Is there more to music? What else can music do for us? Can it change your life, or even reprogram your mind? I recently discovered a new genre of music that is going against the grain of mainstream trends. One key influencer is Loot Bryon Smith, a Californian artist using rap to inspire others. He has a talent of rhythmically weaving powerful words together in a way that motivates and uplifts anyone listening.
How would you describe the music you create? How is it different from the trends in mainstream music?
I would describe the music I create as positive, self-empowering, motivational, inspirational, uplifting and therapeutic. I feel that the music that I am inspired to create is different from the trends in mainstream music because the music I create is specifically intended to encourage and affirm a positive mindset.
Do you think the music we listen to can influence our mind?
I believe that music is very powerful because it stimulates thoughts and emotions and when this energy is infused with the lyrics of a song it becomes even more powerful. I’ve also come to realise after years of research as well as from my own experiences that our words are very powerful as well and have a strong impact on our lives. The words that we speak to ourselves as well as the conversations we have with others become a part of who we are. By absorbing into our subconscious and conscious minds they shape who we become as well as the circumstances that occur in our lives. This is also true in regards to the movies, TV shows and information we watch and listen to on a regular basis. Whatever we talk about, think about and focus on with emotion and repetition tends to manifest into or lives. So, in conclusion that’s why music is so powerful because it is repetitive and very influential on our thoughts, feelings, words and actions. And that’s why I feel it is very important to be aware of and regulate what we listen to.
“Music is very powerful because it stimulates thoughts and emotions and when this energy is infused with the lyrics of a song it becomes even more powerful.”
I learned through your YouTube channel that you were once produced more ‘mainstream music’. Tell us about this change and your journey to creating your current style of music?
I’ve been creating this current genre of self-empowerment music for over three years and prior to that I created a more urban style of music, mainly gangster rap. But as I’ve progressed in my life, I found that the lyrics I was creating in those songs were not supportive of my own inner peace, happiness and well-being. I’m not saying that this style of music is not capable of stimulating good feelings but I’ve learned that those feelings are usually short-lived and negativity is usually not far behind. I understand that we all are capable of feeling negative at times but continually listening to lyrical content that is energy draining and unsupportive of our inner peace and overall well-being can be very harmful to us. And as I’ve evolved in my consciousness and experienced growth in my life, I’ve decided to create music that was more helpful to myself as well as others.
Often people will say they find it difficult to listen to positive music when they are feeling down. What are your thoughts on this?
Those that say they find it difficult to listen to positive music when they are feeling down more than likely feel justified in feeling that way. I do understand because it is ok to feel down, that is part of being human and during those times we often are not open to anything that is opposed to how we are choosing to feel. The key is learning not to allow those negative feelings to consume us continually and by listening to something uplifting such as positive music, we can actually reprogram our minds like a computer program to think more positive more often.
I am fascinated by the way you put together your lyrics and rhymes. One of my favourite lines is: ‘You won’t slow down ’til the next millennium. Your mind is a processor Pentium, with more power than anything lithium’ from the song ‘Champion’. What is your songwriting process?
There are two ways in regards to the creative process of my songs. The first way is that I already have an idea or subject as to what I want to talk about in the song. The second way in which I use mostly is, I listen to a few instrumentals in which my producer “Aristotle The Great” creates. I then pick out the music that speaks to me the most and begin a process where I sit alone, relaxed as I listen to the instrumental, allowing the music to guide my thoughts and feelings. During this moment the lyrics and melodies just flow to me easily as I write them down on paper and later recite them into the microphone.
I also like how you embed quotes into your songs. For example, and “You have to own your happiness. Take it away from other people demanding that they make you happy” from ‘I Choose Happiness’ and “I believe there is a huge difference in the way that successful people and unsuccessful people think, and I believe that success itself is not some big mystery” from the song ‘My Life is Abundant’. Who are these speakers and how do you go about choosing them?
There are many philosophers, Coaches, Teachers, Authors, Evangelists, etc. that inspire me in one way or another. When I say inspire, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I agree with everything each individual says or might say, but obviously, something they’ve said has captured my attention. Some of the people that inspire me the most are Napoleon Hill, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Paul Santisi, Ernest Holmes, Earl Nightingale, Rhonda Byrne, Louise L. Hay, Les Brown, Jason Stephenson, Gregg Braden, Joseph Murphy, Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Abraham Hicks and Allie O’Shea’ and Paramahansa Yogananda. The two people that are in the songs you mentioned are Bishop T.D Jakes and Brendon Burchard whom also inspire me. I love to find speaking segments from those that inspire me and incorporate it into my music because I feel it gives it much more energy.
What music do you listen to? Describe some major influences on your music.
I currently listen to a lot of instrumental music such as smooth jazz and/or classical music from composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach. I find this type of music to mind clearing, relaxing and well as great for reading and/or studying. I am also an avid reader and the books I read have a strong impact on the music I create. Some of the books I’ve read include Law of Success by Napoleon Hill, High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, The Power of The Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy, Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoughts are Things by Bob Proctor and I Wish I Knew This 20 Years Ago by Justin Perry.
What are your goals as an artist? What do you hope to achieve with your music in the future?
My goals as an artist are to become the best person I can be, living a life of fulfilment, love, happiness, peace, success, health, wealth and prosperity while I encourage and help others do the same.
You can have a listen to Loot Bryon Smith’s music here and find out more here.
Interview by David Charkey
Great interview and well done and said Loot