Welcome to America (4th of July)

Christian Alejo aka SupaTian resides in the Heartland (Kansas City, Missouri). He came up on hip-hop, rock ballads and karaoke music in Philadelphia. He produces and DJs what he dubs street music. Music to him is emotions (highs and lows) and connections between people. And the perfect tool to tell a story, filled with different emotions and connections, is the mix.

Remember in history class, where, we learned about the great journey of the first pilgrims and most importantly their sacrifices and motivations for Coming to America. As the son of immigrants from the Philippines and as someone who’s lived in multiple US cities in the last few years (Philadelphia, Orlando, DC, and now Kansas City), the pilgrims journey has many connotations to me. A journey worth taking. Survival. A gift worth saving.

This mix from SupaTian is that journey. As history tells us, the story that follows, after leaving the shores of England, is one of necessity, followed by hardship, survival, and prosperity. Every journey has a start and end. This mix represents that duality; a mashup of Top 40 and Indie. A necessity for freedom, acceptance and opportunity. The “Old Comers” had to deal with cold winters with scarce food and shoddy shelters. They needed the good grace and acceptance of the natives which they received. The pilgrims and those that followed proceeded to build the great free nation we live in today. We continue to benefit from their sacrifice, their survival and the accepting freedoms they hoped to establish. Although we can’t all claim that first journey as the origin story for each of our families, it was their strivings that inspired the few to take chances of their own to join and build a nation of many different creeds, colors, religions and sexual orientations. No story is without its strifes and there’s been many since our nation has been established. It is exactly those strifes that spark an undying spirit of American pride that rose to revolution and provided independence.

On this Fourth of July, I hope to reinvigorate the great American spirit through the old art of storytelling with accompaniment of music and you.     

Tracklisting

1. Hymn for the Weekend from Coldplay – signifies all the emotions we feel when taking on anything new with full conviction.
2. Freedom from Beyonce – are the moments of doubt on our journey when we need to reaffirm our faith and belief.
3. American Oxygen from Rihanna – comes in like the cold winter air and the gift of the natives. It is an air of struggle and abundance. Our ability to have it all and the ugly realities that come along.
4. Rock Bottom from Hailee Steinfeld – represents our need to possess a piece in the world that is our own. And we’d fight through anything for it even if the threat isn’t tangible. It is a double edge sword that we must learn to manage in order to maintain freedom for all.
5. Write on Me from Fifth Harmony –  is a perfect representation of what America means to the world. The good and the bad. Everyone looks to America and in a sense to us as individuals in the country. Every choice we make is a mark on the American canvas.
6. Don’t You Cry for Me from Cobi –  we finally reach the climax in the mix and we can feel the heavy burden of going after our dreams alone. And in great American fashion, we remember what it means to be American and being there for each other when the going gets tough.
7. Blood in my Veins from Feli and the LemonShakers – Is an expression of American Pride. We live in cities and become fanatics of our hometown teams, bands, and neighbors. And yet we still feel like we don’t belong and need for more connection.
8. Future People from Alabama Shakes – As future people, we have technology on our side. Social media apps, streaming apps, and blogs help share our creations in hope that we can make more connections.
9. You Better Run for Death Valley Dreams – As the mix wraps up, we come to grips that we must continue on. We better run. We have to keep the American spirit alive.
10. Star Spangled Banner from Jimi Hendrix – a fitting close, the Star Spangled Banner is the nation’s anthem. Like Francis Scott Key watching Fort McHenry get bombarded by the British, at times we are forced to stand by; unable to directly help our fellow American. But we stand and we believe in each other; we believe the American Dream. And we know that we’re home.

What’s your/your family’s journey in America?