Mariah Roper
Age: 17
“My imagination is kind of wild.”
On her first day meeting with the Mixtape Project, Mariah Roper wrote and hit the mic solo.
It started out great, my whole life was straight
My grades altogether, school was a piece of cake
I had all the friends, nobody was discriminating
I get cold-shouldered, and I still wouldn’t hate.
In a later session, Roper and Daniel Oyinloye reviewed her recording, both bumping their heads to the beat.
At a peak in the song, Oyinloye let out a “Yay, let ’em know!” before singing Roper’s hook:
“I know I can be what I wanna be. If I try hard enough, I’ll be where I wanna be.”
Writing music isn’t new for Roper, 17. She had participated in a Ten Toes Down freestyle challenge a couple of years ago,
and her clip was shared across social media. Yet, she felt a little stumped at the start of this project.
Her trick was to start simple, hone in on daily life and her experiences, she said.
Roper moved to Duluth a couple of years ago, and after doing well in middle school, her grades dropped in high school.
“Not because I was dumb, but because I started skipping,” she said. After overcoming some personal challenges,
Roper said she’s in a more positive place, leading to the battlecry of her track, “I Know I Can.”
Music means understanding, she said, and she gravitates toward music she can relate to.
“I feel like everybody been through the same thing.”
Her tips for others who want to write music is to start with rhymes instead of raps. Think of it as a poem or a speech instead
of something that needs a beat. Roper said her track reminds her of old-school rappers, those who sent out messages or
movements. She hopes when others hear her song, they’ll “understand the message and join me.”
written by Melinda Lavine
