Today we’d like to introduce you to Maliq “Millie” Vaughn.
Hi Maliq, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My name is Maliq “Millie” Vaughn and I was born in Greensboro, NC. I started my beat-making journey in the summer of 2005. It was more of a hobby for me and then one day I got invited out to a beat battle with some college friends. I was able to see local producers compete and was very intrigued by all the different techniques & styles.
Long story short, I decided to compete in one a few months down the line and got demolished! (LOL). I proceeded to compete in about 25 more until I actually won my first battle. I proceeded to win twice in Raleigh, twice in Durham & one time each in Wilmington & Greensboro. I am now a 6x beat battle champion and in the next year, my goal is to take one more trophy home for lucky #7! In the past few months, I have joined a collective of beatmakers and started building a producer community presence online which is called The Genius Party.
The goal is to spotlight talented producers by giving them a platform to share their talent. Additionally, the collective will soon curate beat battles, producer sample challenges & volunteer with organizations to get the youth involved. The main goal is to create an avenue for producers/beatmakers because so many times we feel like we do not get the proper love & respect.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road for me during my journey.
I’ve lost countless family members and friends through tragedy. My father passed away from a car wreck when I was 11 and I lost one of my greatest friends on my birthday during my Senior year in high school. These tragedies really taught me never to take life for granted. It also taught me that every day is a gift and try to spread love to others because you just never know what they may be dealing with in silence.
Right after my father’s untimely death, I dealt with homelessness and depression which was a tough hill but thank god for dope family + friends for truly being there for me during these tough times. Music truly has always been a source of healing and therapy for me when I wasn’t able to speak my truth about going through depression.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an IT specialist for the NCDOR. I love my job and all the good folks who work there make it even better.
In my line of work, I troubleshoot users’ technical issues and try to provide the best customer service possible but at the same time be myself. I am naturally a people person and it definitely helps with the type of position I hold. I am known for having a big heart and being more than an IT person, more like a family member they can call on when they are having computer problems.
I am most proud of my achievements recently; I passed my courses and received my Google IT professional certification. I am continuing to build my knowledge & plan to obtain more certifications so I can continue to keep rising in the IT world.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Since Facebook just introduced Metaverse to the world I am thinking we will start seeing a lot of artists throwing virtual concerts especially since Covid is still on the rise. You will just have to purchase a VR headset and pop it on your head then boom you’re in there.
I think this will also set a new standard for artists as they will have more freedom for endless creativity when releasing albums. You may just see a lot more music videos that look futuristic like Big Pun’s, “it’s so hard” video.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://linktr.ee/MillieVaughn
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/Millie_Vaughn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16B4F064409B704E
- SoundCloud: https://www.SoundCloud.com/MillieVaughnProductions
- Other: https://instagram.com/TheGeniusPartyNC
Image Credits
Sandra Davidson
