After Canada-based musician Blxck Cxsper began offering free beats and monetization tips to aspiring Black trans artists in June, a new initiative from their Trans Trenderz record label was born, Billboard reported.
After getting requests from several artists who wanted help with their musical endeavors, the France-born artist partnered with Studio G in Brooklyn and launched the Ghostly Beats Project. The initiative urges allies to contribute more resources to aspiring Black trans artists.
"Sometimes giving a beat to somebody is the difference between them releasing the song for nothing, and them being able to make money with it," Cxsper told Billboard.
Cxsper is still in disbelief after seeing what has already become possible with the launch.
Trans Trenderz, founded in 2016, is a trans-focused indie record label started by members of the trans community. It aims to bring on trans creators from all sectors of the music industry. As the label's founder, Cxsper said the goal of the Ghostly Beats Project is to uplift Black trans musicians and create "something that's going to help people get those free services."
"For me, it was about giving people the opportunity to have their music mixed and mastered, to have their music out there on Spotify — so they could have a song that they can use to promote themselves and get gigs," the musician said. "It was ridiculous the amount of artists that had that narrative."
"I'm honestly speechless," the Montreal resident wrote on Instagram about Billboard's article on their label's new project. "I wish I could go back in time and show this article to my 13 year old self. I know you dream about not existing but the world needs you, never forget that."
"Ultimately, I'm a Black trans migrant — I can't apply for grants and stuff like that, so funding is very limited. I can't sign every amazing Black trans artist. But what I can do is come up with a platform," Cxsper said. "So that's how the Ghostly Beats Project turned into a forum where Black trans artists can ask for services, allies can offer their services and people can connect those dots."
According to Them, soul musician Apollo Flowerchild and electro-pop musician Heather Hills are two of the artists who have already recorded singles with help from the Ghostly Beats Project. Columbus-based rapper Jupiter Gray, Los Angeles-born rapper Lady Londyn and New York-based singer-songwriter Jæ have also joined the label.
“Having like a group of artists who have different experiences makes you feel more empowered as an artist,” Cxsper told Them. “Because you're valued for your individuality and your art, versus you being the token trans person.”
Cxsper said musicians have plenty of opportunities in New York, as opposed to Montreal.
"In Montreal, a lot of people are still sleeping on transgender artists and not collaborating with us," the recording artist said. "But in New York, we have all of those resources, we have all of those people that want to work with us. The local scene is truly amazing, and the community is very supportive of local acts in NYC — whereas in Montreal, they tend to ignore you until you've made it in the mainstream, and then they claim you."
Cxsper's label held the Ghostly Beats Conference during the weekend, discussing topics such as branding, marketing and performance. A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $10,000 for the Ghostly Beats Project and the label.
When they launched Trans Trenderz, Cxsper set out to create "more than a record label." According to its website, the company leads several initiatives to uplift Black trans musicians and provides awards to highlight the marginalized group. In addition, Trans Trenderz organizes workshops and public speaking events to empower artists.
