Anthony Clark Jr. of Mid City on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Anthony Clark Jr. shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Anthony, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What battle are you avoiding?
The battle I’ve been avoiding lately has definitely been writing lyrics/ recording vocals haha. It’s such an all or nothing thing for me. Usually when I write lyrics, they come all in one stint or not at all. Recording vocals too. I get the majority of them done in one session, or I drag my feet to finishing them over the course of months as I live with the music more. I’d like to get to the point where I do it quicker for sure. Gotta just go for it with no fear.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I’m Anthony Clark Jr. ♡ An independent artist from Houston, Texas. Something that makes me unique on the music side, is that I also love business and entrepreneurship as well. I’m always looking for ways to expand my artistry in the market and revolutionize business practices and tactics. To me, business is an art just as much as art is a business. Art is a service and a product. Approaching it like that helps us to better serve our customers in ways that benefits THEM! Sometimes I feel artists get too precious with their art and don’t like to see it as service or a product. But all the biggest artists in history had the most customers, even though people call them fans. Same thing. Someone has to look at it that way. It’s usually a label or a manager, but in my case it’s me who sees it that way and I love it honestly.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Lack of communication breaks the bond, abundance of communication restores it. I’m real big on communicating how I feel about someone or something, regardless of how tough the conversation is going to be. I believe if we communicate about how much of a miracle it actually is for two people to be in the same room as each other, it helps strengthen that bond. Of all the humans that ever lived, and out of the billions of people on earth I’ll never see, hear, experience or talk to, here we are together right here and right now. When you look at it like that, it doesn’t matter if you agree about this political stance or that one. It’s a miracle we met, let’s explore why it is that God brought us together in this moment or lifetime rather than what we don’t agree on. That’s a more beautiful way of looking at the world to me.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of being perceived negatively. I’ve always wanted people to view me in a positive light, but for whatever reason sometimes I tend to rub them the wrong way. As I get older, I’m becoming okay with being seen as sort of “the villain” but of course I’d prefer to be seen as the hero. I realize that people’s perception of you has more to do with them than you, so I give them grace because it’s unfortunate they can’t see that I’m just a dude doing the best with what I got just like them.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That the music or product isn’t enough. There are no great artists without great albums. Period. The marketing and the material ethics of music as Kurt Cobain calls it like what you look like and how you dress are icing on the cake, not the full story. The quality of the record is THE most important thing there is. It’s funny because to me the problem solves itself if you just look for great music first. Very boring and unmarketable people very rarely make great music. Anyone who makes a great record that moves people obviously has something important to say that can be marketable and profitable. I wholeheartedly believe that.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
When I have said everything that’s on my mind. I’m a person who’s not very great at holding in what I really feel. It’s going to slip out some way and somehow. Especially if you’re wise enough to know what to listen for. People always tell on themselves, and I’m no exception.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyclark.jr/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@anthonyclarkjr.

Image Credits
Brandon Cortes
Gregg Hillard
Julia Keifer
Issac Jones