Stephen Easley interviewed by Rushah Davis
Stephen Easley (00:00): Hello. This is your interviewer. My name is Stephen Easley.
Rushah Davis (00:04): Um, I ca-
Stephen Easley (00:05): Can you hear me? Oh, you can't hear me. Ha, ha, lucky you.
Rushah Davis (00:07): (laughs)
Stephen Easley (00:07): (laughs) I can hear me though, so that's pretty cool. Who do we got here? What's your name?
Rushah Davis (00:12): Shotty With the Five. Or you can just call me Rush.
Stephen Easley (00:16): Okay. You said Shorty With The Five?
Rushah Davis (00:17): Shotty.
Stephen Easley (00:18): Shotty With The Five. (laughs) Okay, okay.
Rushah Davis (00:19): Bah!
Stephen Easley (00:22): We're here today at Mohawk Correctional Facility. We're doing this interview, uh, about how this class has treated to, uh, us, and how it's going for us.
Rushah Davis (00:30): Yeah.
Stephen Easley (00:30): Let me ask you this. Since being in this class, how would you describe what you've learned?
Rushah Davis (00:36): This class was, um, very unexpected. Um, never expected to have a class like this. But once I saw the sign-up sheet, I thought, "That's exactly what I enjoy, music, it's my passion, and I'll give it a shot to see what it has to offer."
Stephen Easley (00:52): Why do you enjoy music? Why do you enjoy music?
Rushah Davis (00:56): Well, music, uh, it's like an emotion. It can make you happy, make you sad, get you excited. You know? It's just, it's just life. It's such an art form that, that can take over any emotion you're feeling. If you're feeling down, listen to some good music, get happy. It's one of, one of my, the most thing I love in life. Just hearing music, being a part of music. You know? That whole music concept. It's amazing.
Stephen Easley (01:27): What kind of music do you, uh, lean more favor towards?
Rushah Davis (01:31): Um, you music I lean towards, I would say I enjoy my R&B.
Stephen Easley (01:38): Okay.
Rushah Davis (01:39): I really do. Um, it's more R&B with a message.
Stephen Easley (01:44): Okay.
Rushah Davis (01:44): I enjoy when artists are singing to women, and just the way they articulate how the emotions feel. Because in today's society, it's so hard to accept that a man has emotions. You're always told to hold those emotions in.
Stephen Easley (01:59): Mm-hmm.
Rushah Davis (01:59): But once you let them out, and it's in the air, you can only hope to get the reciprocation.
Stephen Easley (02:07): So, as far as emotions, what kinda emotions do you put into your music. Like, are you a happy song person, sad song, party?
Rushah Davis (02:15): I would say definitely party. Get the, get the life going, upbeat. Nothing too sad. Um, everybody wants to enjoy life, everyone wants to have a good time, and just hearing good music enhances that.
Stephen Easley (02:30): How would you describe yourself as an artist?
Rushah Davis (02:33): Myself as an artist? I'm very particular. Um, very hard on myself. Uh-
Stephen Easley (02:41): Explain.
Rushah Davis (02:42): I would say, I'm still up and coming. Well, let's say a work in progress. So, I wouldn't really call myself such a standard artist.
Stephen Easley (02:53): Mm-hmm.
Rushah Davis (02:54): I believe in changing, and you know, if a certain bar is not sounding right, and I get someone saying that this sounds better, I'm willing to take that advice and switch it.
Stephen Easley (03:06): Oh, so constructive criticism, you can accept that?
Rushah Davis (03:08): Yes. Always. Always.
Stephen Easley (03:09): Cool. What was your, what was your favorite memory from this class?
Rushah Davis (03:14): My favorite memory would be starting the group project. But we never got to finish. I was really excited on-
Stephen Easley (03:24): Right.
Rushah Davis (03:25): ... hearing that outcome of that. But we, uh, lost a few classmates and, uh, just never got to finish the project.
Stephen Easley (03:34): Um, after going through this class, what would be something you would like to carry forward from it?
Rushah Davis (03:40): I would definitely like to carry forward how to construct music and write music, and just the way we come up with bridges, and chorus, and verses, and it was a amazing class. I enjoyed the whole way through. I was enjoying hearing other people's work. Didn't expect to hear this in prison. It was great.
Stephen Easley (04:04): Is there anything you haven't shared in this class yet that you would like the opportunity to?
Rushah Davis (04:09):
Um, something I would like to share is, I want to be a singer, but I'm a horrible singer.
Stephen Easley (04:15): (laughs)
Rushah Davis (04:16): So, it's hard to saying and you hear yourself, but then others hear you, and-
Stephen Easley (04:21): Let me hear something, let me hear something.
Rushah Davis (04:22): (laughs)
Stephen Easley (04:24): (laughs) Well g- well give me a sample. Give me an R&B sample right here. (laughs)
Rushah Davis (04:27):
A sample?
Stephen Easley (04:27): Yeah.
Rushah Davis (04:27): I don't got one right now.
Stephen Easley (04:28): Yeah, yeah.
