As much as it pains me as a “word guy” to admit it, music is probably unparalleled among all the other arts in its ability to motivate action and change minds. While a beautifully crafted poem or a satisfying movie might move people on an intellectual or emotional level, music has the potential to reach people on every conceivable level: good music gets into your heart, mind, legs, and pretty much everywhere else.
Basically, it can make you think–about important things like sickle cell anemia awareness–at the same time you’re getting down with your funky ass on the dance floor.
Maybe that’s one reason musicians hold such sway over their fans. In the wrong hands, that kind of power can be a train-wreck in motion (see: fans of Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, or Insane Clown Posse). Done correctly, music and artists can shine a light in corners that desperately need illumination. And one of the brightest lights I’ve found recently is being shone by someone who has sickle cell anemia: Nana Kwabena.
While you may not have heard of Kwabena, you’ve almost certainly heard songs he’s written or produced. He’s been nominated for a Grammy and has been a hit-maker for John Legend, Rick Ross, and many more. He also has a background in medicine; he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with plans to become a doctor, as per his Ghanaian parents’ wishes. But at the same time, he was hitting the books, he was working with local rappers to explore his love of music. While music producer won out over medicine, he has a very personal reason to stay connected to the world of healthcare.
Growing up he was in and out of hospitals and doctors’ offices. Part of his motivation for studying to become a doctor was to treat the disease he has and help others like him. That idea never really left him; Kwabena is acutely aware that while sickle cell anemia can affect anyone of any ethnicity, people with African, Hispanic, and Caribbean backgrounds are particularly hard hit. Sadly, that may account for why funding into sickle cell research has fallen so far behind other, rarer diseases. And Kwabena knows all too well the devastation the disease can wreak: his younger brother Kwame also had sickle cell anemia and passed away in 2011 due to complications from the disease.
His brother’s death helped crystallize for Kwabena how the two separate parts of his life—his love of music and his passion for medicine—could and should be united in common purpose.
To that end, he founded AllOneBlood, a non-profit designed to bring attention to sickle cell anemia and raise funds to find innovative treatments. Kwabena does not see AllOneBlood as something separate from his music: instead, the music is a doorway to help people better understand sickle cell anemia. That’s why he’s partnered with some of his musical friends and is putting plans in place for a fundraising gala. He has high hopes for how AllOneBlood can affect change on scales large—developing a cure within our lifetime—and small—covering expenses for individuals who qualify for a breakthrough treatment developed at the University of Illinois Medical School.
So yes, this word nerd fully admits Nana Kwabena and his musical skills will improve the lives of people with sickle cell anemia far better than my meager words ever will. And I’m okay with that… just as long as he continues laying down beats so funky you can’t help but freak!
That’s how the kids talk today, right? Right?!
