Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Young.
Hi Steven, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started Best In Da Solar System Management Group due to two key people: My wife, Panessia Young, and Billy DJ Surplus Swanson. My wife is an Independent R&B Singer, and DJ Surplus is the #1 DJ for Independent Artists in South Carolina. I have always loved music, but being around these two genuine artists for the past 6 plus years and watching their dedication despite the struggle and disappointments inspired me to create Best In Da Solar System Management Group in October 2021. Best In Da Solar System Management Group empowers independent artists of all trades with the best representation, growth opportunities, and platform. We aim to allow every artist to go on their artistic journey of artistic reflection, allowing them to put a smile on as many faces as they can with their art. Providing opportunities for branding, networking, and showcasing their talents to many individuals through music, television, live events, and social media. Doing all this while building and enhancing relationships between small businesses and communities. At Best In Da Solar System Management Group, We Live and Breathe Creativity. The statement alone explains how I got here. I want to help independent artists get to whatever plateau they wish to achieve with their art. Hard work, dedication, perseverance, and people who share my vision allow me to do what I do. I succeed by their success.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, it has not been a smooth road. Columbia, South Carolina, is a tricky place to figure out. You have to be what’s popular to garner their interest truly. That is hard to do, but it also leads to a struggle for all artists in this area. There is so much talent here in Columbia (South Carolina as a whole), and it needs to be noticed due to not being the popular thing. Financing is a struggle; you must be willing to operate in the red to get started. You have to believe in what you are doing, do your best to make the right decisions, and find like-minded individuals who believe in your vision to work with. Then there’s the self-destruction among the artist themselves, “Keeping it Real,” Thug Mentality,” or just plain hating on one another though most haven’t even been in the same room or conversed with one another. The artist are all out here with the same dream, going through the same struggle, and instead of coming together, they rather attack one another or tear each other down. They don’t seem to understand that they are stronger together, and if one makes it, they all make it.
I am not from South Carolina, as I am originally from Baltimore, Maryland. There’s a preconceived notion that people from up north are con-artist always trying to take advantage of you. I can’t speak for everyone, but that is not the case for me. Many in this Independent journey have been taken advantage of due to their lack of knowledge or hunger of just wanting to make it that now they don’t trust anyone, or it’s hard to get them to truly invest the way they need to if they want to do something with their art. They still do it because they love it but are afraid of almost anything that may come their way due to past experiences. Genuine people are trying to help, but the stigma on managers and promoters could be better.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Best In Da Solar System Management Group is why I was recommended, but it still doesn’t pay the bills. I am a Military Veteran, college graduate, and family man driven by trying to be a better person the next day than the one I was the day before. I stick by my mantra from my military service; “I do more before 6 am than others will do in a day,” and “I did the things today that others won’t, so I can have the things tomorrow that others can’t.” I will continue to put those quotes behind what I do with my Management Group. I’m a logistician by trade, and I work for the state. I procure goods, review contracts, manage budgets, and am a Subject Matter Expert in many facets of logistics. Most people do not know that about me as I rarely interact with persons on the Independent Scene while working my normal 9-5. As I mentioned, I am a Military Veteran, and surprisingly there are a lot of Military Veterans on the Independent Scene. I thoroughly enjoy working with them as we share a similar bond and work ethic and operate by similar codes of ethics. What sets me apart from others is that I genuinely want to see independent artists succeed, and I’m willing to show that by putting skin in the game. I am willing to invest and put my money behind my beliefs. I’m willing to do what the 1% of the population is doing and what the 99% percent is not to be successful. Dare to be different, do what others aren’t, and don’t be afraid to fail. In those failures, you’ll gain your greatest success.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I didn’t learn much besides the inconvenience of always wearing masks, temperature checks, and treating each other like they were some diseased animal. I didn’t learn much. Unfortunately, we continue to follow the same vicious cycle that we as a human race have always followed, ignoring things until they become an unavoidable issue. Sickness, infection, and disease have plagued the human race since the beginning, and the coronavirus was no different. It has always been here. If you do your research: SARS, MERS, and HCov are all forms of coronavirus that have been here for years. Lysol even listed coronavirus as one of the things it helped prevent before Covid-19 was here. We don’t pay attention until it’s a huge threat and we are forced to pay attention to it. We are back to normal, except we have a higher knowledge of Covid-19 and are more aware. Overall, the panic is over, and almost back to the status quo until the next big threat arrives.
Pricing:
- Invest- have a budget to invest in yourself.
- Learn the business- you, as an artist, are a business. Spend the necessary money to learn.
- Be smart/invest wisely- Just because a celebrity name or famous person is attached to it doesn’t mean it is right.
- Even if it is, you can gain the same knowledge for much less.
- Invest- promotion, travel outside your city, merchandise, social media/digital marketing.
- Invest- copyright & protect your work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bestindasolarsystem.com
- Instagram: @stevecherokee
- Facebook: Steve Cherokee
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-young-066985b/
- Twitter: @bidssmg
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxWIYJsG-qOihPCk_LT-SiQ
- Yelp: https://strimm.com/SteveCherokee
- SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/09oSH6gLxYJ8f62cCesoMa?si=dfc0984a0388465e
Image Credits
Ed Snapshot Brown
