1up Entertainment
What is something most people don’t know about you?
[Brother Saye]
Let’s see. I’m originally from Atlanta, but I spent most of my youth in Liberia, West Africa, Chicago, and small town in Mississippi called, Piney Woods, where I attended a boarding school. When people ask me where I’m from, I usually don’t know what to tell them because I’ve lived in so many different cities. I picked up different accents and slang’s from each city, so it’s hard for people to distinguish where I’m from when I speak. Most people also don’t know that I’m devoted when it comes to introducing people to the importance of social entrepreneurship and critical thinking education.
1up Entertainment:
How did you end up attending boarding school in Mississippi?
[Brother Saye]
I don’t know the answer to that, but I can explain the process. I was living in Savannah Georgia at the time, when my guardians decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to send me to a historically African American boarding school in Mississippi called, Piney Woods Country Life School. Living in a dysfunctional environment, I took the news pretty hard, when I was told I was going to have to attend a boarding school in Mississippi, but I didn’t have any problems making the adjustments that were needed. Attending Piney Woods was no cakewalk, but lucky for me, it kept me off the streets and out of trouble.
1up Entertainment
What did you do after you left Piney Woods?
[Brother Saye]
I attended the University of Southern Mississippi to learn how to be a journalist. I even worked as the sports editor for the University’s newspaper. It’s funny thinking about how I use to chase down athletes for interviews. I spent a lot of my free time writing rhymes and free styling on mix tapes for my friends. Eventually, I met another aspiring artist and we formed a group called “Bottum Rok Boiz”. At first, it was just about creating mix tapes and having fun with our peers. I don’t think either of us took our music careers serious until we started getting large responses and positive feedback from a song we recorded called “Wise Up” It wasn’t until 95 or 96 until we permanently moved back to Atlanta to focus in on our careers. We use to bang out music in a small apartment in Atlanta across from the twin towers at Morris Brown. Around that time I met Dj Blak Magic at a job we both worked. He was rapping at the time and his music was getting spins on a local radio station. I was a fan of the music, but all that time, I had no clue it was his music. One day I let him hear some music we had recorded, and he kept nodding his head. He told me it was hot, and we instantly clicked. He introduced us to Shannon Houchins, currently the founder of Average Joe Entertainment. Those years were a learning experience about the music industry, but more importantly, about life. All of my experiences are the reason why I’m currently devoted to helping young people to understand the importance of critical thinking education and the importance of social entrepreneurship.
1up Entertainment
Would you like to elaborate on those experiences?
[Brother Saye]
No, not really. Once a person is conscious about their surroundings, they will eventually invest time in making better decisions. I just want to share the knowledge I’ve gained with young people so that they can learn and build from that.
1up Entertainment
Saye is a unique name. Say, feel free to say something about it if you will? LOL
[Brother Saye]
Say What? LOL… Seriously, from what I’ve been told, the name is common in Liberia. The name comes from the Mah tribe and means, first son. My middle name is Menlekeh and I’ve been told it means, “Nothing is impossible”.
1up Entertainment
So what does 1up Entertainment represent, and what are you trying to accomplish?
[Brother Saye]
After going through a few rough experiences with so-called friends, family, and industry people, I vowed to always stay 1up (conscious) about everything that goes on around me. If I tell someone to Stay 1up, I’m pretty much telling them to maintain a consciousness and a strategy to maintain in life. A person who stays 1up does not allow others to dictate, or force their will on how they think or behave. 1up Entertainment, the business, was created to strategically plan and host events, which promote public awareness (consciousness) while generating revenue for organizations that support changes to community norms and policies. The idea is to work with social entrepreneurs to identify opportunities for strategic policy implementation, show community support, and to develop projects and events that fundamentally promote change in communities. 1up Entertainment is broken down into two branches. We have 1up Entertainment/Consulting and 1up Entertainment/Music. The main objective for 1up Entertainment/Music is to spread the importance of critical thinking education and to get more artists to create more positive conscious minded music. We are dedicated in promoting those artists who are down with the 1up movement as a whole. 1up Entertainment is just another tool used to promote the 1up Movement.
1up Entertainment
How do you define the 1up Movement?
[Brother Saye]
The 1up movement only exists when there is a conscious effort, or collaboration, of organizations and individuals putting words into action. It’s very essence stems from the combining and sharing of knowledge and resources, all used in a positive way to enhance the economic and social conditions of everyone involved. The movement funnels through social entrepreneurship, and its effectiveness is maximized using critical thinking techniques and practices.
1up Entertainment
What current projects do you have going on?
[Brother Saye]
I’m glad you asked. I’ve recently created two programs with detailed curriculums for children ages 12-18. The critical thinking program elaborates on the concept of critical thinking, while providing students with several hands on applications that can be used to improve their process of daily thinking. Students are introduced to several ways of implementing critical thinking applications in education. The social entrepreneurship program gives a basic overview of the concept of social entrepreneurship and its’ importance. It also teaches young men and women how to establish/manage a nonprofit organization, giving rises to the insight and interest for human services. Participants gain an appreciation for the workmanship of leaders, officers, board members, directors and managers; as well as, laying the ground work for these aspiring future business owners and entrepreneurs. I’m also searching for independent filmmakers to take on two screenplays I’ve written. One is called, “A Fathers Burden”. It’s an emotional drama that addresses the issues of family values, self-reliance, and personal responsibility. The second script is called “Country Life School”. It deals with the trials of an inner city youth from Atlanta, who trades in the street life to attend a historically black boarding school in the middle of nowhere Mississippi. Hopefully a path will be created for me to introduce this vision to a large audience. In the meantime, I’ve made it possible for anyone to read these great scripts online for free.
1up Entertainment
Is the Country Life School script about your life?
[Brother Saye]
Not really. It’s a fictional drama, but all the characters were developed from my memory of old friends or just individuals I encountered while attending Piney Woods. Of course, a few of my personal experiences were thrown in the mix.
1up Entertainment
For those interested in following, partnering, or working with 1up Entertainment, what avenues are available?
[Brother Saye]
We have the 1up Entertainment/Consulting site, geared towards aiding nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs, while 1up Entertainment/Music specifically caters to artists and musicians who are interested in collaborating with us, or those who just want to see what the 1up Movement is all about. I have my official site, and then there are branches of the 1up Movement being discussed on media formats like wordpress, facebook, and twitter.
