The Reading Lists of Mina Leon, White Folkz, Jay Mills, Justin Trawick, Alison Carney and more
By Natasha T. Brown
Freakonomics (2005) is a groundbreaking collaboration between the economist Steven D. Levitt and the author Stephen J. Dubner. It explores the inner workings of a crack gang, the truth about real estate agents, the secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, and more. It became a worldwide sensation and won several awards.
-Freakonomics.com
…Allowing the reader to look beyond societal assumptions, thinking deeper and realizing that “there are things in life that deserve a fresh new perspective,” are exactly the reasons why Mina Leon, the Japan-based songbird (who is no stranger to DMV music) is enjoying the literary exploration of Freakonomics.
I asked various artists one question, “What are you reading?” and like Leon, most are currently, or have been consumed by books that dig deep beyond the superficial surface that much of today’s entertainment scene offers.
The influence of literature
What we read influences our lives, and since for many singers, rappers and songwriters, art is life, it was only natural to think that the pages they’ve turned, the stories they’ve digested and the character journeys that artists have traveled, have influenced the types of music they make.
However, rap/hip-hop artist White Folkz, told me just the opposite about his music and reading. The books he reads are deep. Right now, the self-proclaimed “dope-boy rapper” is reading The Grand Chessboard by Zbigniew Brzezinski and The Long Way Home by George Pelecanos. The first book is about geopolitical takeover strategies and the last, written by Pelecanos, is the author’s account of time spent in the juvenile detention facility Oak Hill, a story that took Folkz back to his youth days in that same detainment. However, after further conversation, Folkz explained that he’s not quite ready to allow the deeper subjects that he engages to seep through to his music.
“Right now the landscape of society is not ready for [these] subject matters, and the ones who can absorb the information and understand it, don't want to. Hip Hop used to be a medium for the artist to speak in code, through music, to spread information that would help people, or at least change their way of thinking. This is not the case anymore,” he said. Folkz plans on making feel-good, party music until he’s a household name with more reign to explore the thought-provoking subjects that influence his personal library.
Reading for life and music’s sake
The popular “(Alison) Wonderland” singer, Alison Carney likes to read words that paint pictures through figurative language. She takes many of her reading suggestions from her loved ones and feels that she gets a little glimpse of her friends in a way that may not have before been possible.
Multi-talented Singer/Lyricist Jay Mills reads books that empower her life as an artist and inspire her to believe in her dreams.
I think books can change your entire way of life, by changing how you think, as well as how you view yourself and others,” she said, adding that her favorites The Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Alchemist and The Autobiography of a Yogi, have changed her thought-process enough that she rereads these books to maintain balance and creativity.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, “Awakened the revolutionary mindset in my African-American soul. It reminds me how much one person can change the world through knowledge of self and the desire to help others attain this same knowledge,” Mills added.
Many agree with Jay Mills in that the Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the most powerful books one could read and The Alchemist is packed with eternal wisdom.
Artists, read for various reasons. The DMV-based pop/R&B singer, turned Rapper, Harmony Muzik has seen her career plateau in recent years, probably due in part to her commitment to marketing and business strategy, and reading publications such as News Weekly and Billboard.
Justin Trawick, an “Urban Folk Rock” Songwriter connects his life to music in comical and creative ways via the influences of folk, bluegrass, funk and even some hip-hop. Trawick has never consciously written songs based on books, but he is influenced.
For me, I think participating in art helps me be a better artist. No matter whether it's reading, going to a gallery, seeing a movie, or watching a piano recital, watching other people create something inspires me to create something for myself,” Trawick said.
Check out the artists’ reading lists below, and pull a novel or two from the shelves that inspire these talented artists from and around the Nation’s Capital and beyond.
What are they reading?
Allison Carney, R&B/Soul Singer
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Still Life with Woodpecker, Tom Robbins
Harmony Muzik, Singer/Lyricist
Time Magazine
News Weekly
Fortune Magazine
Source Magazine
Rolling Stone Magazine
Billboard Magazine
Jay Mills, Hip/Hop, Spoken Word Artist
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Justin Trawick, Songwriter
Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Author Brad Thor’s books
L.A., Female Hip-Hop Artist
The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz
Ask, and It is Given by Jerry and Esther Hicks
Mina Leon, Singer
Freakonomics by Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Muggsy Malone, Rap Artist
The Bible
Works on psychological science
White Folkz, Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
The Grand Chessboard by Zbigniew Brzezinski
The Long Way Home by George Pelecanos
Natasha Brown is a writer and founding communications strategist of Think Brown INK, a creative think tank and strategic communications agency in the Washington area. Follow her on Twitter @NatashaTBI or @ThinkBrownINK.