The Intervention To The Power Of Love: Steff Reed - Musician, Educator, Activist
"We live in a country that fetishizes black trauma/pain/suffering. Songs like "Strange Fruit" become timeless anthems, yet we are still debating CRT (critical race theory) and its appropriateness/relevance in the school curriculum. I say that until we are willing to discuss and confront the root of the tree, there will always be more strange fruit hanging from it…We can talk about the fruit, but we can never talk about that root though."
These powerful words came from the mind of Steff Reed, the Grammy-nominated Musician+Educator+Artivist, while speaking at the Legendary Apollo Theater on the Sound Of Social Justice Panel, discussing his journey in Music & Social Activism.
9 minute read
Exuding calm, relaxed energy, I wasn't sure if this was his vibe or a byproduct of being in California for a couple of weeks finishing his new album. His long locks and full salt & pepper beard couldn't hide the glow, one I assumed came from the joy of doing what he loves, Music. We cheersed with our coffee and tea through the computer screen and chatted a little. From his aura, I knew this would be a special interview.
The son of CBS Radio Station Broadcast Journalist Steven Reed, Steff grew up feeling like he was in the presence of a celebrity. He was born into the lifestyle of Media, Entertainment, and Arts, so it was no surprise when he said that at age 13, God gave him a vision and the Calling noting, "I just heard this voice in my head say, you're going to do Music for the rest of your life. It was very clear. It was a very, very clear assignment." He took heed to the call, diving in headfirst as he got into talent shows, school concerts, and school plays. He even formed a singing group to audition for a record deal.
"I auditioned for high school as a vocal major. When my group would go to sing, our harmony was amazing. However, they would ask us to sing individually, and I was very insecure about my voice and myself at that time," he stated in a reflective tone. "At my high school, there was so much talent. They had record deals, on tour, in movies, all these things. I think out of feeling insecure, I realized I needed to add more tools to my tool belt. I started writing songs, I taught myself how to play the piano. So I got in as a vocalist, but by the time I graduated, I was making beats, playing the keyboard, writing songs, and making demos." He allowed his insecurity to catapult him out of his box into greatness instead of shrinking in his gifts. "I started just developing other aspects like a plan B, and it created a career for myself as a producer, which I didn't really know what that was until later on in high school."
Now on the verge of his independence, manhood, and graduation, he had to make some critical decisions that would steer the course of his future. "I realized, realistically, I think I'm best suited to pursue an actual career as a producer and a composer. So I started networking, and I was able to meet an A&R working at Def Jam, at the time Def Soul. And it was an A&R for Case, Dru Hill, Montell Jordan, Kelly Price, and all these different people that I admire a great deal. And I was like, oh my God, I would love to produce with those people. (The A&R) got my tape, heard the potential, and said I could be part of the production team. And I was like 19 at that time, and that's how I got into the business."
That break opened the door for opportunities to work with legends like Swizz Beats, Troy Taylor, Raekwon, Jhene Aiko & Trey Songz. By age 20, he had the first song he was a part of on the radio.
He found an unsuspecting sweet spot in the Producing game, and before he knew it, 12 years flew by, and his passion for singing whispered in the wind. "I kind of secretly, always wanted to get back to it. I was looking for the industry to validate me and give me like a real deal and give me a chance to do it," Steff admits.
He continues on the path of transparency and vulnerability as he shares struggles with his family life. His daughter moved out of state with her mom; simultaneously, he'd gained sole custody of his son while moving in with his father. "I was dealing with a lot of really difficult things at a time. I was contemplating suicide, and I was wanting to give up on Music and give up on life. Like my life is like literally falling apart."
He pauses with a lowered head as he gives the following words, almost like being careful to enter that dark corner in his mind, "I wanted to give up, and my friend Randall Wells was like, well, you've never given yourself a chance. You've always invested in Artists, Produced them, and tried to get placements and all these things. You haven't been the Artist yourself. Before you quit, why don't you give yourself a chance?"
This insight from a trusted source revitalized Steff's dream deferred. "So I said, I know that if I'm going to make a project, it has to be meaningful. I can't just put a bunch of songs together. Gordon Chambers, my mentor and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter ("I Apologize by Anita baker, Missing You for Brandy from Set It Off Soundtrack), challenged me and said, if you're going to do this, you got to go to those dark places."
Out of this Journey was born Intervention, an 8-track self-produced album that provides introspection into the demons that have plagued him. "When I did the Intervention project, I went to this life coaching course called Momentum Educator, and they made me face all my stuff. Take full accountability for how I've been showing up, taking accountability for the results that I've created in my life and who I've been being this entire time. On the one hand, it's like, if this is all my doing, that's like a rough realization, but it's also empowering because if it's my doing it, I can undo it too. If I have the power to make this mess, I have the power to clean it up." "Funeral" was a single off the EP that summarized this transformation of killing off the things that weren't working in his life. Noted to check out is the "Eulogy", a track with is mentor Gordon Chambers that sends chills as it speaks to the soul of a man in conflict and referencing the story of JOB in the Bible.
