Black Nerd Mafia is a local business aimed at showcasing Black and marginalized artists and creatives in Columbia venues. (Photo provided)
“We’re all connected,” Brown said. “The more eyes on each of us, individually, the more eyes are on us collectively.”
Most recently, Black Nerd Mafia played the Rosewood Arts Festival, and Brown said they’ve already been booked for the festival next year.
The Tribe
Brown doesn’t run things alone.
Artist and videographer Darius Dior handles much of the visual branding for the company through his own branding firm, Thinking Kingdom. He began learning video editing and production to promote his own music, but quickly saw another path.
“I thought I would do a video for myself,” said Dior, who describes himself as a “Christ-centered” musician. “I just had a revelation. You’re not the only person who needs this. You need to open up the floor for other artists.”
The synergy between Brown and Dior’s goals merged with their collaboration on Black Nerd Mafia. Dior said their work has helped further fuel him to keep spreading the word on Columbia’s independent artist community, especially since he sees so few spaces for Black artists to come together.
“Just for the sake of the creative community here, it’s dry. It doesn’t exist unless we exist,” he said.
Along with Dior, rapper/hip-hop artist Tam the Viibe has performed and hosted Black Nerd Mafia’s branded events since the business’ first 2021 show.
Tam’s been rapping since she was 16, more than 20 years ago. She said the past two years with Black Nerd Mafia have opened doors that have long-been closed for her, and introduced her to a new side of her artistry.
Tam the Viibe is a rapper and hip-hop artist in Columbia who frequently works with Black Nerd Mafia. (Photo by Aaron Smalls Photography/Provided)
“So many people in this state, they’re so talented,” she said.
Tam calls the artists involved with Black Nerd Mafia “the tribe,” and qualifies their music tastes as neo hip-hop/rap.
“Doing the shows at (Curiosity), we’re able to show a community of people that probably wouldn’t wouldn’t have tuned into us that there’s so much more out there than just trap,” she said.
Trap music is a subgenre of rap that’s become popular in the mainstream and focuses on bombastic lyrics and production. Transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, violence and drugs are part of the litany of negative connotations often associated with the genre.
