The Change Up by Alphabet Rockers
Tommy James S.
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I think about how to make things different and how to make my music different. Most of what I’m trying to do has been done before. I put myself into the music because what I play may have been done before, but no one plays like me. Whatever I’m doing even if it’s not music, I put myself into it, the energy that I bring and authenticity is what brings forward my creativity. When I am being true to myself is the best way to express and show my creativity.
When I was writing the Change Up, I tried to think of a lot of metaphors, the history of the prison system, where it originated from, and the practices that are used in prison and the system. I used metaphors from Revolutionaries that really impacted a lot of things we do today and make things possible for us. I wanted to include them because they are the shoulders we stand on. When making music, it’s not something you just stop thinking about when you leave the studio. My dad and I were talking about winning and learning in our everyday lives. We were talking about how losing is a learning experience and how you can take it as a loss or you can learn from it. Also, you can still learn from it and be in the system. Like when I said, “can it be a lesson and still pay the cost?” I question, does the system punish people or help them make better decisions so that the mistake doesn't happen again. I talk about the prison system and looking at it differently, like restorative justice. Finding a way to resolve a problem, rather than just having a punishment. We have to recognize the system and know that it’s not for us.
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Exploring opens a lot of doors, creativity is everything. Music has been made for a long time and a lot of great people have come before me. But no one plays like me. Consistently expressing my creativity is being myself at all times, even when it’s hard.
