Video summary
Malik Sickstein, a former recording artist and mental health professional, introduces his debut children's picture book, *I Grabbed the Mic*, as a creative bridge between these two distinct worlds. The central theme of the book addresses the universal yet often daunting issue of performance anxiety, stage fright, and the fear of public speaking, which affects people of all ages but is particularly prevalent among children. Sickstein chose to tell this story specifically through the eyes of children because they are frequently placed on literal stages for school shows, homework presentations, and extracurricular events like recitals or final games. He emphasizes that overcoming these fears at a young age is a significant achievement that deserves celebration, noting that while some individuals feel comfortable performing naturally, many others struggle with it throughout their lives.
The narrative unfolds through the imaginative perspective of a young Black girl and her three friends as they navigate their anxieties about being on stage with a microphone. Sickstein uses vivid imagery to depict the microphone transforming from a terrifying monster ready to chomp them up into a secret weapon and greatest accomplice that enables amazing feats. This magical transformation is brought to life by illustrator Paige Mason, who collaborated with Sickstein during the pandemic after he discovered her work online. The project began as a crowdsource campaign on Indiegogo, supported by friends, family, and strangers, before eventually being picked up by a major publisher in 2023. Sickstein expresses deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to making the book a reality, finding joy in seeing children of various backgrounds relate to the scenarios and characters within its pages.
The title and spirit of the book are directly inspired by an 1980s hip-hop song by Eric B. and Rakim called "The Microphone Fiend," which resonated with Sickstein during his childhood. The music video for that song depicted a young boy being told he was too small to perform on stage, yet he proceeded to exude confidence despite the doubt, famously declaring, "I grabbed the mic and try to say yes, y'all." This moment of defiance against limitations became the foundation for Sickstein's own journey toward never fearing performance again. He hopes that his book will inspire other children to overcome their fears in the same way that the song inspired him, reinforcing the message that the sky is the limit when it comes to careers involving microphones and public speaking.
Throughout the book, the microphone serves as a secondary or hidden character appearing on almost every page, symbolizing the vast array of career fields that rely on this tool. Sickstein explains that his work is designed with multiple layers and messages, aiming to push the boundary of what children believe they can achieve. His ultimate goal is for readers to experience as much fun while reading the story as he did while creating it, marking the completion of his creative journey as a "drop the mic moment." By highlighting the struggles and triumphs associated with performance, the book seeks to give credit to kids for facing these challenges head-on, encouraging them to view their potential not as limited by fear but expanded by confidence and imagination.
Read the full video transcript
[music]
Hello, my name is Malik Malik 16 and I'm
the author of I Grabbed the Mic, which
is my debut children's picture book. And
I got the bright idea to write this book
after years of working in the field of
mental health and also being a former
recording artist and recognizing that
there's a middle ground that brings both
of those worlds together when we zero in
on the very real issue of stage fright,
performance anxiety and fear of public
speaking as well as anything else that
falls under that umbrella. Right? And it
impacts and affects people of all age
ranges. But I specifically wanted this
book to appeal to children and be told
through the eyes of children. Because as
much as adults can argue that we have
these platforms in our day-to-day lives
where we have to perform, more than any
other group, children find themselves on
literal stages. Whether it's the end of
the year school show or just having to
present your homework project in front
of your peers, in front of a class of
your peers, let alone the
extracurricular activities where there's
recital or big final games. All of that
could be very daunting. And when you
think about it, as children, we're at
the beginning of our lives. And so, it's
the first in a lot of folks existence.
And so to be facing your first,
especially if you're able to overcome
them at such a young age, is a feat that
needs to be celebrated and highlighted
more and kids need to be given more
credit for facing those challenges.
These are things that some of us take to
naturally. It's like water and second
nature and the rest of us struggle with
for the rest of our lives. And I came to
the realization kind of late in the game
that I belong in that first group where
I always felt comfortable on stage
because I had people in my life from
family to the other adults around me who
as we say in New York put the battery in
my back and made me feel like I was a
star. So it was always a very
comfortable space. But you know growing
up you start to learn that that's a way
smaller group and there are a lot more
people who are uncomfortable when
they're put in that position. And so I
wanted that journey to look imaginative
and colorful. And you see this told
through the eyes of this young black
girl and three of her friends and
they're all going through the motions of
being worried about the worst possible
outcomes of being on stage with a
microphone and then all of the best
outcomes. And that's everything from
seeing the microphone as a monster
that's going to chomp you and eat you
alive to being your secret weapon and
your greatest accomplice that allows you
to do all these amazing things. And this
is magically pulled off by the brilliant
Paige Mason who was my illustrator here.
She's a California-based artist. She
became my partner in crime. I followed
her work on social media and finally
reached out to her during the pandemic
when I started writing this book and
asked if she was down for the ride and
she's been down ever since. We started
this as a crowdsource project on
Indiegogo. I'd like to take this time
now to thank all of the folks who
supported, all of the people in my
circle and all the strangers who reached
out and contributed and made this a
reality. I was able to print this out,
put it in the world myself, and then it
got picked up by a major publisher, and
it's been out in existence ever since
2023.
Uh, and it it still brings joy to see
people discovering it from the first
time, and seeing all these children of
different shades in the book, imagining
all these scenarios and see people
relate to a page in here. That's really
all I can ask for. The title is inspired
by 1980s hip-hop song by Eric B. and
Rock Kim called The Microphone Fiend.
And it inspired me when I was a kid
because the video showed a young boy
being told he can't get on the stage.
And then he proceeded to still exude
confidence in the face of doubt. And the
line was, I grabbed the mic and try to
say yes, y'all. They try to take it and
say that I'm too small. So, shout out to
Rockim for the inspiration because that
was the beginning of me never being
scared uh to perform. And I hope that my
book inspires others the same way that
that inspired me. So, that was my old to
that. And the microphone itself is, I'd
say, the secondary underlying character
here or a hidden character because
you'll see a microphone on almost every
page here. And it's meant to show you
all the different career fields that
involves microphones and really push
that message that sky's the limit. All
of my work has multiple layers and
multiple messages. And so really, if
you're discovering this for the first
time, I hope you have as much fun
reading it as I did making it. That is
my drop the mic moment. Thank you.