Mass. Rapper Teaches At-Risk Youth Clean Rap Music in Dorchester

DORCHESTER – A Berklee music professor and a well-known Massachusetts rapper is transforming at-risk teens’ life experiences into clean, impactful music.

Rod Studmire, better known as International Show, initially introduced his program to Massachusetts inmates. Recently, he has shifted the focus to help teenagers dive into rap music and production.

It all revolves around the TRIM Program, an acronym for “the route into music.” As an artist and professor at the Berklee College of Music, where he teaches hip-hop songwriting and production, Studmire has consistently produced clean content music devoid of curse words and provocative language.

“The majority of what we see online is very toxic to the point that I can’t even allow my 10-year-old son to watch award shows,” explains Studmire. “Clean content music is impactful and fun. Sonically, it sounds the same but with a different message. All of my music is clean, and I have been able to get my music on NFL, USA, MTV, and BET. I have gotten music all over the place.”

Rod Studmire began the TRIM Program at the South Bay Correctional Facility, encouraging inmates to write clean content music drawn from their personal experiences.

“Maybe if I can think about that lyric differently, I can think about life differently,” says Studmire. “People often treat them like animals, but they are just like us. They know they made a mistake and are seeking another chance. The program allows them to do it in a way that won’t lead them back there.”

Last year, Studmire collaborated with MissionSAFE to extend the TRIM program to at-risk youth. Initially, the kids struggled to grasp the concept of clean music.

“They were like, ‘Ah, we can’t do that,’ because that is what their society is,” recounts Studmire. “After they started doing the songs, they found it to be the greatest thing they had ever done. It’s our job to show them another way to express themselves, and it may influence their life decisions.”

Matthew Robinson, a student in the TRIM class, shares, “I heard it was about music, so that pushed me to want to explore. I have been through a lot, so most of my talk is what shaped me to be who I am today. I want to give you all a gist of what I have seen so you can get a message out of my piece.”

Studmire guides the students through creating a beat from scratch. Once they have the sound together, the students start writing and eventually perform in a recording studio before their peers.

“I hope people like me. I hope people rock to my music. I hope they connect to it because you have been through it,” urges Robinson. “I hope it opens doors. I really am talking. I hope it does. I put my all into my songs.”