Photo credit: Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are concluding their Black History Month Canvas of Culture initiative that honors the past and celebrates the future of Black culture via events in the LA community, by releasing a special video of Rams defensive end Kobie Turner and Watts artist, producer, and founder of the ThinkWatts Foundation, Stix, partnering up to educate the next generation on song creation and the music industry.
Turner, a gifted singer and musician himself, who made it to the quarterfinals of last season’s The Masked Singer as “Goo”,teamed up with Stixfor an unforgettable music workshop to educate, inspire, and empower local youth. Together, they shared their personal journeys with music and guided six highschoolers, including former members of the Watts Rams – a coed youth football program coached by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and sponsored by the Rams – through the entire process of recording a song, from songwriting and production, to recording vocals in the studio. The inspiring video shows Kobie and Stix first meeting the kids at sneaker boutique TILT.INGLEWOOD to talk about their relationship with music, before walking them through the process of creating a song at the legendary East West Studios in Hollywood and concludes with a listening event of the final song at the Rams practice facility in Woodland Hills.
As a special highlight, the kids had the unique opportunity to be featured on the track “In the Gap”,alongside Stix,which is an anthem about perseverance and unity – two themes that run strong in the Black community. Stix drew inspiration for the song from “Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington”, a documentary about the LA-native and UCLA standout who was the first Black player to be signed by an NFL team (the Rams) in the modern era.This initiative blends sports, music, history, and mentorship, creating a platform for young Black voices to be heard and celebrated.
