Jackson Free Press

We've come to yet another music issue, and that means as in years past, it's time for my annual state of the music address. It seems I've become the "mad rapper" for all my political ramblings and such, but the music is my passion. It is the music that I think makes most folks in the private sector even give me the time of day. It is the music that's given me a platform to voice my opinions in this very publication.

That passion has made me take a solemn vow to elevate Jackson's music scene. I have defended all that is music here. If I must, I'll carry the load on my back, but the scene has too many soldiers in hip-hop, rock, blues, country and spoken word to be held back or for me to have to do that. There's way too much talent here, and it's high time the world noticed. So, has the state of our local music scene improved any since last year?

Hmmm … a little.

There are marked improvements. Local hip-hop continued to receive decent radio play, spawning a couple of regional hits. The rock music scene saw a couple of major tours stop in the capital city, and a few local bands even got the opportunity to taste the thrill of gracing the Coliseum stage.

We were introduced to the future of country music, a 13-year-old wunderkind by the name of William Michael Morgan, and our blues legacy continues to remain intact with young lions like Eddie Cotton paving the way.

Further, the recent decline in record sales across the board has forced the entrepreneurial hand of dozens of local artists. The past year marked a positive upswing of artists taking their careers into their own hands. They're no longer pining for that big record deal. More local artists are starting their own labels and building their own studios than ever before.

I've run into hordes of local artists of all genres in Office Depot, Circuit City and Comp USA, buying CD duplicators and blank CDs, getting ready to arm themselves with enough merchandise to fund their dreams.

But unfortunately, we still need more support. For all the advances, club promoters still aren't booking enough local bands. Radio still needs to step up its support (c'mon Y101, what are you waiting for?). And we need more of you to recognize the blossoming spoken-word contingent in the area.

For those of us who do this for a living, it's vital to our survival. Attendance was down at last year's Farish Street Festival and Jubilee! JAM didn't even happen (although it will be back this year). So c'mon people, let's get behind our local music.

I never thought I'd be blessed enough to see 10 years in the music business. But then again, I never thought I'd be selling music on MySpace, promoting albums to high school kids on Facebook, posting a video on YouTube or managing a rock band.

Lord willing, I'll make it through another year, and come next music issue, I'll have some groundbreaking developments to report.

And that's the truth … sho-nuff.