 Whether it's about the life or about what you do The song, this tha, is just a famous song by Michael Black Yes and welcome back to this show You're still watching Jesse Sarko show Yes, the number one gospel show With a great mix from our very own DJ Nick And my name is Miam Masaba And our guest today Is called Michael Black Founder and director of BlackBoy Media Right? Yes, so take this opportunity just to introduce yourself kwa bisa because me I just know founder, director, mentor, maybe you should know about yourself. Yes, so as you said Michael Black is my name, I am a reggae artist, I do gospel music, but again soldier and founder directs of Blackwood Media, Blackwood Media is a media production company offering media production and consultancy services but also we have a series of training and mentorship programs targeting young people, I am a youth champion, I really believe that young people being 65% of people in this country we are a resource to this country, so if the youth of this country are empowered and are equipped with skills, they become an asset to this country. And the youth is such a big percentage in the country So that is why I really believe in uplifting or giving opportunity to young people to discover themselves and to really participate in the national conversation. Speaking of national conversation yesterday you saw the government, it's not actually yesterday but 10th of October the government is kind of changed from Monday to Kuduma Day, so get to celebrate. People like you, how is it important to you Maze? I think it's important for us to ask ourselves what we can offer this country because for so long young people, I would say politicians have made us believe that the country needs to give something to us but I think Kuduma Day was a good reflection for us to ask ourselves, what can we do for this country? As young people of this country we are the leaders of tomorrow, so what can we do to this country? We are the leaders of today, but someone said something that's very interesting to Jeniks, and I said, Kuduma Day can be a youth, it's the day we give back to our country. I don't know if it makes sense, it sounded very strange because we are a generation where we expect if we do something, we can get something. There's nothing we can do for free. Which I believe is not such a good culture because there are days you need to ask yourself, what am I also giving to other people? What am I giving to other people? Poluskupia kupo kia. Kupo kia to kaziya kwa kupo kia. Bless it is the hands that give it, they will receive it. So you mentor a group of youths, tell us more about that. I'm a product of a mentorship program where somebody just believed in me, believed in the talent that I had, didn't have an opportunity to go to higher learning institutions but saw a talent in me and saw that this guy can really do something. So through that mentorship that I got an opportunity to now train professionally and now I am a film producer and that is what I do for a living. And then I had asked myself, if I am able to get a resource as a result of what somebody gave me, a hand up, why don't I do the same to other young people? And that is where we have a series of mentorship programs you have for, I'll mention them quickly, we have The Voice of Iceland that is targeting musicians, rappers, poets who are vocal artists. How can we make a resource out of our vocal talents? And it's a mentorship program targeting young musicians, rappers, poets to get into that space, to build a resource and find something meaningful to do with themselves. We have the story lab that is now training other young filmmakers. Content is needed in this country, there is a shortage of content and the more we equip young people to be in a position to create content, the more we get them off the streets, the more we reduce the number of young people in crime and drug and substance abuse, then we create content. So they can earn a living out of their God given talents and that story lab, that is the desire that a story lab has of young people. We have the pretty world that is focusing on mentoring young models, female. We supported affirmative action for very many years, but I don't think it's something practical to just give ladies, but you realize that young models are community leaders. If you think about it, young models have a project they want to do for their society, all of them. Has there been an opportunity for them to be mentored as leaders? And I believe that if those projects are able to be supported and they are given an opportunity to take care of themselves, that if you make it on the runway fine, if you don't, you're a leader. We will not have to create a seat separately for women reps, but young girls will be able to believe in themselves as leaders to rise and lead by creating that thing. And then finally we have Sharia Lab, that we hope to allow