Rewind from Today

The Upward Mobility of Black Creatives Part 2 with Freddy "Don Fredericko" Brobbey

April 30, 2021 Anthony Perrotta
Rewind from Today
The Upward Mobility of Black Creatives Part 2 with Freddy "Don Fredericko" Brobbey
Show Notes

In this episode of Rewind From Today, host Anthony Perrotta connects with his former student Freddy ‘Don Fredericko’ Brobbey. 

Here's a bit about Freddy in his own words: 

Music Producer. Creative. Community Builder. Entrepreneur. Brother. Son. Friend. Optimist. These are the labels I choose to reflect my identity. I claim these words. I am connected to these concepts. I own them and carry them with me daily. This is who I am.  The story starts in a way like many others. Through family and culture I learned a love of music. I was born into my parents’ love of African High Life, gospel music, reggae and other genres. Every weekend, going to church and watching and listening as my father uplifted the congregation with his guitar. Fast forward to my early teens when I heard Pete Rock and CL Smooth and realized exactly how I was meant to express myself creatively. Beats. Beat-making. I got my first taste of music production at a local community arts organization. Composition and arrangement, exploring sounds, it was a natural fit. As I evolved musically I also grew into community development, carving out a path to use music as the language and the tool to bridge people and build forward. Determination, hard work and honing my skills led to signing with a major record label, managing up-and-coming artists, and producing music. Always producing music. Now, I am the Creative Director of JustOverMusic, a Toronto-based music production house and artist development team. My side hustle is as Executive Director of JustOverMusic: Music Links, running community music programs, increasing access to industry-standard skills development for emerging artists and underserved young people. Over the years, other people have tried to attach their labels to me. My identity is mine to define, no one else’s, and these are the words I choose. Music Producer. Creative. Community Builder. Entrepreneur. Brother. Son. Friend. Optimist.