Music studio under construction in Louisville's Portland neighborhood with goal of helping youth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Rashawn Verner and Ryan Kilgore believe they've got a hit.

The studio engineers are opening a music studio, called 5X5, in Louisville's Portland neighborhood. Their plan is to use music to help young people fulfil their dreams.

"I moved to Atlanta, chasing a dream of doing some music," said Verner, who writes music as well as engineers.

"I get paid every single day to do what I love," added Kilgore, who also produces.

Both men grew up with dreams of making it big.

"Elementary school, I knew I was going to be the biggest rapper that ever lived," Kilgore said.

Their faces are not on record covers, but their names are, and they want to share what they've learned and how.

"We're going to do some music," Verner said. "We're going to help the youth."

The men are converting space in the basement of the Portland Community Center into a state-of-the-art music studio.

"This is me stepping into being the owner of something, giving kids that opportunity," Kilgore said.

There will be plenty of rap and R&B, but that's not all.

"We're going to be able to cater to all genres of music," said Verner, who wants to help local youth develop more than one dream.

"There's a lot of kids that are not going to make it to the NBA or NFL or do anything professional when it comes to sports," he added.

They may not be the next Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson, either, but Verner said that's OK.

"Somebody has got to make the beats for Michael Jackson or Bobby Brown," he added.

Verner and Kilgore are using their own time and money to get 5X5 started. They plan for the studio to offer an after-school program that teaches kids how to play, produce, record and engineer music.

"It's part of my next level of just growing as a person and as a producer and as a person of the community," Kilgore said.

"... I believe in giving back without asking for anything in return," he added. "I kind of want to teach kids and give them a little more of a mentor, that I wish I had."

Kilgore didn't have a mentor but remembers an elementary school classmate telling him how to make beats on his computer.

"I went home, I downloaded FL Studio, and it changed my life," he said. "Started making beats, actually, started selling beats at 13 and 14 years old."

The men hope to show local youth that there's nothing wrong with being behind the music — especially when it's in your DNA.

The 5X5 studio is scheduled to open in January. To find out more about the project, including how to contribute funding, you can reach Verner and Kilgore at rayluv9@gmail.com or 310-995-1276.