For our third edition of News In Progress, Behind The Scenes, journalist Tahyira Savanna with Woodley, notably known as Woodley on the Beat. Hailing from the 305, Miami, Florida has long been one of the best music hubs in the World especially when you tag the niche, #hiphop. He was born into a middle class family so money was never in abundance but he saw his parents and sister work hard. His work ethic coupled with his magnetic ability to manifest what he truly wants has helped Woodley rack up credits with artists like Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, and Hotboii.
In 2021, he linked with up and coming artist Dave for the Grave on a track named Ash On Ya Head. The song racked up an impressive 2.5 million views on YouTube and over 100K plays on Spotify. Not bad for a pandemic. Woodley told us that it’s his power to manifest that has helped him… in fact he kept glancing at his vision board during our conversation.
Tahyira (writer): “What you keep looking at?!”
Woodley: My vision board is right in front of me.
Tahyira (writer): Get the fuck out, you gotta vision board at 21? Why?
Woodley: Because everything you want first starts with a thought. You gotta have an idea first and then put work behind it.
He spends his creative time first by listening to self improvement podcasts like Jeff Logan’s The Law of Attraction. “Such a powerful influence for everyday life” Woodley exclaims. The younger Gen Z generation can be encumbered by so much bad news, bad luck, and bad energy. They have found tools like meditation and manifestation to keep strong. When you see the success of young producers like Woodley, you have to ask yourself, are they onto something we’re not? Maybe.
Clearly. Before he had access to big studios and nicely padded production budgets, Woodley used F1 Studio, a music creating app he put on his phone. He says that finding resources is a goal when you’re new. In fact, he didn’t have much support at home either. “Yeah my dad told me that I should stop making beats and it’s making too much noise in the crib.” He says even though he didn’t have a lot of believers, he knew his vision was legit and hard work was nothing that could stop him. Miami is not just known for their music but also they’re street life. Many rappers don’t realize the fullness of their potential because they’re lost to the streets. When asked if he makes a conscious effort to work with specific types of rappers he said, “I have enough confidence and skills, versatility to work with any kind of hip hop artist from any parts of the country”. He does recall a very close dangerous encounter walking into a studio for a session with a rapper he has chosen not to name.
In the recent days we’ve seen more radio personalities like NYC’s Drewski proclaim that they will no longer be promoting gang related and violence related music. For Woodley, it really doesn’t seem to make the difference. Good music is made with good energy from people who manifest only greatness.
