City of Soul

Augusta, GA...

This city is known as the home of James Brown, The Godfather of Soul. This city is also known for its annual Masters tournament, an event where golfers and fans alike travel from all over the world  to congregate here. Unfortunately it seems that Augusta isn't known for much else. I find it sad because although I'm not an Augusta native, over the past 6 years I've discovered that Augusta is a hub of musical talent.
There are many rappers, poets, singers and musicians here that have a strong work ethic and definitely have the talent to be appreciated at a national and even global level.

So why is Augusta so under appreciated as a creative city?

One thing I've noticed, especially as an artist myself, is that while some do nurture and cultivate the talent in this city, many will give artists with star potential the same advice. What is that advice, you ask?

Move to Atlanta! Move to Charlotte! Hell, just get out of here and you'll be better off.

How can we expect Augusta to rise as an artistic hub when we send all of our talent to other cities to thrive and boost their reputation? We have to believe in our city more than we do. Otherwise how can we be upset when others don't believe in us?

Another thing I've noticed is the age of those that attend open mics (poetry, music, etc) and those who seem to push to nurture our young talent. Now this could depend on the venue given that I'm not one to attend clubs, but bear with me. It seems that the older crowd (those that are age 30 and up) have more of the "it takes a village" mentality than the younger denizens of Augusta. Why is that? I can't give you a definite answer to that question, but I feel it may have something to do with the medium of expression. The younger crowd is more into what some could call "trap music" and "turn up music." Now I'm not saying this to generalize and stereotype the youth (I myself am 22 years old) but dance/party music is more popular these days. Even I can appreciate that style of music. The older crowds seem to appreciate the "backpack rappers" more given the chill vibe of the music and the more realistic subject matter. With this obvious disconnect all I can wonder is how do we bridge the gap?

The last thing I'll mention has to do with event attendance. I've noticed that those who attend these open mics and other events are typically other artists. While that's not a bad thing at all (it's wonderful that artists in Augusta support each other and show solidarity), it's not a completely good thing either. The general public could definitely show up more to support these shows. I can't necessarily fault a lack of advertisement. Those that host the events are active on social media and word of mouth is an effective way to spread news, but I suppose more needs to be done. How do we get the general public (other than the arts community) to come out and support our local artists?

I have many questions but not very many answers unfortunately, but what I do have is an appreciation for this city. I feel that asking these questions and presenting these issues is a start to solving the problem. Virtuoso Village is here to be the voice of the artist and give recognition to many of the creative people  here who feel under appreciated. I can confidently tell you Augusta is coming into its own as a city and finding its identity. We just hope the artists here can continue to put out dope music and embark on the journey with the rest of us to put Augusta on the map.

We are The Garden City.

And don't forget...

We feel good.