Conversations with T’rae Brooks

Today we’d like to introduce you to T’rae Brooks.

Hi T’rae, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
What’s Goody 👋🏽

I’m a multi-disciplinary artist and Innovator based in Louisiana. My work spans music, movement, and design, but more than anything, I focus on building experiences and systems that support how artists actually create.

Early on, I was identified as talented and shown traditional paths to success in the industry. At the same time, I started to notice that many of those paths required artists to disconnect from their identity, their communities, and the people who helped them grow. That didn’t sit right with me, so instead of fully committing to that route, I chose to understand the system from the outside and figure out how to build something different.

That journey wasn’t linear. I spent years navigating instability, including a period of homelessness, while continuing to develop my craft across disciplines—music, dance, production, and creative direction. Those experiences gave me a broader understanding of how everything connects, and why most systems don’t fully support multi-disciplinary artists.

Now I’m in a phase of building and execution. I’ve performed at a high level across different spaces, including playing drumset at the Super Bowl in New Orleans (2025), which paid homage to Louisiana’s musical legacy, and dancing as a lead behind Master P at Essence Festival—both moments rooted in culture and community.

Alongside my personal work, I’m building the Kingdom of Arts, which is a creative system designed to provide structure, ownership, and sustainability for artists who work across mediums. It’s focused on helping creatives grow without having to compromise their identity or rely on outdated industry models.

Recently, I completed the first phase of a digital experience project in the historic Bayou Road area of New Orleans. The goal is to create digital infrastructure that connects physical spaces with emerging mediums like AR and VR, while also opening up new forms of commerce and interaction for local culture.

I’m also preparing to release a dance-focused project on June 1st that ties directly into this larger vision—using movement, sound, and storytelling to build immersive experiences rather than just standalone content.

At this point, my focus is on continuing to build systems, create meaningful experiences, and contribute to a future where artists—especially in places like Louisiana—have the tools and infrastructure to be both creative and self-sustaining.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A lot of my challenges started early, in both my environment and the systems around me.

Growing up, there was love in my household, but there was also violence—and it forced me to develop awareness at a young age while trying to understand stability and identity. Around that same time, I was labeled with ADHD without real structure or support, which created an internal ceiling in traditional environments like school.

I spent years in church spaces as well, gaining a strong spiritual foundation, but eventually having to separate truth from structure and unlearn certain stigmas to find alignment for myself.

As I got older, I struggled with traditional education—not because I didn’t value learning, but because the paths felt outdated and disconnected from what I was trying to build. At the same time, being outside of those systems meant navigating environments where ego, manipulation, and power dynamics were often unchecked.

Doing this from Louisiana adds another layer. There’s a deep cultural foundation here, but not always the infrastructure or visibility for innovation—especially for multi-disciplinary creatives working across new mediums.

All of that pushed me to think differently. I had to learn how to discern what was real, what was misaligned, and what needed to be rebuilt—and that’s what led me to create the Kingdom of Arts and focus on building better systems.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a multi-disciplinary recording artist and innovator. I work across sound, movement, and design—building full experiences rather than separating mediums.

My foundation started in percussion, where I ranked at the top of the state and competed nationally, which gave me a strong sense of discipline early on. From there, I’ve worked across industries with artists and platforms like Janet Jackson, Chance the Rapper, Jon Batiste, Wu-Tang Clan, Nike, Disney, and Amazon.

What I’m most proud of is building something that didn’t exist for me—the Kingdom of Arts. It’s a creative system designed for multi-disciplinary artists to grow and operate without having to fit into outdated industry structures.

What sets me apart is that I don’t just create within systems—I build them.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I tend to pull from a mix of spiritual, strategic, and mindset-based resources. Books like Autobiography of a Yogi, The Alchemist, and Rich Dad Poor Dad have all shaped how I think about purpose, discipline, and building long-term.

I also revisit The Art of War by Sun Tzu—it’s something I like to listen to and keep in rotation because it sharpens how I think about strategy and awareness.

Beyond that, a lot of what keeps me aligned comes from real-life experience, observation, and staying present in the work itself.

Pricing:

• Dance & Movement Classes: $15 per class (limited community access available)
• Workshops & Immersive Experiences: Pricing varies based on format and scale
• Creative Direction / Choreography / Sound: Project-based pricing depending on scope
• Digital Experiences (AR/VR / Installations): Custom pricing based on concept, location, and technical build
• Kingdom of Arts — Access Tiers: Structured access for multi-disciplinary creatives at different stages (details available through the Kingdom of Arts platform)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thekingdomofarts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traebrooksofficial

Image Credits
ME!!!!! 😂😂😂😭