There was a five-year period before he created a project on the other spectrum called The Power Of Love. "Once I was able to address my own stuff, I felt more open to approaching other things in my Music, aside from my own stuff." Empowering songs like "Stand", which is his daughter's favorite song, evoked the call to action for people to fight for what is right. To push the movement forward and bring acknowledgment musically to what is going on in the world, he put out a single called "Frontline" about police brutality. The Power Of Love, also self-produced, is where Steff Reed really begins tapping into his activist side, or as he calls it, the Artivist in him.
"I love the feeling of using Music for a cause. As a black person specifically, when you're watching people get murdered on TV and on the internet all day, you start to feel like a victim and feel disempowered like, damn, I wish I could do something. And the more we march, the more people get murdered like you just start to feel disempowered and discouraged. And I think making a song helped me get some power back and feel like I can contribute in a way that can inspire others to keep going." He realized that taking that time to do the work on him in Intervention is what gave him the space to eventually make Music on the work that needs to be done in the world with The Project Of Love. This here is a teachable moment as Steff Reed exemplifies how bringing accountability to our lives first can make us more impactful in making real change in our community.
This chapter in his life also doesn't come as a surprise once he shared that his parents met a protest. "I come from a line of activists and creatives and academics. I cared about saving the planet, you know, environmental rights, environmental justice, endangered species of animals. I cared about human rights. I'm being part of the solution."
He felt positive releases and saw his progression by first facing his internal issues and then pointing the mirror outwards. He could even celebrate 10 years sober from alcohol and 10 years of being a vegan. As good as it felt to live out his dreams, Steff still had an element that felt unfulfilled. Again, his Calling carved out his path as he discusses how he was able to change that feeling. "My dad was working at the Bronx District Attorney's office, and one of his colleagues was running an after-school program. It's funded by the DA's office in the Bronx River Projects in the Community Center. And they said I think your son would be a good after-school teacher. And I was like, teach what? First, I'm a college dropout, second, self-taught as a musician, and third, I have no teaching experience. Steff didn't understand that your Purpose is usually greater than your capabilities and usually something you try to resist. But the Mission always wins.
"Finally, I said, I'll go, I'll try it. It's 2006, and I actually loved it. I felt very grounded. It felt very fulfilling. It felt very real. It felt very uh, inspiring." An opportunity that he almost disregarded, came with a tremendous spiritual soul-feeding reward. "The Grammy Foundation started a category in 2013, and I was nominated for a Music Educator. I felt really good to feel acknowledged for the work that I had been doing at that point for seven years. And now, after 16 years of teaching, I'm more focused at this point in my career as an Educator.
Steff Reed has become so impassioned that he has partnered with Judson Memorial Church in New York City to run a mentoring program through his nonprofit organization, The Power Of Love Project. "We do a lot of Arts and Activism programming. Teaching young people to make songs for social change, to make art, whether clay sculptures, theater, or dance, through the lens of social justice. I'm really, really dedicated to this work. We do programs in Brooklyn, Manhattan kind of all over." One of their biggest programs is Freedom Summer, which he was I was inspired by the Black Panthers Freedom School Movement to create. "It's for two weeks, one week in July and one week in August. It's completely free for families from the ages of 11 to 21. It's a great place for kids to make friends, to express themselves and what they care about in the world."
He gushes and smiles as he breaks down the cohort. "It's like multi-racial class dynamics. You got rich, poor, gay, straight, non-binary. It's like really dynamic, really diverse. And it's something I'm really, really proud of. And we already have 17 kids enrolled, our target is 25.
Having this broad demographic hits home for him as he has gone through his own identity odyssey and can relate to different people due to his own struggles. Growing up in a very white suburban neighborhood, His family was like the second black family in the neighborhood that he knew. When asked how it made him feel, he used the adjective "othered." "I remember not feeling white enough for the white people. Then when I go to public school on the other side of town, because it's predominantly black, I felt like I'm not black enough for the black kids. I struggled with my identity, like am I black or white? Am I straight, or am I gay? Am I a girl, or am I a boy? What am I, who am I? at Like seven years old.
Now I learned to accept myself and all my quirks and nuances that make me, me, and to be completely authentic. And my authentic self is the kind of Music that I'm making now, which is really talking about law, life, the lessons that I learned from life, and even things like social justice things and mental health, that's what matters to me."
Everything that Steff Reed has experienced on this journey called life has adequately equipped him for the Mission, Purpose & Calling that he is currently embarking on. When asked for words of wisdom to the people, he responded with the consistent theme of the interview, change, and accountability. "Change is hard because we're accustomed to patterns and routines. You have to be willing to shift that paradigm, like disrupt the change within yourself, and create new patterns within yourself. I think it's worth it for folks to do it because it'll improve your quality of life. It'll improve your quality of relationships, and you'll ultimately be more of yourself. If nothing changes, nothing changes."
Steff Reed's Still Waters runs deep, and you definitely want to catch the full Video interview below.
Follow Steff Reed on IG @iamsteffreed, and access his Music streaming on all platforms on his website https://iamsteffreed.com/
If you are interested in participating, volunteering, or enrolling your child in his nonprofit organization, visit the website https://www.thepowerofloveproject.org/ and follow the nonprofit Mission on IG @thepowerofloveproject
