EpicTubell

Before/And Currently How Music Made Me: No Morals, Much Mentality

When nothing entices you to be better than you are, when nothing of reality makes sense, when you have no moral or ethnical guidance, was exactly my lifestyle, before I was introduced to music. I remember thinking to myself, about what my reasons for being were, and ending up with nothing but a blank expression on my face to show for it. Before music my life felt pointless, and pointless was my mentality towards a society I barely knew anything about. Life with no morals was a very difficult part of my life, which was dramatically changed the instance music, was introduced into my learning realm.

Actually before my initial phase into becoming obsessed with music, back in 1996, my father had invested into the family’s first personal computing laptop which was running windows 95, some months later, which was upgraded to windows 98. I was so fascinated by digging deeper into, and rearranging files & folders, within the gui interface of the system, that, I was literally glued to the chair, star struck about the possibilities of what I could do if I learned how to code & program, computer content. Ever sense then I inspired to be a software developer.

Noticing how much time & energy I spent becoming an expert, operating the computers abilities, and supporting my hobbies (at the time) of conducting & recording music through tape decks. My dad (Andrew Bridges), purchased a music product by the name of, “Magix Music Maker 4” which I became so infatuated with, that I decided to start my own music group. I would spend countless nights studying the music industry and what tools producers would use to produce mainstream music. Not having much of a budget to purchase what top producers were using, I managed to get (after many pain setting trials of downloading mega files on dial up) a copy of; Frutyloops 3, which was used to construct instrumentals, that were later imported into Magix for vocals to be added into. That same day, I read both manuals front to back, and proceeded to construct my first beat approximately about 4:30 in the morning late that night. By the end of the summer (2-3 months) I had constructed more than 500 instrumentals, which instigated my life and future forever with music.

After actually learning how to make music, I became a listener. Ranging from Hip Hop, Jazz, Country, Rock, Gospel, Pop, to Latino. Remembering myself, being such a diverse listener, playing music nobody was familiar with, became my specialty. I enjoyed and became fixed in introducing new music, or trends into whatever I could possibly be doing at the time, to whom ever, my admirers or listeners were. Around this period (96’-2000) I was so tuned into the industry overall, that I could play a song to match whatever mood you possibly could think of.

Teaming with some of the town’s local talent, we started to brand and build a name for ourselves. Anything from freestyle battles, to structured song layouts we had a grasp on it all. But, as you know with prosperity come envy. I found myself getting into petty fights, struggling with grades, money issues, and facing reality, basically, with who my real friends were, and still do, attach to some of these issues today. Producing CD’s, doing shows, to traveling out of town to network with other individuals, ether, started to become like an everyday ritual. But within all my success at a young age, still it felt as though a major piece to the puzzle was missing. Playing basketball provided physical relief from all my problems and frustrations at the time, which was something I was actually good at, and proud of, which also keep me out of a whole lot of trouble. Comparing the two (basketball & music), combining traits back and forth into both, I started producing music with basketball like strategies. For example: My intro, in a sense would be coming out with something that grabs a winning decision, without showcasing much of an effort. Then, through the arrangement of individual tracks, I’d go back and forth from defensive to offensive, or vise versa with the emotion of the material that was being produced. Ending with a victory, like, trophy showcase, of an outro.

Knowing all the hard work and dedication I put into everything I pursued, not wanting to get mishandled in a music deal with an unfortunate, or improperly manage label, I started focusing & directing all my nerve and attention into what was necessary to build and construct an empire of my own. Directly, after high school, I moved to Pittsburgh, PA where I obtained an associates degree in Computer Information Management/ Networking Specialist, which provided, and showcased necessary tools & methods for me to carry out my plans. Returning home (back to Maryland) after being diagnose with diabetes in 2007, constantly struggling with the why me, factor. I married & conceived a child shortly after, which was an experience & blessing that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Truly gifted to be blessed with the talents and opportunities that seemed to have been or-castrated by God himself, I pushed myself, into going back to school to obtain the remaining pieces to the puzzle.

After much research, I selected Full Sail University to complete my master of a plan with a Web Design & Development Bachelors degree. Obtaining even more, better, up to date, tools, which will ensure my ideas, become reality, now, and far into the future. Almost one month within the program, I’m very confidant, and satisfied with the decisions I’ve made throughout my whole career, which have led me up to this point. The doors to my very own business will be opening very soon; I’m anticipating every moment of being able to enjoy, the benefits of being my own boss. Why I choose this degree program was because it provides the canvas for me to showcase my musical talent in an array of different styles & tactics, varying from a diverse group of subjects & categories.

All in all, I could say if I was never introduce to music, there would be no telling what I might, or would be doing, or if I would have ever had a career all together. I’m so proud to wake up every day, knowing that my dream is a day closer, triumphing over obstacles of all kinds, from though, knowing that there are many opportunities within, I'll forever be burdened by responsibilities, and many other restrictions that might hinder my goals and objectives. If I were to lose it all, I know for a fact, that I could always start again with the morals and mentality that was introduce to me when music entered my life. Music is my life.