SEELEY — Longtime Seeley musician Malik Glasgow, who leads the nonprofit Health in Harmony, recently produced a music video to bring awareness among the youth about water, climate, and air quality issues.
In an interview, Glasgow said the project — named IV Had Enough — was launched along with residents and partners Darreon “D-Stats” Staton, a singer-songwriter, and audio engineer Eric “EV9thr33” Vargas.
“It’s a project (and) a short film that kind of explains the climate, the water solution, the water problem we have here, and the air quality,” Glasgow, a singer-songwriter as well, said. “We used our talents and we wrote together a script, and we have different skits and music videos that kind of explain our take on the Imperial Valley.”
“And then we also talk about the resource that we have in the Imperial Valley, like IVAN,” he said, speaking of the online platform that helps residents know about the air quality daily. “Even if the day looks nice you can make sure the quality is suitable for yourself and your kids to go outside.”
The project’s goal is to inform the younger and older generations to be cognizant of the resources they have and the conditions that plague residents and their health by also knowing how to mitigate those issues.
The organization also aims to spur action and lead other local creators to use their talents and bring awareness among the community about some of their problems and things that can be done to change them.
Health in Harmony was one of the 15 Imperial Valley recipients of grants from the Far South/Border North Program.
The program’s website reads that Glasgow — whose stage name is Potnt Child, or Potential — is a singer-songwriter, music producer, performing artist, saxophonist, graphic designer, fashion designer, and model who has collaborated with various musical artists in the Imperial Valley and Southern California to create unique listening experiences.
Darreon Staton, or D-Stats, is an accomplished Christian hip-hop artist hailing from Imperial. The project’s website reads that Staton, with an unwavering faith and a profound love for music, channels his passion into delivering impactful messages of hope and inspiration.
“Known for his captivating stage presence and dynamic performances, Station has had the privilege of sharing the spotlight with numerous renowned artists, solidifying his presence in the music industry,” the website reads. “Through these community gatherings, his mission is to touch the hearts and souls of his audience, creating an uplifting atmosphere of spiritual connection.”
Eric Vargas, aka EV9thr33, lives and works in the Imperial Valley. He is passionate about creating and producing music and has produced, mixed, and mastered thousands of solo and collaborative projects for over ten years. He has recently expanded to work with more genres and networks with different outlets such as record labels and A&Rs. Since opening a studio in the area, Vargas has also pursued his artist development, the website reads.
Besides having performed often during local festivals, shows, expos, and gatherings, Glasgow is an avid admirer of all forms of expression, aiming to help others bring their ideas from concept to creation through his organization Producing Happiness.
Health in Harmony has addressed through the music video issues related to the Salton Sea, the New River, the pollution caused by agricultural runoff, how the climate’s making the Salton Sea decline, how that dust is seeping into the communities, and how that dust is causing the high asthma rates, the website reads.
“We were all given the task of implementing campaigns to bring awareness to civic engagement, social justice, public health with concerns to COVID-19, and climate control, climate mitigation,” Potnt Child said, adding that the awardees were allowed to choose and address some of those issues in their projects. “As far as spreading the message, we tried to do one at the North end. We had a meeting in Brawley, we had one here in Imperial.”
Glasgow said the next step is to involve high schools in Imperial County to spread the message and get the younger generations aware of those issues.
“We have rap music, we got some rock and roll songs, we got some different skits (to) kind of make it fun,” he said. “So we try to make it fun (and) try to make it engaging.”
The nonprofit avoids including data and numbers in their presentations so kids can easily understand their environment.
“We’re hoping to inspire,” Glasgow, who is originally from Virginia, said.
According to the artist, one of the songs is called Poisonous, which in fact is an acronym of Poison Us that refers to the continual dumping of dangerous substances into water.
“They’re poisoning us little by little,” the artist said.
The nonprofit also recorded a cover of Lenny Kravitz’s “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over” to save the Salton Sea.
Glasgow said he has been a singer and songwriter for the last decade, having played in school bands since the age of 7.
From that time, the artist recalls Miss Joyce Gray, his Seeley School teacher — a “wonderful teacher” who taught him to play the saxophone. Later, he played with the Southwest Marching Band, the Jazz Band, and the Concert Band.
“I love music,” he said. “I have a musical background and I’ve continued with my passion.”
That passion has led him to take the opportunity to use his talents to spread a message and create awareness in the community, Glasgow said.
The singer and songwriter began recording music with a project named The Tantrum that spoke about issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, the killing of George Floyd, and “a very tumultuous time in America” in 2020.
“A tantrum is what a child has when they can’t do anything, when they’re frustrated and they’re at a point where they don’t know what else to do,” Glasgow said. “They throw a tantrum because they don’t understand what they’re seeing.”
After that time, Potnt Child has been involved in other projects, including learning about the environment while using his music to spread awareness.
“I don’t really want to be a conscious musician or person,” Glasgow said, adding, “If I’m in this area and things that are affecting myself and my loved ones, I can’t not speak on those.”
Asked if music can influence people, Glasgow considered that music is the most influential thing that transcends boundaries of even language.
“If you feel something, you can feel the pain in someone’s voice or the hurt and the music,” he said. “And it’s like you resonate with that and it can even be the joy.”
The singer and songwriter said such an emotion doesn’t necessarily have to be negative, noting that happiness can also be transmitted through music.
“I feel like that’s such a great connector for people,” Glasgow said. “So if I can deliver that message and something that touches more than their mind if they can touch their heart, their soul, then I would definitely want to connect with those people in that way.”
The Far South/Border North website reads that the collaborative Health in Harmony campaign of Malik “Potnt Child” Glasgow, Darreon “D-Stats” Staton, and Eric “EV93” Vargas utilizes a series of interviews, podcasts, and songs in the lowest quartile California Healthy Places Index communities of the Imperial Valley to raise public awareness about positive ways to express social justice experiences through community engagement.
A campaign website is the central hub for all content describing locally based social justice experiences through community engagement opportunities, featuring diverse multimedia content, including videos, articles, and infographics. Targeted social media highlighting key social justice issues and encouraging community involvement by sharing local social justice-related stories and experiences.
The campaign also includes a podcast series featuring interviews with local activists, community organizers, and individuals impacted by social justice issues.
