Name: Demarius Edwards
Major: Psychology w/ an Africana Studies concentration
Where are you originally from and what led you to come to Williams?
I’m originally from Calumet City, Illinois, a suburb just south of Chicago’s inner city, but I just say Chicago. I came to Williams College by accident. I was in a scholarship program in high school that targeted economically disadvantaged students in the Chicagoland area and provided them assistance with private education. They helped me pay for tuition, linked me with a mentor and prepared me for college. The program referred me to an external program, in which I had to pick 5 schools and Williams was the only school left that accepted the Common App (I didn’t want to do another separate application), so I blindly picked it. I actually wrote my personal statement really close to the deadline. The prompt asked me to “look out the window and tell us what you see.” I literally looked out the window of my scholarship office and saw project housings getting prepared for demolition. I talked about how this signified advancement and mobility for the poor families in Chicago; it was a chance to start a fresh life. I think Williams loved that idea. So they accepted me and offered a very attractive financial aid package, and not to mention the really strong academics. It was hard to turn this institution down.
Are there any striking differences between your hometown and the college?
Yes, most definitely. The area I’m from in Chicago is fairly rough. I live in an all-black neighborhood. Police lights and cameras on the pole. You have to be very aware and careful of your surroundings. There’s barely time to unwind relax and just think. You always have to have your head on a swivel. It’s stressful being back home. Williams College is a safe haven for me. I get to relax, learn, do work and just live life. I have more freedom to express myself here. I’m more at peace at Williams. However, Chicago is and always will be home.
Would you say these differences played a role in your recently dropped mix tape? If so, how?
The differences between my hometown and college were everything in this mixtape. Higher Edukation is me trying to negotiate my experiences from Chicago with experiences in college. Being a man of color at Williams College takes some serious adjustment, especially if where you come from is so different. You have to figure out a way to engage with people so different from you. There’s an exchange of cultural ideas and values that must take place between students of different backgrounds in order to grow as people. I’ve really taken advantage of that. However, through it all, you have to maintain your uniqueness and individuality and remember where you came from and why you are the way you are. So this mixtape is my way of expressing these things.
Completely agree. Especially now, people need to be aware of the differences in backgrounds when they engage with their peers. Taking that into consideration would definitely help campus discussion flow more easily. That being said, how has the balancing of work and making music been?
Over the past years, I had really no time to make music because I’ve always been participating in sports. I would work on beats every now and then. My good friend Nate Saffold (producer of Higher Edukation, the song) would make beats to keep me writing and engaged with music. I would work on my beats when I got free time or just didn’t feel like doing work. The work load at Williams College doesn’t allow much free time. You have to create it. However, since majority of this mixtape was created over spring break, it hasn’t been so hard balancing. When school resumed after spring break, I had to sacrifice school work to clean some things up and do the mixing and mastering for the songs, putting on the finishing touches, rounding up additional vocalists and instrumentalists. It’s been a great balance. The rigorous work load makes me appreciate music a lot more. So I take greater care, but also relax when I’m working on the music.
Nice! It’s awesome to see students here working together to create something fun and informative. Any advice to students looking to follow in your steps?
When you have a passion for something outside of school, you have to sacrifice for it and dedicate time to it. You have to refill your spirit/soul doing things you love when you have the time. This is not to say, don’t do your school work. You should actually use education as a way to enhance your critical thinking and writing. There is so much intersection between music and school work that it so useful. Have fun with school. Also, just live life. The best music is created when it comes from deep down inside you. You experience things in life that make you feel a certain way, sometimes it’s a strong feeling. You lock that experience and feeling in your memory and create something with it. This applies to all types artists (painters, photographers, poets, writers, etc).
What do you plan on doing post grad? Will music play a significant role?
After graduation, I’ll be working at a bank in Buffalo, NY and working on my next musical project. I think working in banking will give me a great opportunity to develop business acumen, and leadership skills. I’m really excited for this opportunity. I’m going to learn so much. And maybe just maybe I’ll go to graduate school one day. It’s not a far-fetched idea. The music is here to stay. I can’t ever see myself not doing music.
What is one thing people may not know about you?
A lot of people don’t know that I am really in touch with myself. Not in the sense that I’m conceited, but I’ve been learning to be very comfortable with my individuality. I eat lunches by myself sometimes and that’s totally fine with me. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE PEOPLE, love being around people. However, I really love quality time for myself. It’s a great way for me to gain peace of mind before interacting with people. At that point, I’m ready to give humanity the most, best, genuine Mari. And he’s usually a very quirky, silly, but thought-provoking guy. I can be shy at times though. I also have alter egos. Depending on how I feel for that day, you may run into one of them. Bet you all didn’t know that! Did I mention that I wrote and recorded two songs for Hasbro Beyblades commercials?