Macon Magazine

their music has found its stage. They have made the rounds in Macon's music scene, playing shows at The Society Garden, Grant's Lounge, The Hummingbird, Reboot and JBA. After all, live performances elicit collaboration on an even larger scale, and the community of Collective Sp8ce continues to expand. Among them, you'll find Macon's music-hungry crowds, the people who show up and buy tickets, who bring their own excitement and energy, their own desire to connect with something bigger than themselves. "Whenever we can perform in Macon, the show always feels more special," Zero said. "When the show feels like home, our energy is unmatched." The group also had the opportunity to collaborate with Bob Lennon and African Americana at Grant's Lounge in October of 2021. "It was so dope to share a stage like that with artists like them," Zero said. This expression of community within the music scene is what they hope to see more of in the city. It is why they "WHENEVER WE CAN PERFORM IN MACON, THE SHOW ALWAYS FEELS MORE SPECIAL. WHEN THE SHOW FEELS LIKE HOME, OUR ENERGY IS UNMATCHED." – CHARLIE ZERO Hip-hop collectives are not new to music scenes. In fact, as history shows, they can define them. From what Wu- Tang did for Staten Island and the 1990s East Coast rap scene to how the Dungeon Family catapulted hit after hip-hop hit straight out of Atlanta, communities regenerate from the collection of talent. "Stories like the one of Collective Sp8ce are exactly what we envisioned when investing in Mercer Music at Capricorn," said Lynn Murphey, Knight Foundation program director for Macon. "Music — especially that which grows from Macon — sets the stage for our community's vibrancy, energizes our creative economy and makes our city a great place to live, work and play." EXPERIMENTATION AND PLAY There is always an element of play in Collective Sp8ce's process even when there is work to be done. In their first music video for their song "Doin Well," they are all just hanging out, sitting around the same living room where they usually "decompress, share ideas… play Twister and Duck, Duck, Goose," Zero said. The video is the epitome of community and having a good time with friends, while the music adds to a soundtrack of togetherness. However beautiful and aggravating the process may be, the group found a way to make it work for them, releasing their debut album Space Invaders in January of 2021. It was an experiment in collaboration, the group's first attempt at making music together without sacrificing their individual sounds. "You rarely see this many insanely talented artists working together and helping each other without butting heads," Zero said, proud of what they have accomplished so far. "It only works because we are a family first." The members of Collective Sp8ce came to Macon from different cities — Warner Robins, Atlanta, New Orleans — but Macon is the birthplace of their collaboration, the city where started Collective Sp8ce and why they chose to collaborate instead of competing as individual artists. "The best collaborations come along after you make a real connection first… that show was really just the tip of the iceberg," Zero said. Collective Sp8ce is just getting started. In a way, so is Macon's music scene. The city's rich music history is no secret, but a call for more collaboration within the community could set the stage for future riches yet to be seen. "There's a lot of incredible talent in our area, but not everybody is given the same opportunity," Melvin said. The group wants the future of Macon to be one in which "the underdogs and nobodys rise up." The "8" in Collective Sp8ce is not a typo, but an infinity sign, a reminder that "music is infinite" – and a reminder "to have no boundaries while creating." Like music, the best communities are open to everyone. "Our music reflects the wild stories and unique perspectives we get from living in Macon," Zero said. "As for the world, I hope they learn to love the language we're speaking." LEFT: CHILLING AT THE LOFTS AT CAPRICORN POOL, DIRECTLY BEHIND THE HISTORIC STUDIO. RIGHT: PERFORMING AT HISTORIC GRANT'S LOUNGE. JUNE/JULY 2022 | maconmagazine.com 77

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