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06
NEWS
KANSAN.COM
Performer works to set himself apart in saturated job market
KELLY CORDINGLEY
@KellyCordingley
He spends hours upon hours a day in his basement wracking his brain for what will set him apart from other artists. He plans each song with a message in mind, hoping he can contribute something more to the music industry than just another catchy song.
Rapper and performer Izzy Lee found his niche in music, and now that he has, he must set himself apart in a world of other aspiring young people. Lee, a senior majoring in communications and journalism at the University, is a one of many entrepreneurs in his generation trying to set himself apart.
"The market where I'm trying to be is just so saturated," Lee said. "Everything is, really. It makes you worry when the majority of college kids don't know where they'll be after graduation."
Lee is currently signed with Concore Entertainment, partnered with Universal Music Group out of Los Angeles. He said regardless of what a student majors in, finding a job after graduation is daunting and difficult. With the rates of unemployment for recent college graduates nearly double that of those older than 25, young people are struggling to set themselves apart now more than ever.
Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at the University Wallace Meyer Jr. said he recognizes that more students are struggling out of college, but his department's programs give students the resources for success later on.
"We provide you with the toolkit for problem solving," he said. "It's hard out there. But even if you don't plan on starting your own business or whether you're a music teacher or a history professor, we teach the tools you need for success."
According to the Economic Policy Institute, "graduating in a bad economy has long-lasting economic consequences. For the next 10 to 15 years, those in the Class of 2014 will likely earn less than if they had graduated when job opportunities were plentiful."
While Lee said the money factor crosses his mind, he's more concerned about making impactful music reminiscent of his role models.
"I want to make music with a message, not just a catchy beat," Lee said. "I really want to go into music and do something with it and be as great as some of the people I look up to like J. Cole, Jay Z and Kanye because those people have a high acclaim not only in music but people respect them, too."
According to a study by The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in 2013, only 27 percent of recent college graduates had a job related to their major. A number that low is something Lee said concerns him as he gets ready to graduate.
"You don't know what is going to be out there, that's with any major or any medium," he said. "People seem to be having more and more trouble as we graduate."
Meyer said the University offers a program similar to those at Ivy League institutions in the way they teach students to think and be innovative.
"KU is pretty unique relative to the other 1,800-some public universities in that we have a series of courses aimed at how to validate an idea and how to think critically," Meyer said.
Two weeks ago, Meyer ran into a former student who recently opened an organic farming business drawing on the knowledge she'd obtained at the University.
"She started this all on the basis of the courses she'd taken here," Meyer said.
SEE IZZY LEE PAGE 07
KANSAN FILE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Izzy Lee, a senior from Overland Park, is signed with Concore Entertainment and has toured with rapper Mac Miller as well as musician Cody Simpson during the early goings of his career. Lee said he's struggling to set himself apart in a saturated job market for performers.
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