What if the secret to a stronger music scene isn’t gear or clout, but connection? We sit down with engineer, educator, and Baltimore scene-builder Brandon Lackey to trace how he became a cornerstone of Lineup Room Studios, Bmore BeatClub, and the city’s bustling hip-hop ecosystem. From candid studio war stories to the classroom realities of teaching Brit lit, Brandon shows how taste, language, and access can turn scattered talent into an organized movement. We also explore his work with Beats Not Bullets and Label Necklace with MC Bravado, where the intersection of hip-hop and education gives at-risk youth tools, purpose, and community.
We dig into the architecture of Bmore BeatClub—producers playing random beats, emcees jumping in blind—and why that controlled chaos forges collaborations that never would have happened in a typical showcase. Brandon breaks down the art of engineering as translation, where “warm,” “bright,” and “punchy” mean different things to different artists, and the real job is amplifying EMOTION. We talk phones, AI, and why old‑head gatekeeping misses the point: the youth are the "KEEPERS OF THE COOL" and one undeniable hit recorded on a phone can reset the industry overnight.
On the business side, Brandon shares a simple marketing loop—launch three small bets, double down on the winner—and a human approach to venues and press that replaces spam with relationships. He maps the path from local underdog energy to broader visibility, and explains why giving more than you take builds trust that money can’t buy.
If you care about mixing, scene-building, artist development, or just doing right by your city, this one is a blueprint you can use. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s building something, and leave a review telling us the one connection you plan to make this week. Thanks for listening to RESPECTING PERSPECTIVES!
Watch more episodes here: https://respectingperspectives.com
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