B.O.A. Member Highlight: STR33T
A Phone Call With the Mountain Man of Are.na
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What began as an experimental member shoutout questionnaire quickly turned into an hour-and-a-half-long heart-to-heart with my old friend and fellow B.O.A. member, STR33T—though to me, he’s simply Justin. The same kid we once lost in the Paris Metro (but that’s a story for another day).
See, STR33T was our first Blacks of Are.na Cinema Club guest host, and after reviewing his curation of rare and indie Blacks films, I just knew we needed to chop it up with him some more.
STR33T is a multi-hyphenate musician, foodie, gardener, and (as proclaimed by me) the official unofficial Mountain Man of Are.na. Earlier this month, over a phone call and morning matcha, I had the pleasure of catching up with him. Our conversation spanned everything from national parks to Shaboozey to Allah to fantasy potluck guest lists—and so much more.
Below you can read through a roughly transcribed version of our conversation, which has been lightly altered to capture the essence of our conversation while cutting back my chronic filler words. I am excited to introduce you to the wonderful and humble young man behind the music. Enjoy!
10:07 AM CST Tuesday, 2/4/25 Incoming call from Chicago to Los Angeles…
D: Okay, so let’s get these formalities out of the way…
Name/Alias? (Pronouns?)
J: Justin Scott, STR33T (He/Him)
D: ASL? (Are.na, Socials, Location)
J: Are.na: STR33T D,
Socials: Instagram, Twitter,
[Music streaming: Spotify, Apple Music, TiDAL, & SoundCloud]
Los Angeles, CA, USA
D: What's the coolest thing you want people to know about you?
J: I think something that's cool that I would want people to know about me is that I've been trying to make my way across the US national parks. Everyone travels out of the US, but rarely do we really take advantage of what's right here. The nature here is… so amazing and spiritual… I've been to Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead.
D: Which of the national parks has been your favorite so far?
J: Yosemite is a world treasure. I've never seen nothing like that. I go often with a lot of my homeboys that are also Muslim. We all Black, Muslim, young, and killing it, [at] whatever we doing... That has not been an easy community for me to build in my life, just because of how much I moved around and the things that I'm interested in. I'm not super strict about anything religiously. I'm very fluid.
So it's been difficult for me to find that community. But now that I have it, especially as an adult, and the stage of adulthood that I'm in, it's so amazing being able to do that with guys that I love and trust.
In Yosemite, we were praying and when we finished praying outside of El Capitan, in this beautiful place that I could only dream of… I was breaking down crying. I was just so overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. It was amazing. That stuff has been deeply, deeply spiritual. Deeply, deeply profound.
D: Okay, not you selling me on getting into hiking now.
J: Do it!
D: Is there anywhere on your list coming up?
J: Definitely! I really want to go to Yellowstone, of course. I don't know when that's going to happen, but I really want to. Definitely Sedona more in the near future. Grand Canyon. I really want to see the Redwood trees up north. Big Sur. I want to go to Oregon, too.
D: Where's your favorite place to unplug?
J: To unplug. I mean, of course, my favorite place to lose myself is in making music, especially production when I'm not speaking. I think that scratches a real spiritual itch for me.
I like running. So I love how present you have to be when you run. I'm not checking my texts... The most that I'm on my phone is making sure that my tracking app is working.
D: Which of these do you most identify with generator, amplifier, or synthesizer in this world?
J: Great question. I love this question… I'm going to journal about this question.
Of course, I think the point of this question is that everyone has bits and pieces of all of those things, right? I think that I'm in the most spiritual place I've ever been in my life, for sure. And I think that comes with understanding the depth of source material. Like the idea that none of these ideas really come from us but more so we're a vessel for things that are being channeled through us. For whatever energy you believe in.
So I think for that reason, I'm gonna say synthesizer, because… I'm always synthesizing God's messages. I'm always doing my best to do what I'm being used to be a vessel for at that moment in time. And at the same time, I do think synthesizing comes with trailblazing, in a way, which I believe is part of my divine plan and purpose.
MEDIA + CULTURE
Cinema Club
D: What is your relationship the films you curated for Cinema Club in December?
J: I love love. I feel like love shows its capacity in so many different ways.
I haven't seen Banel & Adama [(2023)] yet. It's on my list. Touki Bouki [(1973)] is an insanely fire reference to pull from. It's like if Wes Anderson was Senegalese, in my opinion. Black Mother [(2018)], again, I'm a cinematography hoe. Buck and The Preacher [(1972)], I listened to more country music than I ever have in my life last year…
D: –Really? Wait, do you think it has anything to do with Beyonce or..?
J: No, not at all. Shaboozey and Mk.gee more than anything, because I listened to Shaboozey's project [and] I was like, “damn, I actually could like country music.” It just made me start diving in and I found Zach Bryan. I like Tanner Adell, that was cool, but… I like more folky country music rather than the poppy shit. Cause really the folk country music is soul music and blues in a different format... And so I was like man, why am I resisting this transition? Because it's been made to be not Black when really it is Black.
