“I’m in 12th grade, so I have to use my time wisely because there’s an age limit to being here at Cloud901 [the Memphis Public Library’s Teen Learning Lab]. It's a great opportunity to learn more about photography, video production, drawing, design, music, all kinds of stuff. And it's free; I love that part. I’m focused on music right now. I’m working on an album, learning how to record myself and others, and learning how to produce. I’m mainly interested in hip-hop, but I’m open-minded toward other genres too. After I graduate, I’m planning to go to an arts-based college in Chicago so I can continue my work and get into something in the music and entertainment field.
“I’d have to say my mom got me started on this path. One summer when I was 11, I was bored and told her there was nothing to do, so she told me to write a song. She was kidding, but I took her seriously. Of course the song was horrible, but I liked the idea and kept doing it over and over --- and I started getting better at it. Then Cloud901 opened here at the library, and I’ve been coming ever since. It’s great.”
“I’d have to say my mom got me started on this path. One summer when I was 11, I was bored and told her there was nothing to do, so she told me to write a song. She was kidding, but I took her seriously. Of course the song was horrible, but I liked the idea and kept doing it over and over --- and I started getting better at it. Then Cloud901 opened here at the library, and I’ve been coming ever since. It’s great.”
Dillon (stage name: Jarell) in the Memphis Public Library's Cloud901 Teen Learning Lab