GASTONIA, North Carolina

Atlanta native and North Carolina artist Prince Navon wants to create music in Gastonia that points his generation in a positive direction.

“I want to use my microphone to keep my peer group away from toxic stuff,” Navon said.

Navon, 16, was born in Atlanta and raised in Charlotte.

Currently, he records music and does audio engineering in the Legacy Musicstudio located in Eastridge Mall.

“Music has always been a part of my life since my mom was a songwriter and my dad was a sound engineer,” Navon said. “No matter what I do, I have to be involved in music, whether it’s writing, rapping or audio engineering.”

The Legacy Music studio, owned by his father Nathaniel Jones, includes two recording studios with a full vocal booth, a rehearsal room, podcasting services, a 1,240 square foot photography studio and more.

Navon says his first studio recording was when he was just 9 years old.

“I knew I wanted to rap and I tested it one day by writing something to a Jay-Z beat,” Navon said. “I showed it to my dad and he was in shock and I think he took me to a studio the same weekend.”

Navon made his first song when he was 9 years old. He says the producer he worked with during his first studio session was shocked that this was Navon’s first time in the studio.

“It felt natural,” Navon said. “I think I learn things quickly being with my dad and a lot of adults all the time.”

Navon enjoys making rap music with an authentic lyricism inspired by his father’s love for lyricists like Jay-Z. He also enjoys studying his craft and diversifying his sound with melodic and R&B sounds.

“When I write, I judge the quality of the song by how many times I’m shocked by what I just said or how many times it made me laugh or get excited,” Navon said.

Navon says it took him nearly a year to write his most popular song, “Miss Me,” which he considers a project of which he is most proud.

“I love being able to express myself in music in a way that I can’t always do in conversations with people,” Navon said. “I rarely have conversations with people who are at the level I think of, but I like to make people happy with this gift that I have.”

His song, “Miss Me,” recorded in August 2020, talks about his future goals and brings people out of his life who contradict where he wants to go.

His biggest musical inspirations include singers and rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu and many more.

“I love how bold and talented Lil Wayne is in his music,” Navon said. “He’s the one who taught me to write things that make me want to rewind the song.”

Navon hopes to inspire his generation to make positive choices in their lives.

“It’s like Tupac (Shakur) said, ‘I may not be the one to change the world, but I’m going to trigger the mastermind that will change the world,’” Navon said.

Navon started performing when she was 12 years old. He remembers his first performance at a recreational youth basketball game in Charlotte.

He says he’s always nervous whether he’s performing in front of crowds of 100 at a recreational basketball game or in front of more than 2,000 people at Center Intercollegiate Athletic Association events in Charlotte.

Navon plans to release a new music project in March. Her song, “Miss Me”, and all other music projects can be streamed on all music streaming platforms.