Today we’d like to introduce you to Rovion Reed.
Rovion, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am an educator, music producer, and entrepreneur. I am originally from Danville, Illinois. I attended Eastern Illinois University, where I major in African American Studies for my undergrad and College Students Affairs for graduate school. After graduate school, I began working in non-profit organizations and finally, for a venture capitalist, helping him create a snack company.
While this opportunity was worthwhile, I was unable to pay for my place to live, so I found my self living with various friends and using the trunk of my car as my closet. Due to the lack of fulfillment in that role and severe cash flow problems, I was inspired to apply for Teach for America. After being accepted into TFA, I was placed in Houston, TX. to teach 5th grade reading to an all-male cohort. I drove to Houston with a good friend of mine, an air mattress, my clothes, and a laptop. I was determined to win! I taught 5th grade reading for four years before l to start my own business, Kinetic Vibez.
Kinetic Vibez is an artistic-wellness movement that uses yoga, hip-hop music production, and mindfulness to empower youth. During the 2019 academic school year, Kinetic Vibez facilitated more than twenty-five after-school residencies throughout Houston. I have presented on using mindfulness and hip-hop in the classrooms at various conferences including SXSWEDU 2019, 2019 Houston Arts Partners Conference, Sono Hip-Hop Conference in Terni, Italy, 2019 Young Audiences National Conference, and the 2019 International Society of Technology in Education Conference. Through Kinetic Vibez, I have secured partnerships with Microsoft and Ableton, and Young Audiences of Houston to name a few. I was recently named one of the five finalists for the A3C Action Accelerator Program. The Action Accelerator is a week-long boot camp for ideas around the nation that uses art, music, and hip-hop culture as a vehicle to advance justice and opportunity in their communities.
I am also the founder of Chicago, Illinois based media collective TheGr8Thinkaz. TheGr8Thinkaz Media Collective consists of music producers, graphic designers, visual artist, writers, artisans, and videographers. Through the collective, I have produced over 20 albums and a myriad of songs ranging from R&B, Trap, and House Music. I have also curated many events such as Red, Gold in Green Reggae Festival (Houston, TX 2017), Live and Direct with Pete Rock (Houston, TX 2016), Vibez Galore (Houston, TX 2019), Camp Vibez (Houston, TX 2018,2019), and The Evergreen Festival (Champaign, Illinois 2012.2013). The collective, under guidance from myself and partner Jay Moses, still create events in both Chicago, Illinois in Houston, Texas. I am also the creator, producer, and co-host of Vibr8tionz. Vibr8tionz is a podcast which focuses on the world of music production and djing. The show began on All Real Radio, a community-based station located in Houston, Texas.
I am currently attending the Institution of Doctoral Studies in Visual Art, where I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Art Philosophy and Esthetics.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, but I would say it’s been one that I am glad I had to take. Dealing with being homeless and living with stress, and depression is enough to make anyone go crazy. However, my strong faith in God and belief in my abilities showed me that I already had what I needed to be successful, I ultimately needed to connect the dots and pay close attention to my omens. I would not exchange my rough times for anything in the world. They have made me who I am and gave me the needed experiences to pour into the lives of young people who may be facing the same issues that I have.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Kinetic Vibez uses yoga, hip-hop music production, and mindfulness to empower youth. We do this through after school residencies, in-school residencies, personal mentoring, and pop-up events. I am most proud of how receptive the public is to Kinetic Vibez. Being such a new and unique concept, I was afraid that people wouldn’t understand the correlation between yoga and hip-hop, but that has not been the case. Unlike other music-based programs, Kinetic Vibez is a character development program disguised as a music program. Students learn life skills that they can use to help them cope with stress, depression, and anxiety through hip-hop. We’ve also facilitated several professional development session for teachers. In these sessions, we teach educators how to use hip-hop and yoga in their classrooms to strengthen classroom culture, spark curiosity, and build up the self-esteem in students who are challenging to reach. Kinetic Viebz is on the cusp of changing how people view hip-hop culture not just as music or fashion, but as a tool to improve one’s self holistically.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The afterschool school programming industry will continue to grow expeditiously in the next 5-10 years. With more and more schools abandoning art and music programs as mandatory classes, efforts like Kinetic Vibez will begin to void. Kinetic Vibez is on the cusp of something that has been slowing formulating over the past few years. The effective use of hip-hop culture in the classroom has changed how some educators approach pedagogy. With the addition of mindfulness to the hip-hop culture, we are developing a young person holistically. I believe that one will begin seeing more in-school and after-school initiatives focus on the artistic and social-emotional pieces of a student.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kineticvibez.com
- Phone: 7736589661
- Email: rovion@kineticvibez.com
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