Never label who you are, or what you can become. Live boundlessly and dream big, because the sky is not the limit, it’s the starting point.
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Like most black drummers, I grew up playing in church. And although I joined the jazz band in both middle and high school – and even learned how to play swing music – I still resorted to my fancy footwork and gospel chops when playing on Sunday morning and jamming with my friends, because it was comfortable and it’s what people expected.
My perception of myself was that I was a versatile, self-taught drummer who could play just about anything really well and really fast. I never realized that my playing was one dimensional until one day I was goofing off on the drums – back in the day when I managed the Guitar Center drum shop in Plymouth Meeting – and a customer came in and said “damn dude, your chops are sick, you’re a great gospel drummer.”
The moment he said that I cracked a smile at him and said “thanks bro,” but my pride was hurt, really hurt. But instead of sulking in my feelings, I was determined to be better, I was determined to be more than a three dimensional drummer, I wanted to be boundless.
That day marked an intentional transformation: I engaged in cultures outside of my own in order to expose myself to various styles of music, and to diversify my arsenal with world grooves and polyrhythms.
I began watching DVDs of Horiaco “El Negro” Hernandez so I could develop independence in my feet and successfully play a rumba with my left foot playing the 3/2 clave. I studied Dennis Chambers, a legend, to nail down the essence of a great drum solo. Since I was at Guitar Center and had access to every DVD in inventory, I watched everything; I played everything; I learned everything.
Forcing myself to be uncomfortable, learn new things and not box myself in extended itself way pass drumming and became a core value in how I live my life. Now when people ask me “Why’d you give up drumming for journalism?”
I reply: “I didn’t, I run a global media organization that produces 100 percent original content across channels and platforms, reaching up to 100 million readers a month, and I’m currently organizing DrumDuel®, the first-ever head-to-head, multi-level drum competition designed to raise awareness for the health benefits of drumming.”
The moral of the story: never label who you are, or what you can become. Live boundlessly and dream big, because the sky is not the limit, it’s the starting point.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™