Muja Messiah on Music and Arts Education

photo by B Fresh Photography

How did you get into making music, and how did arts education (or lack thereof) affect you and your music?

I’ve been freestylin’ and writing since I was 12 or 13 but I didn’t start “making” music until I was about 18. I moved into a crib on the Southside with four of my closest homies and we coped an emax two and some techniques and got down to business. Every day we would wake up and try to out do each other. That’s when I really began to sharpen my skills. Back then everybody wanted to DJ, produce and rap so the kitchen was always full with too many cooks in it. As time went on the ones who were serious continued and the ones who weren’t kind of fizzled outta tha picture. I don’t think I’ll ever stop making music. It’s something that’s just in me. [{No homo} lol]

I remember watching Fame when I was a shortly and wondering why we didn’t have any schools like that in here in Minneapolis. I’ve wanted to make music and act ever since I could remember but never really had an outlet to express myself. It’s just now getting to the point where Minneapolis has certain places and forums where you can express your talent. I’d like to believe that it’s because of the work me and my generation put in. Opening up doors that weren’t open before. With that said Minneapolis could still use a lot more schools and programs that specialize in the arts because as an artist I feel so many talented children are be deprived from answering their calling. Everybody hasn’t got money to go to L.A. or New York… But you see it changing. You see Josh Hartnett doin’ it, you see Atmosphere doin’ it, and you got the Cohen Brothers filming movies right in our own backyard. It’s a beautiful thing to see it happen right before your eyes. Word!

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