 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?

My name is Tamira Slade, and I am a Music Producer, Songwriter, Designer, and CEO from Baltimore, MD. I run a studio called The Chamber, where I executively produce a roster of 10 artists in the city. My job as an executive producer includes not only beat-making but helping with songwriting, helping with getting a quality mix, Artist branding, and even having a hand in cover art along with the marketing/rollout of the music. I knew this job was for me when I was eight years old. One day I watched television, and nothing was on but Jay-Z’s Fade To Black Documentary. Later in the doc, there’s a scene where Timbaland is playing Jay some beats, and we hear him play the beat that became Dirt Off Your Shoulder; I was instantly inspired to make music. Music was an essential staple in my household. With my brother Sir Tizzy being a rapper and my parents starting a record label, I always wanted to be involved in music; I didn’t know how until that night. Ever since I would tinker with free beat-making programs like Soundation and Garageband, I never thought music could be a real career; my thinking can be very black and white sometimes; it wasn’t until my best friend, JahMakesMusic! pulled me aside in 2018 and said, “No, Tamira, you can really do this shit”, that was all I needed to hear. Since then, we’ve been grinding to be heard, some more friendly faces have come along for the journey, and I’m so blessed to have such a great support system. I’m most proud of my team. I think that sets me apart, being so team oriented and community-based. Without a community, we won’t grow; we can’t grow. At age 17, I was diagnosed with autism. Being social was very hard for me growing up, and it still is. It’s something you can’t “cure”; it’s something I’ll have to overcome every day for the rest of my life. My job is highly social; my phone never stops going off. Networking, mixed with the demand to constantly make content, is my biggest hurdle, and I get burnout quickly because of this. I remind myself every day that this vision God put in my spirit is more significant than me; I push through every day because I know there’s a neurodivergent Black girl in the future watching me; I feel like it’s my job to let them see that there are no limitations to what your mind can do. As a neurodivergent black girl, from the time you are born, people tell you that you’re lazy, you’re weird, you’re dumb, that you’re not good enough, all before you even know who you are. You begin to believe you’re worthless; I know millions of children feel like that, and I know I’m one of them. That’s why I have to go hard, cause I know the exact way artists like Tyler, The Creator, and Beyonce inspired me as a black creative; I know I can have that same impact. I want them to see it’s possible to touch Saturn.

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

The things society can implement to help artists are pretty simple. I think the future is moving towards people wanting to OWN music again, I see the pendulum turning back, and consumers in the future will be tired of microwave music and want something long-lasting. The best way to support artists is to buy their work, to share it on social media. Word-of-mouth marketing will be around until the end of time and is valuable; telling a friend about an artist you love can go a long way. Buy some merch, buy a song.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think NFTs are a peek into the future. Imagine being able to auction off an exclusive song on the blockchain that your fans can purchase and you as the artist get a percentage every time it’s resold. Imagine a world where fans who love a particular song can buy shares of the song and earn mechanical royalties. I think NFTs definitely have a long way to go, there are a ton of kinks that need to be worked out, but I truly believe they are an indicator of what the industry will look like 10 years from now.

Contact Info:

• Website: tamiraslade.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamiraslade/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TamiraSlade
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TAMIRASLADE

Image Credits
– Quinton Smith of BliindMedia Productions – Niajea Randolph -Dominique Little -RaKu