Martinez White
“Art is a healing force that saves souls in the world when all other elements of society fail. Music is how our feelings sound. I love how art connects across all language, cultural, and geographical areas.”
These words, expressed by Think Like a DJ author and Prairie Music & Artist teaching artist Martinez White, express the connection and excitement the arts can bring. Starting as a music producer at only 12 years old, DJ M. White said he “used to make beats on a computer I built using Fruity Loops and Adobe Audition. I fell in love with sonics and the power of bringing abstract ideas from the synthetic realm to concrete reality.” Learn more about his artistic journey and the ‘artrepreneurship’ program he’s leading this Spring as part of Sun Prairie Creates at Patrick Marsh Middle School.
PMA: You started young as an artist. Was there one artist or teacher that influenced you most?
DJ M. White: Michael Jackson is my first memory of magic. Seeing him spin into gold dust in the Remember The Time video or transform from a Black panther into himself and go into a dance rage was theatrical art and captivated me. I also loved Celia Cruz singing and dancing on Sesame Street and seeing James Brown drop to his knees and wail into a mic. I was influenced by the emotional connection of Blues I saw Black women had in my neighborhood and the fundamentals of Mary J. Blige singing notes so powerful we didn’t realize the whole house would be clean by the end of her album. Whitney Houston’s Bodyguard movie blurred the lines between reality and storytelling and Anita Baker’s warmth seemed to heal hearts in our home.
PMA: How have the arts impacted you to be who you are today?
DJ M. White: The arts have saved my life. Without it, I would have succumbed to depression and self-mutilation as a victim of early childhood trauma, losing my hero, my father, at just three years old. Art gave me agency, purpose, direction, and a self-help strategy.
PMA: How would you describe your musical style?
DJ M. White: My artistic style can be summed up into one phrase: Hip-Hop Soul. My preferred mediums of expression are Music, Dance, Theater & Literary Arts.
PMA: Tell us a little about the THINK LIKE A DJ program you’re leading.
DJ M. White: The THINK LIKE A DJ: Varsity Program, or TLADJ, focuses on music expression, social-emotional accountability, experiential learning through kinetic engagement, entrepreneurial leadership, and personal agency. It uses the four core elements of Hip-Hop (DJing, MCing, Breakdancing, Graffiti Art) to teach mindfulness and improve youth’s personal and professional skills. Youth are reignited to achieve their life dreams through our focused curriculum and trademarked leadership philosophy: DREAMS ARE MADE TO BE ACHIEVED®.
PMA: What do you hope students will gain from the experience?
DJ M. White: I hope students gain practical DJing skills, improve their personal presentation skills and build an ability to express themselves in critical writing exercises all while becoming mindful of their own agency in manifesting their deepest dreams and desires.
PMA: Do you have any advice for young artists looking to get started in the music industry?
DJ M. White: Open the door to your heart, that’s where your dreams live, and if DREAMS ARE MADE TO BE ACHIEVED, what’s your dream?
PMA: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
DJ M. White: We are the change we seek. Art is the voice that will help us create the change inside of us in order to change the world on the outside of us. author