I think y'all should meet 🤝
Kailyn Brown is a storyteller and historian who’s wildly curious about the world
*Checks calendar*👀🗓. I know. It’s only been a week and I’m back so soon. I just couldn’t let another week pass by without checking in and making sure you’re doing good as we enter into the holiday season. 🦃🎄♥️
Being that it’s November, I’ve been thinking about all the things I’m grateful for. First and foremost, I’m grateful for you 🙏🏾🙏🏾. I truly appreciate you for reading this every time it slides into your inbox and pressing play on the playlists. I’m grateful to be able to share my journey of life and the things I love with you. If you want to share anything with me as well, have song recommendations, or want to update me on where you’ve been, you can hit me back here. 📧✍🏾
Sooooo speaking of people I’m grateful for, I feel like there is someone you need to meet. Her name is Kailyn Brown, one of my favorite writers, DJ, my co-pilot for Pilot Jones (You know the vibes if you’ve caught our DJ sets), and overall one of the most realest and genuine people I’ve met. She also more than likely has your favorite pair of sneakers sitting in her closet. I’ve known Kailyn for a few years now and she continues to inspire me to stay true to what it is that I feel like I’ve been called to do.
Get to know her in the latest edition of Friend Of A Friend and peep the latest playlist featuring new vibes from PawPaw Rod, Phoelix, Ciscero, ROZET, and theMind. 🎧✨🎧✨🎧 . ( Check out the video for ROZET’s “Rigamarole” toooo 👀)
How do you describe yourself?
First and foremost, I’m a storyteller and historian who’s wildly curious about the world, people and things around her. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV (yes, people actually live there). I’m also a culture journalist and DJ.
What is your creative process when it comes to writing?
I typically get my story ideas from things I’ve seen while scrolling through Instagram, driving around L.A. and conversations I have with friends or even strangers. Once I come up with an idea, I start researching the topic like a maniac, interviewing people that fit the narrative I want to tell, and then I finally write the story, which is the most gruesome, but also most beautiful parts of the entire process. As a newspaper reporter, I often have to work on tight deadlines, which I thrive in sometimes, but not always LOL. So while working from home, I try to create a zen for myself to get in the zone to write. I’ll often light my favorite incense, make sure I’ve eaten, and I’ll either write in silence or with lofi hip-hop beats playing in the background (S/O to the Chilled Cow YouTube channel).
You've written a lot of stories and articles over the years. Is there one article that means the most to you?
This is difficult because they’ve all been important to my journey as a writer and as an artist “I’m sensitive about my sh*t,” (word to Erykah Badu). But one article that I find myself revisiting most often is one that I wrote about Marz Lovejoy who is a New York-based musician, philanthropist and model that live-streamed her home birth to raise money for charity. As I started researching about Black maternal mortality rates, it really opened my eyes to the dangers that Black mothers face in the racially biased healthcare system. After the story was published, I received tons of DM’s and messages from people thanking me for writing the piece, which I didn’t expect. I’m genuinely in awe of the work that Marz and other activists are doing to raise awareness about this issue and I’m grateful that Marz let me to share her story. Since writing this story, I’ve become passionate about this topic, so I hope to write more stories about it in the near future.
What's your favorite part about being a DJ?
Music has always been my first love. The first articles I ever wrote were about music and for most of my life I thought I was going to be a hip-hop critic/writer. In college, I spent most of my time in the basement of UNLV, working at the radio station. I just love sharing music with people whether it’s something they’ve never heard before or something they already know and love. I love seeing people’s reactions and the expressions on their faces. It’s priceless. DJing is truly one of the best feelings in the world.
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What artist or album do you listen to the most and why?
Ooo this is such a good, but difficult question. If I can only pick one, I’d have to say “Ctrl” by SZA because it was one of the first albums that really made me feel seen and realize that I wasn’t the only angst Black woman in her 20-somethings. I just love how brutally honest and real it is. There's a song for every mood and challenge we face. It's just so damn good.
2020 taught me____?
To go with the flow! I’m a Virgo so I naturally overthink and try to plan everything, but as we saw this year, planning anything was a joke LOL. It’s just helped me learn how to be more adaptable and open to new possibilities, which is a skill I’m grateful to have learned.
If you had a time machine to go back and attend any concert you've been to, which would it be and why?
I’d have to say the first time I ever saw Kendrick Lamar live at the Paid Dues festival in San Bernardino in 2011. That night was so crazy because he was closing out the festival – not even at the main stage – but security wasn’t letting people inside the venue because it was supposedly at capacity. I just remember feeling so devastated that I wasn’t going to be able to see him perform. There was literally a riot about to break out because people were upset. But eventually they let us in and I just remember us running like hell to get to the stage as if it were the last show we'd ever see. Kendrick’s set made it all worth it. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite shows by him.
Meme or gif that explains your current mood:
What’s Your Affirmation:
I believe, trust and have confidence in myself and life choices.
You can find me on Instagram at @thatsnneoma. If you missed the last playlist, find all the songs here in the archive.