BLACK MUSIC ARCHIVE

Written by Miles McKeller-Smith
Photography by Darien J
July 2, 2024

Milik Kashad is a go-getter. He’s the kind of person who creates opportunities that he doesn’t see. This multidisciplinary artist thought that his graduate film degree would immediately lead to gainful employment. However, when he wasn’t able to find work after graduation, Milik used his spare time during the pandemic to start a passion project. He combined his love for music, with his documentary film education to start one of the most engaged YouTube communities, Black Music Archive. We spoke with Milik about the page’s creation, its purpose, and his journey as an artist.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What are your artistic beginnings?

I was originally born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. My artistic journey actually began as a performance artist. So I didn’t crawl when I came out of the womb; I just sat there, and I started walking at nine months. That’s the story. From the time I could walk, I was dancing. So up until the age of around 16, between 16 and 18, I was singing and dancing, and I thought I was going to have a career in the performing arts. And then, bullying, to some extent, and a lack of support from peers and family made me leave the arts for some years. But I never stopped loving music.

Music is a part of literally everything I do. When I see something, it can be a pair of shoes, a shirt, or something. I hear a rhythm. I hear rhythms in every sound, especially living in New York as I do now, but music is just a part of my life. When I was an undergrad, I went to school for social work and psychology, and I got my degrees in those. The person I was dating at the time somehow found out I could dance. He was like, “So you’re just sitting on all that talent and you’re not doing anything with it?” And he actually pushed me to get back into the arts. 

I started dancing here and there – but it really didn’t feel the same. I like performing, but I didn’t miss it to that extent. But luckily, I was already there at the time. One of my colleagues was doing a project that I had commissioned her to do – a photography project. And on the day we were supposed to do it, her period came on and she couldn’t physically do the project. She showed me how to use her camera and I did the project. I was like, “Oh, wow. It’s that easy? Okay, I really want to learn more about this.” 

I thought that I was going to go to Chapel Hill and get a master’s in social work because I was completely done with the world of art. I didn’t get in. Did the application the night before; didn’t get in. And so I just searched for different film programs. I figured that with a practical undergrad, I would always be able to get a job. So let me try to learn more about this camera stuff. I stumbled upon the Wake Forest Documentary Film Program, got in there, and I got my degree in documentary film.

Did you feel any hesitation or fears about making that commitment?  

I mean, money wasn’t an option for me; I didn’t think about it; all I knew was that I wasn’t ready for the real world. That was the first time I had ever experienced a gray area in my life. So I didn’t care what it cost. I knew I needed to get another degree or I needed to stay in some structure a little bit longer. I needed a little bit more time to marinate before I went out into the real world. 

Talk to us a bit about your love of music. Where does music come into the creative world for you? What role does that play in your life?

Everything I do is inspired by music, literally everything. On my Instagram, for the most part, you will see something like a photo. And then, usually, most times, I haven’t really posted as much, but there will be a video of me dancing to some music. The song that I’m dancing to is where that idea came from. I’ll hear a song, and then it just stays in the back of my head for however long. And then I’ll be shopping either online or in person. I’ll see a garment, and then that song will start playing, and then I’ll see a scene, or I’ll see a location, like a colorful wall or whatever. And then that song will play again. I just see things, and everything just falls into place. So it starts with the music, and then that’s how I see an outfit or a photography idea or whatever. I listen to music literally all day, every day. Spotify said I’m in the top 3% of people who listen to music. So I’m never not listening to music or humming something.

I love it, man. How do music and film then come into the Black Music Archive? Can you talk to us about the inception of that idea and, really, what was the first version of it? 

It’s funny, because YouTube is not what it used to be 10 or 15 years ago. It was more of a social media network, where you could have friends, and then I could send you a DM or a message. And so my original name was iLoveArethaFranklin, because Aretha Franklin is my favorite singer.  I became friends digitally with a lot of other people who liked older singers. We were talking about different music, sharing different stories, trading rare videos and bootleg recordings, and all of that. That was the original inception; it was more of a community-based thing because there was nobody my age, who was twelve or thirteen at the time, talking about Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole and why they were so important.

Read the full interview in Issue 4 of crEATe Magazine