"Signs of Depression" address taboo topic

Trevon "TreyWTF" Buckner, rapper and corporate communications major at Southeast Missouri State University, released his first music video, "Signs of Depression," on Feb. 15 to start the conversation about mental illness and depression in the black community.

"I always put my real life into my music," he said. "Signs of Depression' is an example of real-life situations that I have experienced or seen through others experiences."

In 2009, the American Psychological Association reported that depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States and affects roughly 17 million people each year. The APA stated that 13.2 percent of Americans identify as black or African-American and according to Mental Health America, 6.8 million African-Americans suffer from depression.

"I think everyone has signs of depression or suffers from depression, so it's a relatable topic," Buckner said.

In "Signs of Depression" Buckner shares his own story about his mother's struggles with alcohol. He first realized that his mother's drinking was a bigger issue after his mother's boyfriend attempted to assault her and Buckner intervened.

To gain more feedback, Buckner has played the song for numerous crowds, often receiving positive feedback, even from his mother.

Apprehensive at first, she said, "Why you have to put me out there?"

But she shares and supports her son.

"She respects me for telling it because it's a real situation," Buckner said. "No one is completely happy with their life, maybe with certain things, but we all have our downfalls and things we want to work on. This was my way of reaching out to touch the audience just by telling my story."

One person touched by Buckner’s message was Marsha Walls, education major at Southeast. “Trey is never afraid to show people his true emotions, raw and uncut, and “Signs of Depression” is a song about how the pain of day-to-day challenges can affect a person’s outlook on life, Walls said.

Buckner aims to continue making music to reach a larger audience. In the song “No More,” slated to be his second single from his mixtape “#SignsOfDepression,” he addresses injustices faced in the black community.

“I view myself as the new generation of rap, I’m conscious, lyrical, hype, but I’m doing more than just hyping you up,” Buckner said. “I protested for Mike Brown and I really believe that he deserved justice and I wanted to show an image of what I stand for. I’m talking about a lot of things that are really going on in the world and the emotions that we have resulting from it.”

In addition to making music, Buckner wants to earn his master’s degree in business administration and become a CEO, but in the meantime, he just wants to create music and gain more recognition.

“I want to be heard through my music and establish my brand while creating a brand for others,” Buckner said.

In his video, he and other cast members wore Black.Clothing by Southeast student Nyara Williams, to promote his brand and hers as well.

Buckner also has worked with Colin Rich, who directed “Signs of Depression,” and Rodney “Big R” Haynes, who is also a student and rapper at Southeast.

To listen to TreyWTF’s music visit his YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/TreyWtfuqk