BALTIMORE — Mentorship and music go hand and hand in the Beats Not Bullets program and now some students are involved in an upcoming album release that will show off their talents.
Beats Not Bullets got its start 7 years ago.
It was a place for children to learn how to make music and a place to go that takes them off the streets.
"It's grown into an after school program, we have cohorts every other Saturday so it's really grown and the most important impressive part is the students that have been putting work in," says Brandon Lackey.
"The program is really an opportunity to take advantage of high level mentorship from people who have been there before," says MC Bravado.
Brenden Tilghman also known by his artist name Princemack was once a student in the program.
"It's nice to see that we can watch each other grow and they even allow me to help out with the kids now so it's almost like a full circle moment," says Tilghman.
He says Beats Not Bullets changed his life.
But the last few months have been hard for the program after 14-year-old Jasper Davis was shot and killed outside of the metro station near Mondawmin Mall.
"He was here days before, I was talking to him on the couch. He was a bright kid, huge personality he was really funny," says Lackey.
It was the first time the program had ever lost a student.
"That one hit, hit home with everybody and it kind of shows how important this opportunity is for us," says Lackey.
His death and other tragedies are a part of what fuels the music the students make in the program.
And now some of their songs will be a part of an upcoming album called the 'Baltimore Belief Tape.'
"It's something that I have never done before, like I have always just worked on the coaching side more so you know, when I've been active with them in the same room so to actually collaborate on something musically is a breakthrough," says MC Bravado.
Tilghman hopes the project inspires a new generation of artists who want to make music in Baltimore.
"You have to believe in your passion, you have to believe in your city, you have to believe in things that you do that you love and I feel like that shines through more than anything else in this project," says MC Bravado.
MC Bravado says he plans to release the 'Baltimore Belief Tape' in January.
