How Claytonisokay’s Music is changing the Narrative on Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a medical issue that is rarely talked about in mainstream media. This disease affects about 300,000 people annually. The burden of Lyme disease is high, as health costs for treatment constitute about 1.3 billion dollars. Although the condition affects thousands of lives, research, and funding on the treatment of the disease remains relatively low.
Billy Miller (also known as Claytonisokay) is a music genius and artist. Miller has been making music since 16 years old. However, Miller does not make music based on the common topics of love, sex, money, or drugs. Miller’s music covers societal issues that are often overlooked. One of the problems that he brings to light is Lyme disease.
About Miller
Miller has been in music from an early age. At age 5, he was familiar with playing the violin and knew much about rhythm/harmony. Miller started writing lyrics on his own during school class. When he was a teenager, he was kicked out of school and had to attend transfer school. The transfer school exposed him to a world that he didn’t know existed. As a child from the middle class, Claytonisokay got blessed to have parents who provided him with a reliable place to live, food on the table, and a supportive atmosphere. When he went to Transfer school, he saw that other people didn’t have the same thing. The transfer school exposed him to the reality of social inequality. “Going through what I was going through at the time with having to leave my high school and just things in my personal life, I turned to music as an outlet,” he says.
One of Miller’s friends, who was also a musician, took Miller to a studio. “I rapped the lyrics I had written over a youtube beat I felt fit the vibe. Looking back, I laugh whenever I listen to it, but I’ve progressed since then. I taught myself how to play guitar when I was 17, and now I make songs of all different kinds, ranging from hip-hop like Overlooked Stories to indie/psychedelic rock,” says Miller.
Miller’s songs are not limited to any genre. This is Why? Because he has mastered the art of creating a fusion of beats and developing his lyrics.
Overlooked Stories
Miller released an album known as Overlooked Stories. The record reflects the musician’s experiences while in transfer school. “I saw people who went through experiences I couldn’t think of revolving around poverty and violence. I observed that the rich did nothing to address the issues of poverty and violence. It seemed like two separate worlds and being a middle-class kid, but not in the same poverty line as these kids, and not in the wealthy world, I felt in the middle. I decided to make an album discussing the overlooked stories, the themes of greed, poverty, loneliness, love lost, etc.,” says Miller
One of the issues that Miller covers with his music is Lyme disease. The artist’s father suffers from the disease. “My father has had Lyme disease for almost ten years. This was largely due to being misdiagnosed twice,” says Miller. The artist notes that the testing for Lyme is beyond inadequate. Although the disease affects about 300,000 people, it gets a fraction of the funding that other conditions get. Miller believes that Lyme disease deserves equal financing, similar to other diseases. He also believes that there is a need for awareness to enlighten people on the disease’s seriousness.
The Overlooked Stories album uses music to tell stories. The songs in the collection vary in genre. There are boom-bap instrumentals, jazz, and other contemporary music. The album is non-profit with the proceeds from the album going to the Lyme Disease Association. “This is the crucial thing about this album is that the proceeds are all being donated to the Lyme Disease Association to spread awareness and fight chronic and non-chronic Lyme Disease. An Overlooked Story in its own right, as this was something that affected me personally,” says Miller.
Changing the Narrative
Miller aims to make music that has depth. This is the kind of music that makes people more aware of the world around them, the world they don’t want to see. “I find mainstream music tends to not talk about issues about poverty or greed, and when they do, it is rare and a spectacle. My music, especially Overlooked Stories, is about themes that we don’t like to discuss. Poverty, love-lost, greed, loneliness, the pains of growing up,” he says.
Still, it is essential to note that Miller’s songs are not all negative. The artist takes these themes and turns them into self-reflective stories. He also uses music to spread awareness about Lyme disease, especially with his album Overlooked Stories. “I want to bridge the gap between different worlds and different classes, and this awareness of the themes that are discussed in my music will hopefully make some people do something about it. Be kind to one another, stand up for what’s right. Just inspire,” says Miller.
There is no doubt that Miller represents a new breed of musicians. These are musicians who are not blind to the issues plaguing society. Instead, they use their music to change the narrative in the community, thereby bringing about social change.