And it's at the core of what Blackness in this country when you really think about it. It's a really important piece of our story. So I appreciated the stories that I saw from it…
I think that translates to Westerns like Buck and the Preacher, which is such a revolutionary concept at the time that it was made. Like [it’s] 1972, and they could basically be like y' all not going to keep killing and rummaging and thieving through our Black settlements. And I'm gonna have a relationship with the indigenous people. It's a lot of layers to that movie that I think speak to the love that persists no matter where we were in this country at a particular time.
D: Yeah, and I know that that was like a big thing in your curation was like different forms of love. I remember the conversation we had where I was like, “wait, so it's not like a prolific gay piece about these two Black men?” You're like, “no, it's platonic love. It's communal love.” I'm like, “oh, okay :/”. As silly as I felt in that moment, you reminded me that love shows up in so many forms.
And then in that same vein, I'm curious, were there any films that you, out of your curation that you were secretly rooting for that you really wanted to watch?
J: Benal & Adama… I really respect that director and filmmaker [Ramata-Toulaye]. So that's just been on my list for a while, but all of them are really awesome. So I wasn't mad at any decision.
Fill In the Blank
D: What book do you recommend everyone experience at least once?
J: The Alchemist. Okay. I feel like people always recommend... [but] Read it and really read it. I've read it before, but I really read it for the first time last fall... And boy, especially with me exploring my creative journey, how to be more present, and just thinking about, you know… I'm young.
…it can feel a little dissociating at the times when it comes to thinking about what I'm “supposed” to be doing and where I'm “supposed” to be at... That book gave a lot of needed perspective at a time that I was really open to it. So The Alchemist, amazing book.
Everything is written. Trust the process. Have immense faith that you will be okay. Cause we always are.
D: Dream potluck?
J: Dream potluck… Food is my second favorite thing after music for sure when it comes to expressing myself.
[Kwame Onwuachi]; The chef from Tatiana In D. C.
Anthony Bourdain; Okay I just feel like he's traveled a lot and I usually try not to include older white men in stuff like this but I like him.
Issa Rae; because she's hilarious.
D: That sounds like you guys are gonna not only have fire food but also a good time while you're eating the food.
J: Honorary 6th [guest] is Doechii. She could make some Floridian food or something. Maybe she knows some Haitian recipes.
D: What websites do you recommend people check out?
J: Type 1 Magazine… This typography magazine that I really fuck with and Are.na. The goat. Love them.
D: What have you been listening to recently?
J: I started taking my little brother to school most mornings and … usually on my way to grabbing him from my mom's house, I listen to lectures like Islamic lectures, that I think are really dope and applicable well outside of Islam…
[Also,] Rotary Connection (which is the group that Minnie Riperton came from), This dude from Chicago actually called Kaicrewsade, Pearl and the Oysters (on some super poppy shit), Q- Tip, Slum Village, everything Soulquarian era, Sault's New Album; Acts of Faith (top of the list. top of the list!), SahBabii, Bossman Dlow, and Kut Klose.
ARE.NA + B.O.A.
D: How would you describe Are.na?
J: Mood board creator for art heauxs.
D: If you could live in an Are.na channel by any user which one would it be?
J: Good question. I would choose my own channel. Street TV. It's supposed to be … what my life would look like as a film.
D: What channel of your own creation are you most compelled to share?
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE by STR33T D
D: What's the inspiration behind the human experience?
J: Highlighting things that make us the most human, quotes that are vulnerable.
D: Any channels from the B.O.A. index channel speak to you?
J: _Rewilding [by Erica Whyte] is fire.
D: What’s the most common thread you believe is shared between yourself and other members of this community?
J: I think that anyone that engages in activities like that [ Blacks of Are.na and Are.na in general ] loves scholarship. That is a scarce thing and I appreciate that.
D: People should tap in with you if…?
J: If they want tea recs. I LOVE tea… If they want a good conversation… Or if they just want to chop shit.
I would say If they wanna fuck w a real nigga *unc-laughter* Jk jk :)
Thank you for joining STR33T and I for this conversation. Whether you felt a spark in the spiritual depths of Yosemite or found resonance in the Black roots of country music, I hope STR33T’s perspective served as both a window and a mirror—revealing how unique yet deeply connected our experiences truly are.
These conversations are meant to illuminate the many ways we as Black people move through the world and, more importantly, to ignite something for you—be it an interpersonal connection or a metaphysical breakthrough.
Next month, we’ll chop it up with B.O.A. member and trend forecaster, (https://www.are.na/ra-lee/channels) of Ra World Address for another rich and dynamic conversation. Stay tuned, and as always, keep exploring.
Until next time,
, B.O.A. President | A guest post by
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Buck & the Preacher is fun! Touki Bouki has been on my list for a hot minute. Can’t wait to see it!