To celebrate Black History Month and the GRAMMY Museum®‘s newest exhibit, Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom, the Museum will host City Sounds: Randy Savvy From the Compton Cowboys & Guests, a free evening of conversations and performances with Savvy and other Compton-based artists including Milania, Voris Forté and Allie, held at the Museum’s Clive Davis Theater on Sat., Feb. 19, 2022 at 5 p.m. The program will be followed by a reception held in the Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom exhibit space. Tickets are free; reservations are required in advance and can be made here.
Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom, curated by the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, opened on Jan. 15, 2022, and examines the role music has played in informing and inspiring social consciousness throughout American history. Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom was first on display at the GRAMMY Museum when it opened in Los Angeles in 2008. In the 13 years since that initial run, the exhibit has been updated to include the Black Lives Matter movement, songs that fight for LGBTQ+ rights, and a newly expanded section, “The Sounds of Los Angeles,” that includes the Compton Cowboys, and explores Los Angeles-based social movements and events that have inspired protest songs spanning a variety of genres and communities.
Savvy grew up going to local rodeos and learning to ride horses as a kid in the Compton Junior Posse, a riding and gang-prevention program founded by his aunt. Savvy took over the nonprofit after his aunt retired, rebranding it Compton Junior Equestrians, and founded Compton Cowboys in 2017 to continue his family’s mission of offering horseback riding to at-risk youth. The Compton Cowboys’ motto – “the streets raised us, the horses saved us”– reflects the group’s mission to provide positive influence and mentorship through horseback riding and equestrian culture, offering a path away from gangs and crime.
The soundtrack of Savvy’s youth was a mix of West Coast rap and country music that would later inspire his “street country” sound. Savvy began to seriously focus on honing his musical skills as a sophomore at Occidental College, and received an MA in music administration from California State University, Northridge. While Savvy’s identity as a Compton Cowboy persevered, he struggled to find his identity as an artist, until his 21st birthday. “It was a moment that changed my life,” said Savvy. “My dad gave me his cowboy hat, which was handed down to him from my aunt. When I wore that hat I found my voice and purpose. I went from being a kid from Compton, to a role model for positive change with a responsibility to represent the Black cowboy community.”
When COVID hit, word got out that Savvy was struggling to maintain the ranch and its horses, and he leaned on the Compton community for help, eventually connecting with fellow Compton native Dr. Dre, who donated a year’s worth of funding. Savvy was reluctant to mention his musical ambitions, but went for it anyway. Dre was receptive, and Savvy shared “COLORBLIND,” a song about the tragic cycle of lives lost in the inner cities that took on renewed significance in light of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and the Black Lives Matter movement. It was a “this is it!” moment for both, and Dre agreed to remix the track, which was released in November 2020, and served as an anthem during BLM protests.
Savvy is releasing his second EP, CAPT. on Feb. 19, 2022, on all streaming platforms. The title is a nod to both his nickname (his real name is Randy Hook), and his role as the captain of the Compton Cowboys movement.
City Sounds is led by the GRAMMY Museum’s Community Engagement department, established with the goal of increasing the Museum’s impact in the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Other initiatives include Sensory Saturdays, a monthly event that transforms the Museum into a more sensory-friendly environment for patrons of all ages and abilities and their families, and the GRAMMY Museum® Grant Program, an annual giving program that awards funding to scientific research and audio preservation projects.