When Joseph Skibbie started Beats, Beds, and Browns, he was just hoping to do a podcast on three of his favorite subjects. What has developed instead is a beautifully interconnected vision featuring the struggle, perseverance, and authenticity required to thrive in gardening, hip-hop, and brown spirits and craft distilling.
Three different subjects, all asking the same question: how do you build a dream from what you have and keep it alive long enough for it to be recognized?
Hip Hop Has Always Been About Starting With What You Have
Growing up in suburban Illinois, Joseph Skibbie’s childhood may not have looked like a perfect match for hip-hop’s urban edge and grit. But Skibbie fell in love with the genre early on.
“Hip-hop’s strongest draw for me was being raised in a household without resources. People of all backgrounds can relate to the haves and have-nots. And we were definitely a have-not household growing up.”
Hip hop’s artistry, transmission of stories, and reflection on trauma and the ability to thrive in the face of obstacles captivated Skibbie throughout childhood and became the soundtrack for carving his own path. The lack of resources pushed Skibbie to fight harder to build toward the things he wanted, fueling creativity and drive to succeed despite the challenges.
Perseverance in the Face of Obstacles
An athlete through high school and college, Skibbie drew confidence from the music to push hard and stand tall in the face of either success or defeat, a theme that is deeply ingrained in the fabric of hip-hop storytelling.
“These are all things that were taught to me by hip-hop, and those themes were born from some of the worst traumas Black communities experienced before hip-hop emerged in the Bronx in the 1970s. Things like Black Wall Street or never being able to own your own home,” Skibbie reflects. “In the face of these historic injustices, at some point, you just persevere, and you either play your own game or learn to stop playing the game with the rules. Hip-hop was born from the ashes and the triumph of that pain. The strength of that culture and community has impacted me personally and is something that I respect greatly.”
This perseverance and authentic storytelling have been a consistent thread in Skibbie’s life, culminating in his becoming an entrepreneur and starting his own digital marketing agency, JRS Mar/Com, which seeks to help small- and mid-sized business owners across all industries be seen and heard.
That connection is part of why hip hop never stayed separate from Skibbie’s work. The same music that gave him confidence as an athlete also shaped how he understood entrepreneurship: build from where you are, keep showing up, and eventually the work starts to speak for itself.
Consistency Is How People Start to Believe You
As an entrepreneur, Skibbie has experienced the long-term journey of starting with nothing and growing over time, a parallel experience had by many hip-hop artists, commercial growers, and craft distillers. The concept of overnight success is only seen from the outside, but backstage, there’s a long history of consistency.
“Sometimes success just looks like the person who has shown up the most for the longest. It is true perseverance. A lot of people join after the toil and the hardships; as you gain popularity, now they’re tapping in. But they haven’t heard your first five or six albums. They haven’t been a fan for five, seven, nine years as you’ve struggled from obscurity,” Skibbie said.
Skibbie has witnessed this same principle in the digital marketing world. Brands and artists that show up consistently over time tend to build stronger trust in the long run.
“There are some artists who I see tirelessly creating, some releasing as many as five albums a year. Names like A.M. Early Morning, Rufus Sims, and Ju Jilla are putting in the work in terms of their content production,” Skibbie shared. “Tie that work ethic into the fact that they are creating with an authentic voice, it’s a secret sauce of success.”
Authenticity Is the Brand
Consistent output of work is not enough on its own; the foundation of that work must be rooted in authenticity, which is true for artists and entrepreneurs alike. Skibbie has seen the value of sharing an authentic message across platforms and venues.
“Of course, a person can change their opinion if something true has happened that alters their perspective. But arbitrarily changing your tune and representing yourself one way in one arena and then differently in another, that’s a recipe for disaster. People will identify a lack of conviction and authenticity quickly, and it will undermine your credibility with everyone.”
Skibbie firmly believes it’s better to be authentic in messaging and representation, even if it offends some audiences; there is always a group that will resonate with what you’re saying. Staying consistent with that message builds trust and creates a solid foundation to build on, whether you’re building a business or an artist brand.
In hip hop, that kind of authenticity is not extra polish added after the fact. It is the key thing people are listening for.
