Driving While Black Records

Driving While Black Records is a Black-owned record label based in Pittsburgh. Our goal is to uplift Black musicians and to create an environment where artists can develop their craft while learning the ins and outs of the music industry. We strive to consistently deliver quality content as we grow to become a label with a signature sound and an easily identifiable brand.

In 2016, I released my debut album Driving While Black, which was inspired by the recurring incidents of police brutality that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. As I began selling hats and shirts to promote the album, I noticed that people were buying the merchandise although they never heard my music. They were a representation of the issues that Black people face like police brutality. It’s as though there is always a target on our backs.

From that moment I decided to create a brand that could speak to those issues while reclaiming the phrase as a means of self-empowerment. Yes, we are consistently met with racist profiling and over-policing, but these experiences influence the art that we create. This art and expression has the ability to educate and break down barriers for future generations.