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Matthew
Jones
wrote a
series
of
spoken-word
songs
for
boys. He
had seen
that
dialogue
alone
was not
enough
to
impact,
so he
thought
marrying
a
message
with
music
could
help. |
| |
‘Boys
Turning
13’:
Music
for Life
Changes
Lyrics
hit home
at an
anxious
age
DETROIT,
MI -
Working
as a
clinical
social
worker
and
worried
about
ways to
break
through
to young
males
facing
puberty,
Matthew
Jones
wrote a
series
of
spoken-word
songs
for
boys. He
had seen
that
dialogue
alone
was not
enough
to
impact,
so he
thought
marrying
a
message
with
music
could
help.
Now, 12
years
later,
he’s
ready to
get his
ideas
out
there on
a CD,
“Boys
Turning
13.” The
disc is
being
produced
by
Jones’
company,
Detroit
Music
Sounds.
A
teenaged
boy “is
now at
the age
where
society
says
it’s
going to
treat
you
differently,”
said
Jones.
“This is
a guide
they can
use for
the rest
of their
life.”
The disc
is a
candid
compilation
of the
many
experiences
a boy
turning
13
encounters,
ranging
from
body
changes
to
making
the
right
choices
to
family.
Recent
studies
have
shown
that
puberty
can
cause
physical
and
emotional
problems.
In
addition,
many
youths
get
their
puberty
education
from
friends,
which
can lead
to
misunderstandings.
“My main
goal is
to
educate
parents
and boys
about
responsibility,”
said
Jones.
“As a
therapist,
a lot of
the
patients
I’d see
were
boys. I
thought,
‘I can
do
something
more
than
talk to
them.’
They
need to
have
something
solid to
refer
to.”
That’s
where
Delbert
McFolley,
whose
stage
name is
Black
Nowledge,
comes
in. The
23-year-old
Detroit-based
rapper
performs
the CD’s
14
tracks,
meeting
his own
affinity
for
raising
awareness,
supporting
families
and
helping
the
community.
The
synergy
between
Jones
and
Nowledge
was
almost
immediately
evident.
Jones
held an
audition,
and
Nowledge
was one
of four
rappers
who
tried
out.
“We
liked
what we
heard,”
explained
Jones,
“the
style,
the
creativity.
He did
some a
cappella.”
Encouraged
by his
father
to
pursue
music,
Nowledge
plays
both the
piano
and
drums,
instruments
he
marries
with
beats to
accompany
his
verses.
Nowledge’s
own
struggles
as a
youth
resonated
with the
CD’s
concept
of
making
the
right
choices.
He was
one of
11
children
who grew
up on
the
city’s
east
side in
a
3-bedroom
house;
he
sometimes
got into
trouble;
he lost
many
friends
and
family
members
at a
young
age, and
he was
briefly
homeless.
He has
his own
ambition
to start
a group
that
supports
uncles –
men who
serve as
fathers
to
youths
whose
dads
aren’t
involved.
For now,
the
focus is
the new
disc and
impacting
young
men.
“It’s
positive,
it’s
something
that’s
needed –
I prayed
about
it,”
said
Nowledge.
“I
believe
in it.”
For more
information,
contact
boysturning13@gmail.com
or phone
313.215.5944
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