Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Burns.
Hi Jessie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Brothers Burns started out on separate journeys – with the biological brothers, lyricists Burns 1 and Burns 2, being part of the same creative collectives, and our brother from another – DJ Redlite – establishing himself as a turntablist, producer, and gigging DJ throughout the scene.
We would work independently of one another, establishing our roots in music, creativity, and comm(unity) outreach throughout the city and beyond for well over a decade. We would later serendipitously cross paths at the inaugural Hip-hop Health and Wellness 5k in Southeast San Diego in October of 2015.
This auspicious event was hosted at the Educational Cultural Complex, and saw marginalized communities coming together to not only host and take place in a 5k race, but also raise awareness about physical and mental health & wellness, and support for local businesses and vendors.
We were invited to perform along with another local act, whose backing support just happened to not make it. With some quick thinking – we united to create a beatbox, turntable, and vocal ensemble of support for that act. That moment served as a foundation for what is now known as our present iteration of The Brothers Burns.
Since that day, we’ve been performing in and around the city not only at music venues, but building in community spaces – integrating music, visual art, and a love for technology/gaming/pop culture in an effort to cultivate as large and inclusive a platform as possible.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road, but every bit of it has been paved together in the stead of other local innovators.
Some of our most glaring struggles along the way have been: outright racism and cultural insensitivity in venues being unwilling to book Hip-hop – or host “large congregations of urban people”, ostracizing and infighting within the genre and with colleagues early on who we’d be working alongside in the hip-hop scene, and monetary losses to a shady recording studio early on.
Other problems ranged from our live band being forced to dissolve and experiencing difficulty reforming, pay to play opportunities gatekeeping local acts from performing and integrating with major touring acts, reestablishing ourselves as a duo following the pandemic and live band configuration without a large social media following, lack of support from local venues for local acts due to inability to draw exorbitant bar tabs – even with large attendance, creative differences within our own team, and lack of adequate compensation from promoters, and venues.
All this to say – these are things that stood and still stand to be overcome by learning, hard work, sensibility, humility and determination – but they were still prevalent nonetheless.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Hmmmmmmm, what we do. We are one part contemporary hip-hop act with an old school twist, two parts community enrichment and event planning, and a twist of creative exploration and innovation.
We specialize in live hip-hop performance integrating lyricism, turntablism, beatboxing, art exhibition, illustration, musical production, gaming and Ai experimentation. We host and perform at events and venues whether they be small private intimate gatherings, bars/restaurants, all the way up to corporate parties, community fundraisers, and the most prominent music venues and clubs in town.
We are most known for being the musical group who can basically step up to the plate – whether planned or pivoting in change – and do it with a conscious, enriching, reliably consistent and engaging energy.
We are most proud of all the work we’ve done to cultivate and grow across genres and creative mediums. It’s allowed us to work in so many amazing demographics, and with so many incredible people, bands, artists, groups and organizations in an effort to help everyone build. The two San Diego Music Awards for ‘Best Hip-hop/Rap Artist’ don’t hurt either! Haha!
What sets us apart from others is our natural chemistry, and that we’re willing to put ego aside, exercise grace, and work with just about any dedicated and passionate artist or community organizer who steps in the room, despite their skill level or resources.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with us by sending us a message on social media, email, or approaching us at a show and exchanging old school contact information! We’re very grassroots and a lot of our networking is done word-of-mouth, and direct – as we do our own booking, managing, social media, etc.
You can support us by: booking us for your upcoming events/parties/shows/fundraisers/etc (jesster617@gmail.com), buying merch directly from us (we have officially and locally produced hats, shirts, and USB cassette albums), listening to and sharing the music – particularly on Bandcamp! (https://thebrothersburns.bandcamp.com), and just reaching out to us to directly donate and fund us! We are starving artists after all!
Pricing:
- Art Prints – $10
- USB Cassettes – $20
- Shirts – $25
- Hats – $30
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrothersburns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebrothersburns/
- Twitter: https://x.com/brothersburnsjp
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKrrheI-z1t-annSrFaXdw
- Other: https://linktr.ee/thebrothersburns
Image Credits
Rob Deez OJ Picture Show Fizix Photo Sami Chris McCampbell/Jessie Burns Mike Reardon Rodrigo Izquierdo/Reagle Photography
