NZ rapper Lil Mussie has opened a charity recording studio in LA

NZ charity Bread Foundation, founded by Kiwi rapper Lil Mussie, has opened a music studio in Los Angeles to help underprivileged kids.

The news follows the opening of a similar studio in West Auckland earlier this year. Aimed at children in low-socioeconomic environments, Bread Studios are free musical studios for children to create music or make/edit videos.

The new 1000 sqft space in LA has been built inside Edwin Markham Middle School, which is known for being the school once attended by the late rapper Nipsey Hussle. TIO understands a tribute mural will be painted on the studio’s wall by renowned artist Tehrell Porter.

The LA studio is run by Bread USA, a separate operation to Bread NZ.

“This was done to ensure all public support for Bread NZ goes to NZ children and vice versa with Bread USA,” says charity founder and rapper Mustafa Sheikh (otherwise known as Lil Mussie). “In turn this makes it much harder to accomplish. Another financially self sufficient organisation needed to be created. This came together in weeks. It’s not something that was planned in advance, everything came together so organically.”

Bread USA launches with support from multiple sponsors including Rode and Hosa, and Fender has gifted a few guitars to the studio, including an American Professional Stratocaster and an American Acoustasonic Telecaster.

Bread Charity

Speaking to TIO, Mustafa Sheikh said the international growth of Bread Charity is an accumulation of four years of work.

“We’ve developed great approaches and are now taking what we’ve learnt to the world stage,” he says. “Bread operates on the same principles we teach these kids: dream big, as big as you can and never look back. This growth is a representation of my vision for change, I will change education systems and uplift communities.”

Bread Studios in Auckland, New Zealand

“We can’t do the same things and expect the same results,” he adds. “Complacency is my greatest fear. Growing to now operate in the USA means more awareness, more possible revenue streams and opportunities – a lot scale with an increase in population. Not only that but this growth comes right back to Bread NZ and while it is a separate entity that uses separate funds only for Kiwi kids, everything trickles back.”

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.