Young Guru on “Music Tech: A Gateway to Awaken America’s Youth” at SXSW 2018 [Video]

“If you don’t see where innovation is going and if you aren’t able to write what it is, you are always going to be behind someone else.” - Young Guru

In Music Tech: A Gateway to Awaken America's Youth w/ Young Guru at SXSW 2018, Opportunity Hub Chairman & CEO Rodney Sampson facilitates a conversation with legendary audio engineer and Chief Music Strategist of The Marketing Arm, Young Guru, centered around empowering the next generation of STE(A)M students to follow their artistic passions and take pride in their intelligence.

“What traditionally has been STEM is now STEAM, because we have to add the arts...The science, technology, engineering, the math, that’s great, but also arts is the way of learning.”

The conversation begins with Young Guru describing his early experiences with music technology, which awakened his interest in engineering at a young age. He shares stories of using his knowledge to repair electronics for people in his neighborhood and get DJ gigs. This moment where a dormant interest is germinated in a young adult — and the roadblocks that can stop it from happening — becomes the focus of much of the session. The conversation takes a bird's-eye view of the types of changes that need to happen on both the local and national level to encourage young students to embrace their interest in STEAM learning.

“Once you find the thing that you love, problem-solving becomes fun. Find that thing that you would do if you had all the money in the world. For me, that’s making music.”

Watch the video above for the full talk, including information on Young Guru’s new project Sleeping Giants. Also, check out his SXSWorld interview for more stories from his career working with some of rap’s greatest artists. Learn from a diverse group of visionaries at SXSW — browse more 2018 Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&As on our YouTube Channel.

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2018 SXSW Featured Speakers Young Guru & Rodney Sampson - Photo by Levi Thompson

By Hayden Bagot

05/21/2018