“Hood Heroes”, episode 18 — Birdzonthetrack, social worker by day, beatmaker by night

If you're a local rap fan, chances are you've already heard the work of Birdzonthetrack, a local producer and songwriter. Lendcey, whose first name is, is now well established: he works as much with big names in the local industry as with artists from the global industry, especially from Europe. Although his experience in the world of music allowed him to perform on a larger stage Underground, it is his role as a youth worker who has filled his days for several years. An intimate encounter with Birdz, the man who rarely comes into the limelight.

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“I have a fairly normal background, assures Lendcey. I went to high school in Joseph-François-Perrault, in the Saint-Michel district. That's where I come from, basically.” He then continued his studies at CEGEP and university, where he enrolled in psychology and sociology in order to be able to work in the field of intervention.

For him, who is now in his 20s, things have not always been easy. “There were times when I doubted myself, when I felt impostor syndrome,” he recalls. “Did I belong there? Did I deserve to be where I was? Was it because of my skin color or the neighborhood where I grew up that I wasn't supposed to be here? I have often been confronted with an internal struggle, with these questions. I questioned myself a lot,” he explains to us in a moment of sincerity.

Music in the blood

Faced with his own concerns, Birdz is certain of one thing: he has always liked to find solutions. “Especially for young people, because I identify with them a lot. “Young people with problems” are often young people who come from the neighborhoods,” he tells us.

Lendcey grew up between Saint-Michel and Montreal North. “I'm not saying that I succeeded, but I managed to get out of it,” he admits. He recalls his high school years, where the guidance counsellor told him more than once that he and his peers “were not going to get far.” These kinds of comments made him doubt himself several times.

“And then, I see how far I have come despite everything. That's where I think I can be an example for young people,” he says more positively. Birdzonthetrack strongly believes in the potential that young people have and believes in finding the right ways to exploit that potential. “The intervention led me to work on myself, and that's very important too,” he adds.

Far from believing that music is a gift for him, Birdz recounts his first contacts with this art. “I don't know if it's true,” he starts out laughing, but my mother tells me that, when I was two or three, I liked to hit pots and play drums with it.” A few years later, his mother decided to enroll him in piano lessons. He planned to study at the Conservatory of Music later, but went back on his decision. “[I] thought classical music was too much. Flat, he recalls. I wanted to create and learn, I wanted to stand on my own two feet.”

At the age of 17, he began to get seriously involved in music composition. One of his best friends — Lucky, he wishes to specify — urged him to put himself forward so that his work could be seen and heard by as many people as possible. “I remember that Lucky connected to my email and sent my Tracks to several rappers in the city. Among them, White-B, from the group 5Sang14, had relaunched me because he was interested in my work. That's how, little by little, I started to make a place for myself in the music world.”

“A guy from Montreal trying to make his way”

While his path has been inspiring, it has not been without pitfalls. “A lot of the difficulties I have faced are related to myself,” he begins. I always put pressure on myself that was often not necessary.” Academically, his first year of university was the hardest. “I was the only black guy in my cohort, the only one who came from Hood also. It was difficult, but I was able to adapt, quietly.”

Balancing work and school was also a challenge for Lendcey. “Managing music, exams, and end of term was complicated,” he recalls. I remember times when I stayed in the studio with artists until early morning and then went to study for my exam the next morning. It was something! ”

But the most difficult thing was getting his parents to accept what he was passionate about: Beatmaking. “As the son of an immigrant, I can say that our parents often want us to go to high school in order to occupy prestigious positions. So when you teach your parents that you want to do Beatmaking, they don't even know what it is and they all have their stereotypes about the rap world,” he says. Today, it's a different story: Birdz says that his parents are extremely proud of him and support him in his passion.

The young producer believes that he knew how to play the cards that life gave him: “Just because you come from a certain background doesn't mean you can't succeed. To put it simply, I am a guy from Montreal trying to make ends meet.”

Understanding young people means helping young people

When it comes to young people and how to help them, Birdz is a big part of the conversation. It is easy to believe that young people in Montreal are at risk, misunderstood and lost. For the youth worker, you must disregard what you may think and try to understand the youngest generation.

“I don't think they're lost,” he says, talking about the city's teenagers and young adults. I think they are looking for points of reference. They're looking for validation, they're looking for family, a sense of belonging, and even self-esteem.”

If young people are looking for approval so much, it is because they are trying to fill a gap, according to this lover of rhythm. Faced with this misunderstanding and this fog of complexity that surrounds young people, Birdz has no answers to offer but puts forward several hypotheses.

“We always try to find solutions when a young person falls into delinquency, but what we try to solve and heal is without asking young people. However, they are the ones who are the first to be concerned. The solution must come from young people and not from us”, he declares in one breath. “Our young people must feel welcomed and appreciated at their true value. And just because they make mistakes doesn't mean they will necessarily end up better or worse, or fall badly,” believes Birdzonthetrack. Because after all, error is human, he recalls, and “we tend to forget it”.

Young people are aware that the world is not well. “They see that there does not seem to be a way out, and that sometimes they are not helped to get out of it. They are going to try to get by themselves. They should be given advice and wisdom, not judgments. Dialogue must exist between us, and it comes with acceptance, tolerance and respect,” he says thoughtfully.

Identifying with our young people

Still in the harsh light of the recording studio, Birdz tells the stories of his career and the experiences that led him to be the man he is today. And for him, it's all about choice. “When I was younger, I tried to be careful about my actions. Before making a choice, big or small, I always looked at three things. First, will I be able to take responsibility for my choice? Second, will my actions have an impact on my loved ones or my family? Finally, in several years, will I tell myself that I made the right choice? ”

These thoughts seem quick and trivial, but Birdz insists that it's important to be careful about your actions, both with yourself and with others. He is also aware of reality and is well aware that it is possible, and normal, to make mistakes and bad choices. “If you make a mistake in life, that's fine. The important thing is that you get up and keep going,” he insists inspiringly. “Know that you will always have help”, finally concludes the Beatmaker. Here, it is aimed at young people, especially young people who want to start music.

For him, music came to save him. So he knows how many people she can occupy and inspire a lot of people. “There are plenty of organizations that help young people who are just starting out, whether it's the SOCAN Or the SODEC, to name just these two.”

Self-taught, Birdz encourages others not to be afraid to take the plunge, even if they think they don't have the level or the courage.

The evening ended slowly but surely. Birdzonthetrack, in his element, is getting back to working on his music. When you watch the young man in front of his computer using his audio editing software, you have the impression of seeing a fish in water. If Birdz doesn't really like to show up and appear in the media, The Converse nevertheless set foot in his world for an encounter. “I am someone who likes to protect his privacy, but I always like to let my music speak for me”, he concludes.

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*** Birdzonthetrack is also the beatmaker of the song It's not the end of the hood, produced by La Converse, which will be released in September 2024.

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