My name is Terris Greene, and I major in Computer Information Systems at New York City College of Technology. Growing up as a young boy from Brooklyn, the sounds of Jay-Z, Barrington Levy, and the Backstreet Boys would fill my Brownsville apartment. The balance that music brings to everyday life is something that should not be taken for granted. Through various style and genres, such as Hip-Hip and Pop, I relate with and connect to the emotions that we receive from listening to the different genres. The way that I speak, dress, move and approach life are all based off the lyrical influences of Kendrick Lamar, and production from beat makers like Kanye West. Whether you were born and raised in the melting pot known as New York City such as like I was, or are from the depths of France or Italy, the appreciation and transfer of music is universal. This makes it more of a living aspect of my life.

I keep my headphones on me at all times, listening to anything when I get the opportunity to. Artist like Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Nas, speak on matters that are important to society such as police violence. These songs are enhanced through producers such as Kanye West, Just Blaze, 40, Boi-1da and many. Whatever I decide to feed my ears with are usually based off my emotions at the time. If I feel the need to turn up and dance then I’ll listen to something upbeat like Daft Punk’s Discovery album. If my mood is calm and relaxed, I’d listen to Old School Rap, more with a Southern feel. The sounds of OutKast and TI give a mellow feel to my emotions, as I enjoy the slow downed tunes and uplifting lyrics. Still with me being human, I also have my sad and depressed moments as well, which is when I would let R&B or alternative Rock, such as Ne-Yo and Panic! At The Disco, take over my mind and keep me in a positive state. This is something that I’m truly grateful for, knowing that these days there is a song for every emotion and occasion. I appreciate this more due to the fact that I have had a dark past and I would need something to listen to as a reminder of the state I’m in now and how much I have grown from the person that I was a few years ago. The song that I listen to for that constant reminder is “u” by Kendrick Lamar, in which he would speak from the views of a person in my situation.

My love for music also helps push my love for dance. I have been dancing since I was four years old but I haven’t done on stage performances until my first my year in middle school. I would listen to Michael Jackson and imitate his style of dancing. It took me several years to properly learn how to do the Moonwalk and even to this day I still don’t feel that I am doing it correctly. I also learned the famous Thriller choreography like every other child at my age, and I would perform for my family and their friends at get-togethers and family dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Aside from MJ, I also learned from Usher, and like their style of singing, their style of dancing was different as well. Michael Jackson was more precise and smooth, where Usher showed a lot more aggression and energy with his dancing. Picking up from both styles helped me develop a great sense of rhythm, and eventually I would start incorporating what I had learned into other styles of music like Pop or Electronic. Listening to Daft Punk and watching the music video for “Around The World”, I learned about popping at the robotic style of dancing. As time passed and I’ve gotten more comfortable with the different genres of music, my passion for dance grew. I wanted to learn how to incorporate movement into all different styles, which led to me joining the Performing Arts program in Middle School.

I attended Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, which ran from Grades 6 to 12. I had been a part of the Performing Arts program the full seven years I attended that school. With a variety of styles of dance, including Modern, Ballet and even African, came different styles of music. From Afro-Caribbean to Live Instrumentation, I found an even greater appreciation for instruments, pitches and tempos that came from songs. It also helped me show emotion that I had felt from either listening to the music or from how I was feeling from before. Songs with a strong bass and heavy play on drums and pianos led to stronger, aggressive movements that would derive from my anger, while softer, acoustic based songs had more of a gentle and liquid like flow which helped bring a happy and calm vibe to my choreography. What I enjoyed the most though was when my dance teacher would bring in West Africa drummers to play while we dance. The energy of fast tempo of the beating always brought a whole new life to the dance studio. I would jump and move so fast that I sometimes forgot how tiring it is to keep up with the drummers. The influence of the music would energize me in such a way that is hard to describe, and is one of the things that keeps me going while I dance.

The way I dress and act comes from me wanting to be more like my favorite artists and wearing something close to what they do. At the moment I can’t afford to wear exactly what are talked about and shown in music videos, but the ideas and the influence is still grasped. I could remember wanting to wear baggy sweat suits from Sean John, RocaWear, Enyce when I was 5 and 6 because Brooklyn rappers like Jay-Z and Fabolous would wear them and talk about them. From there it moved to wanting a pair of Nike Air Force One’s all because Nelly said that it was cool to do so. Around Halloween time I wanted to be a different version of Michael Jackson, from his Billie Jean outfit to the Bad era. Eventually I started to listen to more Old School Hip Hop and became influenced by Run DMC, trying to have every Adidas, a trend that I still follow today. My biggest fashion influences today are Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown and A$AP Rocky. From my influences I also learned that your demeanor is key in life. From the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar I could tell just how humble and grateful he is for success. Listening to him just about every day I pick up on some of his ways, including his humbleness and appreciation for the small things in life. From him I also learned to always remember where come from, because that’s the place that made you how you are today. I have no shame in where I’m from. Being raised in Brooklyn has made me aware of things that I don’t see myself possibly learning anywhere else. Plus the fusion of cultures from New York City as a whole helps me learn about other cultures and adopting them into my everyday life, including their music.

If I could make a successful career out of listening to music just for my own enjoyment, I would do so in a heartbeat. My appreciation and love for music has helped shape me into the person I am today. I learn that everyone is different and being judgmental only holds you back. There is so much you can learn from others, and the type of music of music they listen to in my opinion is one of the best ways to connect with them. Music affects all in some sort of way, and its hold on the world is one that will always be appreciated.