Building a Voice Also Means Building a Home for the Work
For artists who are committed to showing up consistently and offering an authentic voice, there is still the complex question of distribution, ownership rights, and what platforms are the best fit for them. Skibbie has interviewed many artists on his Beats, Beds, and Browns podcast, and every one has a slightly different path.
“Artists don’t always choose the same direction. Some may have their music centrally located, while others may spread their discography across multiple platforms,” Skibbie comments. “There is value to having your music located in one central place; however, given how many people tend to consume music, having a deep, central well gives a potential fan the ability to take a deep dive into your music. If I can find you on, say, Spotify or YouTube or Bandcamp, I can take my time learning your sound and soaking in the lyricism.”
While some artists choose to sign with independent labels due to higher compensation, Skibbie points out that this can make it harder for a casual fan or potential listener to become an involved supporter.
“We don’t often log into those platforms to listen to those exclusive albums because of how we consume music in our current society,” Skibbie said.
A centrally located source for an artist’s music not only demonstrates authority and ownership of their content, but also makes it vastly easier for the target listener to find and fall in love with their material.
But even when an artist has a clear voice and a place for people to find the work, there is still another part of the equation: community.
Nobody Builds Alone
Chicago is in the middle of a hip-hop renaissance, one that Skibbie has found himself in the center of and has enjoyed a front-row seat in watching it grow.
“Collaboration and sharing support are at the heart of this surge in hip-hop,” Skibbie shared. “We were just at an album release party this weekend, and there were easily a half dozen producers, over a dozen artists, and then another half dozen media professionals who are covering the event. That wasn’t the case four or five years ago, as we were getting Beats, Beds, and Browns off the ground.”
One person in motion leads to another person in motion, and the movement continues to build from there. Chicago hip-hop artists are showing up to support, getting involved, and collaborating.
“It’s the same thing that happens when one person starts dancing, and their courage and movement get the whole room dancing. These artists are coming to each other’s shows and standing front and center. One person raises their hand, bops their head, and there you go, the movement is happening, and excitement grows. It’s awesome to witness,” Skibbie said.
Supporting local artists can start small: buy their merch, buy their albums, go to their shows, pass the word to other hip-hop fans.
The thriving indie Chicago hip-hop scene is just a visual representation of a tried and true African proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
You Have to Know Where You’ve Been
Certain mindsets are always associated with success. One such mindset that has shown up in successful business ventures, and in hip-hop, is honoring the past.
Hip-hop celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, and the groundbreakers of hip-hop were front and center of that celebration with a heart to honor and mentor the up-and-comers.
“You don’t know where you are going until you know where you’ve been,” Skibbie says. “The 50th anniversary was recognized with a resurgence of veteran artists who have reinvested in their time to write and perform and to share on social and to be relevant today, which is definitely an investment into the future of the genre and the artists carrying on the torch. They are reflecting on how far they have come.”
Part of this reflection includes the often-hidden history behind the traumas and storylines hip-hop is most known for. Skibbie sees learning these stories as a greater way to understand the genre.
“If you don’t know those things, then you’re missing out on pieces of relevant history and richer revelation of the genre. So if you don’t teach someone about Biz Markie and Rakim, they’re not going to understand Tupac and Biggie and DMX. It’s important to tap into that history to understand how hip-hop has transcended and expressed the heartbeat of humanity.”
That expression can be felt in the bones and soul of any hip-hop head. From child to athlete to entrepreneur, Skibbie has experienced some of his greatest breakthroughs with hip-hop coming through the speakers.
“I’ve got a work presentation, I’m going to put on some hardcore rap, and we’re going to go to it. If I’m going to garden, I’m going to plant my seeds to some conscious rap, and we’re going to get through it. I don’t get chills listening to pop or country, but now and again, a hip-hop song will hit right, and I’ll literally get chills head to toe, and then I’m ready to run through a wall. There is no obstacle in my way after I get that feeling.”
That reaction in and of itself is a testimony to the power of hip-hop, a genre built from pain and perseverance, authentic in its expression, and imbued with a lasting power to speak, create, and grow.
Want to Explore More?
If you want to hear these conversations firsthand, the Beats, Beds, and Browns podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. It’s where music, community, and real stories come together—directly from the people building something meaningful.