young people to interact with Sharia. Most of the young people are arrested and taken into those cells because they are ignorant of the law. So Sharia Lab is basically a space where young people can interact with the law and ask ourselves what can we do, how can we... What are you right? What are your legal rights? And even a lot of young people cannot afford legal fees. Can there be an opportunity for somebody who has a genuine case to be supported legally? And that is the purpose of Sharia Lab. Yes, those are so many groups of old groups. I got interested, how do you get the funding? I would say you don't need money to support another person. Each and every one of us has a gift. What we need is a community to belong. So that is why we began E-squared, E-squared is Iceland's expression. We are now all these people. We have a database of about 500 young people who hang out together each and every time. You're selling t-shirts, I can buy t-shirts. He's selling necklaces, we can buy necklaces. This other person is having a gig. I can call niks, I can call this person. So you realise that if you build a community together you're able to support each other and there will not be a pressure for you to keep going back to your pockets to give money. So we get some resources from the business side of Black Boy Media and that is the same resource that we've used currently to support the mentorship program that we are doing. We didn't want to wait for money so that we can begin, but we began there so that if somebody sees an opportunity to come and partner, which is open by the way, come let us do this together and raise the next generation of this country. Yes. So let me take you back to Dogon, me penda story, you may say my artist when it comes to contraint creation and I'm like, do you have any success story you would like to share about any artist A lot of success stories and I can tell you this for a fact. Black Boy Media has, currently we have nine employees, all of whom are the products of that training and mentorship program. So they've been trained and they are now able to work professionally. If you log on to our Black Boy Media pages, all the content that has been created there, the people who created that content are as a result of our training and mentorship programs. And then we have other people who've also gotten an opportunity to work elsewhere, those ones have been. If we wanted to mention each and every one of them, issue it to Ishakablata. But anyone out there would love to join these mentorship programs. How do they find you? We are on all the social media platforms, look for us on Facebook and Black Boy Entertainment. We are, you can reach out to me, Michael Black. I'm Michael Black in all the platforms. I think not just Michael is a very unique way. Yes, Michael M-Y-K-A-L. Michael. We spell it for them. M-Y-K-A-L, Michael Black. And then also reach out to us. We have a website, blackboytv.co.ke. We have blackboymedialab.gov, which is also the mentorship side of whatever it is we're doing. Feel free to reach out. Yes. Amazing, amazing. He's also an artist teaching it, just in case you didn't know. He's an artist. Nime na tizu me, umi ma sumi e kwanze, ingi na mlimbapale, with your friend Jibena. Yes. Watu alikwa wa dogo. Wei. Wei, wei, wei. Wei ni tibiti na. Wei mega tibiti. Atisitizu? Itizu na tibiti na celebreti. Wei, wei, wei. Jibena, I know. Somebody has been paid. Hei. Alafu kuna ingi na bado, after kuna ingi na mulifanya na Ekodyda. Yes. Which year was that? To God be the glory with it in 2013. What? Yes. Hei. Ekodyda atabari akwa na Dredi. Hei. Wei, wei, wei. Wei, wei, wei, wei, wei. Iwi kwa kama ii. Iwi kwa kama ii. Iwi kwa kama ii. Iwi kwa kama ii. Nama wami na 2013. It's for 2013. Wei, wami na kwa kama legends kwa stufi na. Ha ha ha ha. Maybe, maybe, maybe na zasema, before to wuke apu kibisa kia atisitizu, when you're talking about young people and mentoring young people. Yes. I think nikona suwali tu na Julizanga mimi. Ah, people are there to mentor them. Yes. Have you ever experienced this nature of young people lwanye? Uku apakwa mentor lakini they are hearts and they are mind and is not ready to receive mentorship. Ya ni unapata umse I think akuna vision, akuna witu moba na ezafanya, akuna potential, na kini anakata atu mentorship. Amma ha respond to that, that call. I think that is the purpose of mentorship because when you get somebody who is able to guide you to tell you, by the way, machaharak, pesa ina fotaga success. Success ina kama after hard work. Urocheki. That is the reality. Yato when the Pluto, when the Jupiter, when the Wapi success, if you want lasting success, you must work hard for it. Any short cut, ilita kuja rahisi ite, natu evo piya rahisi. So you must get rid of our young people to tell them, by the way, good things take time. And you cannot just wake up one morning and you are the best in everything that