‘More Knowledge’ Week 2: What You Need To Know
This past week as IMM seniors, we were tasked with refining our elevator pitches. In the video below, I can be seen giving a one minute explanation of my project.
The script is as follows:
“Hey, first off I just want to say thanks for giving me a minute of your time today. I’m Kyle Lee, otherwise known as Emcee Lee…and I’m developing an ambitious 10-song hip-hop LP. With this introspective long-play album, I use rap as a vehicle for expressing my own mental health narrative…but also to have a little fun too. Through heavy lyricism and handmade beats I give my perspective as a product of the Ewing streets. Each track has a message, for anyone willing to listen. And each track has a vision, whether or not it’s hidden. With hip-hop I have a new voice, and I intend to use it. I’ve seen the struggle, as many others have been through it. This album is for all those people, but it’s also for me. It’s a brief journey through my life — as a kid and on through college. Moreover, it’s a culmination of I’ve learned- and that’s why I call this project More Knowledge.”
The Nuts and Bolts:
Software Used:
Logic Pro X, Audacity, Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Spark, Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, etc. for any necessary video or graphics), Google Keep (lyrics and note-taking), Google Drive (file backup), Google Slides (presentation purposes), Instrument software — Roli Studio Player, Roli Studio Drums, Cypher 2, Strobe 2, Equator
Hardware Used:
2018 Macbook Pro 15", 500gb WD SSD, Roland Go Mixer Pro (audio recording device), Takstar Shotgun Mic, Roli Lightpad Block M (MPE device), Akai MPK Mini (MIDI Keyboard), Yamaha practice keyboard, custom Squire P-Bass, Epiphone les paul style studio electric guitar, Ibanez Micro 3/4 scale electric guitar
Project Process:
Research the Evolution of Hip-Hop, Listen Critically, Identify the type of sound and message I want, Write lyrics to 10 songs, Explore the use of sampling to make prototype tracks, Present prototype tracks to fellow thesis students and receive feedback, Make original beats/music to accompany my original lyrics (this is the current stage), Spend time in the recording studio at TCNJ, Record 10 songs, Mix/Master the songs, Play for fellow thesis students and receive feedback, Refine, Compile album and produce any necessary artwork or promotional graphics etc., Publish the ‘More Knowledge’ LP