Rushah Davis (04:29): You know? If I hear some music, it, it, it encourage me more. But I got nothing a cappella.
Stephen Easley (04:37): Uh, you know, now that I've brought that up, it brings my other question up. The favorite line ever written by you? Like, one of your favorite lines that you've ever written, what would it be? Like, do you have any favorite songs of yours that you've ever written?
Rushah Davis (04:49): That I've written?
Stephen Easley (04:50): Yeah.
Rushah Davis (04:51): (laughs)
Stephen Easley (04:51): And if so, what would be one of the memorable lines of yours that you can think of?
Rushah Davis (04:58): Hm. I would say my song that I just made that I'm performing July 28th.
Stephen Easley (05:04): Okay.
Rushah Davis (05:05): And that was, um, "When I do it, I won't say it's nothing."
Stephen Easley (05:10): Mm-hmm.
Rushah Davis (05:10):"If you look, you'll see that it's something."
Stephen Easley (05:12): Right.
Rushah Davis (05:12): Because when I do things, it's not just to get it done. I really take my time, I really, I'm really particular. You could say a little OCD.
Stephen Easley (05:24): Yeah.
Rushah Davis (05:24): So, when people say, "Oh, that was nothing, that was light-"
Stephen Easley (05:28): Passionate, right.
Rushah Davis (05:28): ... I take it as there was more behind that. That was a passionate person at work.
Stephen Easley (05:32): Right.
Rushah Davis (05:33): And that's how I felt at the moment when I came up with the song. So if you look, you'll see that, you know, I put that passion behind my work.
Stephen Easley (05:41): Right. Right. I get that. Is there anything you wish you could've done here?
Rushah Davis (05:46): Yes. I wish I could've had more time to work with my fellow classmates, come up with other songs, uh, actually work behind the scenes with the beat machine.
Stephen Easley (05:58): Right.
Rushah Davis (05:59): Just to see what, if I can get the ideas out of my head myself.
Stephen Easley (06:03): Right.
Rushah Davis (06:03): But we weren't allowed to use the laptop. So, you know, it was just things that, um, being in here I didn't expect to even have the class, so this was a blessing itself. So I'm just grateful just to have the class.
Stephen Easley (06:20): Right. So you, you appreciate the opportunity to have a music... Oh, so you appreciate the opportunity to have a music class like this?
Rushah Davis (06:28): Yes. It was very therapeutic, it was very, um, I would say not so much meditated, but it was good to come, have something to look forward to every Friday. And just coming here, I was able to have a relaxing Friday. All week I have school, class, and you know, just the prison life itself. It was a- I was able to take a break from all that by entering those doors. It was amazing.
Stephen Easley (06:56): Is there anything differently you would want them to do for the next class?
Rushah Davis (07:00): Uh, one thing, I hope to be in the next class. Um, I heard there was a limit, a eight limit, and we were the first eight. Shout out to the first eight.
Stephen Easley (07:13): Shout out to the first eight.
Rushah Davis (07:14): Bah!
Stephen Easley (07:14): (laughs)
Rushah Davis (07:14): And, um, (laughs) I-
Stephen Easley (07:14): Con- continue. (laughs)
Rushah Davis (07:19): ... just wanna say, uh, hope we can come back, and, you know, enjoy the music and a new class. Hope they give us that opportunity.
Stephen Easley (07:27): All right. Before we get outta here though, let me hear something, man. I know you got some bars over there somewhere.
Rushah Davis (07:31): Some bars?
Stephen Easley (07:32): Something.
Rushah Davis (07:32): Always got some bars, man. I got some bars. Listen.
Stephen Easley (07:34): Some R&B something. Let me hear something. What you got over there?
Rushah Davis (07:37): I pull-up, hm, hop out... (laughs) Well, I'm being told our time is up, so no bars today.
Stephen Easley (07:43): Ah, one bar.
Rushah Davis (07:44): No bars don't-
Stephen Easley (07:45): He just said we got a few more minutes. Don't do it.
Rushah Davis (07:47): Yeah.
Stephen Easley (07:47): (laughs)
Rushah Davis (07:48): From what I'm hearing in the back, this is a no bar zone.
Stephen Easley (07:51): I got the headphones, you're good. (laughs)
Rushah Davis (07:53): Okay, okay.
Stephen Easley (07:53): You got time, you got time.
Rushah Davis (07:54): I'm sorry about that.
Stephen Easley (07:55): You got time.
Rushah Davis (07:55): I mi- misunderstood. Oh, yeah, like I said-
Stephen Easley (07:59): You're lucky. You're lucky. Saved by the bell.
Rushah Davis (08:00): Like I said, time is up.
Stephen Easley (08:02): Okay. Well, I guess that wraps up our interview here. (laughs)
Rushah Davis (08:07): Yeah. I appreciate it, man. I appreciate-
Stephen Easley (08:09): Yeah, appreciate you coming through too, man. Any time, man.
Rushah Davis (08:11): You already-
Stephen Easley (08:12): Let's stop this.