Music Production and Why We Should Care

In this episode of Sounds and Scholarship, host Liyala Wesonga dives into the world of music production, the heartbeat of hip-hop. He is joined by Howard student producer Ariyanna Foster and special guest Professor Carolyn Malachi, a Grammy-nominated artist and educator at the Cathy Hughes School of Communications. Together, they talk about how beats have changed over time, what it means to find your sound, and why producers play such a huge role in shaping hip-hop culture. Ariyanna brings a student’s perspective on learning the craft and coming up in today’s music scene, while Professor Malachi shares her insight on mentorship, legacy, and the power of using sound to tell stories. It’s an honest and inspiring conversation with different perspectives from both the student and professor side touching on everything from the evolution of hip-hop production to the impact of creative education and what makes a beat truly timeless.