Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Dixon.
Cody, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Been apart of music my whole life. I started to take it seriously out of high school, where I got into live events and recording sessions with a production company, Awendaw green. I went to school for arts Management and music at the college of charleston. There I began to make my own music, first with a group called speaker box than as a solo act Slim S.o.u.l. I got into teaching music and event work full time. Working with kids has been super fulfilling and fueled the work I wanted to do with soul power, the non-profit I started in College. Its a 501 c 3 non-profit organization meant to be an educational resource with creativity and knowledge being the pillars of its music programs. I teach recording technology, songwriting, composition and how to incorporate technology in all of those creative things.
Our first program, we raised money to go to Iqra Bilingual Academy in Dakar, Senegal. I built a studio at their school and gave them the tools and skills needed to use it. Once I returned, I finished out school and began working with after school programs and summer camps to continue our mission. Four years of that and now we are finishing building our first HUB (house of united blacks) space. I share the space with four other black business owners looking to offer tools and resources to our community to help the black economy and bring young black entrepreneurs up. My part of the Hub will be music production but we have other focuses in tourism, security, broadcasting, and retail.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been smooth but it hasn’t been as hard as I expected either. Funding has always been a tough obstacle but being in this non-profit realm, I’ve learned a lot about marketing, fundraising, and networking. A big struggle I had to overcome was myself. Thinking I had to do it all when what I really needed was people who shared my vision that I trusted. A lot of struggling I did was internal. Nothing has really stood in my way except myself.
Please tell us about Soul Power Productions.
Soul Power Productions is my Company. It’s a non-profit org specializing in providing educational resources to children in title 1 areas. We teach all aspects of production, creativity and technology in the arts. Mainly functioning as a traveling studio to different after school programs and summer workshops, we finally have found a space where we can offer studio time and educational resources to youth as well as up and coming black artists. We provide numerous other services in the realm of recording space, distribution, mixing and mastering, and live event work and rentals. Our proudest Accomplishments include making it to Senegal and back while leaving something behind they will cherish forever. Also, through my non-profit, I was one of the first Black artists to do a hip hop educational event to the cities youth at the Gaillard Center. As a business through a lot of what has been going on with covid and the social unrest we have stuck to our mission and while doing that people have shown their love and respect for us for not changing our ways.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My fondest memories came from my grandparent’s house. Being out in the country, being outside, playing their piano, listening to records. I don’t have a clear one memory or a favorite day; I just know being out their felt way different in the most wonderful of ways.
Pricing:
- https://www.jamsnow.com/slim-soul Personalized songs for 25- 50$ includes a Fuck Racism T-shirt
Contact Info:
- Website: soulpowerproductions.org
- Phone: 8435093309
- Email: slimfixins_@soulpowerproductions.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soul_power_productions/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slimSoul1
- Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/houseofunitedblx
- Other: https://linktr.ee/SlimS.o.u.l
Image Credit:
Larry Dennis
Halo Quaponda
Julie Bailey
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