you are doing and you can get everything that you want in this world. There is a process to everything. That is the reality that I think each and every time you have to keep emphasizing to our young people that take time. Build what it is that you want people to respect you for. Yes. Let's get back to music now. Yes, music. Music. Onajiwa, you know, talking of, wna sema voice of Islans, Islans, people maybe in that region, did lead you to do reggae? Sabu me feel, most of your music ikona reggae. kwa ni reggae sa e. I love reggae music. Actually I think of, I don't think I've ever recorded any other genre. Sa hindi ona takakuji challenge ni oni if I can record any other genre. I loved reggae music even before getting born again. And I always believe that reggae music, the nature of reggae music is that there is emphasis on the messaging. And anyone who is telling you why they listen to reggae music, they'll tell you, listen to reggae music because of the message. But I chose to do reggae music so that I could minister to the people I used to hang out with before getting born again. There is a category of people who love reggae music and they will listen to reggae music even if it's sung in French. So it's a good opportunity for us to put that messaging, to talk to the people I at least I can say, I know how they think, I know how they respond to certain things. And if you put God's message in that kind of music, my belief was that they are going to receive it well. So any new song, do you expect new song from you? Actually after to God I took a break, I wouldn't say it was deliberate but now I wanted to focus on my professional career. So I chose to work on the media production company for a while. I began the journey now to work on my second album and yes there is a project I'm doing actually I'm supposed to premier it tomorrow. So I wish it was to be. It's very hot. I wish it was to be. We will leave. We will, we will. Hey, next, next is gonna try. Nikona leakage. Nikona leakage? Like you always know na kwanga ula DJ. Hey. Na kwanga ula DJ. I know before in the YouTube. So it's gonna be watched now for the very first time. Even before it figures on YouTube. Even before it figures on YouTube. Amazing. So you're premiering it tomorrow at 6 in the evening and basically just to start a conversation on what is the next phase that we are moving into. The content of that song is a reflection of what we've gone through since March since COVID and we have a reason to thank God. Do you have a reason to still thank God despite all the things that have happened and that is the conversation that I want us to proceed with as we go towards the end of the year. Amen, amen. Yes, sir, YouTube channel because we do what say wango jetu pa lekesho. Michael Black music. But there are Michael Black in all the platforms that Michael Black is M-I-K-A-L Black me. Oh, bili, mandi kwa po chini? Apu, apu, apu, kwa screena po chini? No, na benda Black. Black is my favorite color. Nikasik. Nikasik. Biyukue li, niminu tizi niyo. I met him somewhere this week. Yes. And I even commented. Everything was Black. Yes. Like little, wuki yangali akandu na niyo ni Black. I think the yellow two na ingiza two apokatika. Yellow doesn't have to be presented juwa. Oh, okay. They sun in every dark. But now Black is the most beautiful color. Ushai juli za kwenini jai pa koko adekia. Kids will not learn any other color. Oh. That's quite a perfect Apu. Oh, amazing. Amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much Michael Black for coming. Thank you so much. Yes. Kumusha izo mentorship pages. Yes. Check us out at Black Boy Entertainment on Facebook. We have Island's Expression on Facebook. You will see we have a weekly show. It's a weekly hangout. Before COVID it used to be a physical meeting. Young people used to converge 300 to 500 people. 300 to 500 people. Wow. But since COVID now we've taken that online. So it's a show that happens live every Saturday afternoon on YouTube and Facebook. But now just trying to still expose those young and uprising talents. And have several conversations. So check out Island's Expression on Facebook. Check out Black Boy Entertainment on Facebook. Check us out on YouTube. It's the same, same isquared TV. And then you can be able to interact with that content. It's very difficult for me to talk about everything that we've done. But once you get yourself into that space it's easier for you now to find a point of interest and say this is where I want us to have a conversation about. Amazing. Thank you so much, Michael Black. This is what I should keep up for. This song. Even before it is dropped or released on YouTube or any other media channels. Yes. Hapa, J.C. Sako. This is how we do it. Yes. Exclusive like that. The song is Thank You Lord. Yes. It's a reggae tune. Yes. Video by Black Boy. Yes. Manzee. From audio to video. For your video. Yes. Excuse me.