Attached below are the audio transcripts for the voice recordings in the 'Field Notes' section of the research site.

  1. Good Ass Inspiration
    • Mid-creation process, I was walking and talking with a student of color and I was sharing my frustration with writer’s block and how I was struggling to find inspiration. I asked them what they were listening to and if they cared to share their playlist with me – they listed a few artists; one of them being Chance the Rapper – specifically Acid Rap. This moment led to the Good Ass Intro that was created.
  2. Black Star
    • I had a meeting at the beginning of the thesis creation process. My mentors sat me down and told me that I needed to slow down. I was letting ideas, thoughts, mis-guide me towards directions and landing spots that I didn’t know existed. I was getting in my own way of what needed to be done. This song grounded me and brought me back – without Mos Def’s verse, I’m unsure if I would have found myself. This song was one of my most played of the year and it became the song I came back to – to re/ground myself during the process. I remember texting one of my mentors and telling them to check it out – they texted me a day later and said “Black Star. Man”
  3. Lovin’ U is Complicated
    • I was emotionally drained by the end of the creation process. Talking, writing, reading, talking, writing, reading – it takes a lot out of you, days become repetitive and you just search for any reason to chase excitement. My partner suggested that we go to an art museum to get away from everything. I ended up coming across this photo called Screaming into the Ether by Gary Simmons. If you haven’t seen it, def go check it out – it’s a powerful piece. I usually choose to enjoy pieces of art without taking a photo, but I felt compelled to snap a pic. I got home that night and cut my music on shuffle, the first song that was played – u by Kendrick Lamar.
  4. Group Cardio
    • The final people I talked to was a group of three students of color who were walking swiftly to their destination. Student of Color 1 was from a latinx family and had on airpods. Student of Color 2 was from a multi-racial family and had on airpods as well. Student of Color 3 was from a black family and had on beats headphones. They were walking from the north east wing of the quad, directly west, to the student center. SOC 1 told me that their family makes music and that music has been a way of expressing since they can remember. SOC 2 shared that the music they listen to influences their mood, but their mood also influences their music selections. SOC 3 noted that music isn’t as important, but uses it because it “definitely helps in processing the day that’s ahead of them.”
  5. I wanna represent for us
    • I played the music video for [the heart part 5] in a room full of students – at minimum 150. I could see that most of them were unsure of what was occurring and I ended up cutting the video off a little over halfway through because the anxiety was just getting to me. After the guest lecture, a few students walked up to me and thanked me for pulling up and talking with them and we exchanged pleasantries. This one student of color in particular walked up to me and just gave me a look – he knew and I knew. I’ll keep what we talked about private, but I will say that I still ask myself the question look what I have done for you – and I think he asks himself the same as well.
  6. UNCOMFORTABLE
    • The second student of color I talked to was directly in-front of the main building overlooking the campus quad. They had on first generation airpods and appeared to be packing or just getting to their spot. I asked about what music means to them and they told me that they resonate with different cultures/genres of music – they were from a multi-cultural family. They went on a short soliloquy about if people experience the love within their cultures music as they do. They said it’s “not only about what you’re listening to, but who you are listening to it with as well as where you’re listening to it, too.” They feel tired and that ‘life is a lot’. They unwind and come back down with music.They choose to listen [to music] in a place that they’re not comfortable in instead of home. I asked if the location they were positioned was uncomfortable for them and they looked around before looking at me and saying ‘of course’.
  7. Hybrid
    • Day after my birthday I was on campus for a meeting. I was walking and talking with a few students of color and we were just chatting – catching up, normal everyday interactions, but I had to shake so I rented a bird and stormed towards the parking deck. I cut on hybrid for the trip and I remember the first thing I thought as it played was “damn does this shit go, just not here.
  8. 10 24 22
    • The date is October 24th, 2022. I just finished walking around campus talking to students of color. It’s a beautiful day – a lot of people were out walking, but things seemed quieter than usual. The quad was surprisingly empty – especially for a day as beautiful as today.
  9. I hate fireworks
    • I was walking with a friend across campus during graduation season of the fall semester. I’m listening to When Sparks Fly by Vince Staples when suddenly I felt a shock race down my spine and I fell into a momentary paralysis. Right behind my friend and I were a few students taking graduation photos. One of the students let off a confetti streamer and it left me affectively distorted. When the effects wore off, I blinked and I was sitting in my car. I cried myself home during the entire ride. I now avoid walking around campus during graduation season.
  10. Drowning
    • I had my first conversation today at the North East wing of the quad. They were a sophomore, they had some pretty cool beats headphones that matched their attire. They had these fire red Chuck Taylor’s on. They told me that they were listening to ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ by Kanye West, but the song ended during our conversation and transitioned to ‘Talk to you’ by Brent Faiyaz. Ironically – maybe? I’m still unsure, but they would go on to state that artists, songs, and genres can create a dark cloud over community and that they’re not always reflective of [said] community. I asked them about what the music is doing for their emotional well-being as they walk campus and they told me that they feel like they’re in the middle of a pool drowning when they’re walking around campus. Everyone sees it happening, but no one offers to help. But it doesn’t matter because they have to find a way out for themselves, so essentially music helps them stay afloat. I told them that I can empathize with the feeling of drowning and smiled softly and said – ‘Aren’t we all drowning in grief here?’
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