Johnny Rapp on Human Brand, NYC Creative Space, and Alpha Schools Vision

Summary

Johnny Rapp shared explosive growth of his creative space in NYC and the Human brand movement. He revealed plans to teach music production through Twitch streaming, critiqued Alpha Schools' current marketing approach, and positioned himself and Eddie as the authentic Gen Z voices needed for the education revolution. The conversation showcased Johnny's frustration with lack of financial support while he builds cultural momentum, and his vision for customized educational tablets and experiential learning spaces.

The Human Brand Movement

Creative Space Success

Johnny described remarkable momentum at his NYC creative space:

• 8-hour album listening session: "We listened to our my album yesterday eight times. People stayed from 06:00 all the way to 12:00"
• Artist community: "filled with this artist. Art like, everyone was artists, photographers, videographers, painters, recording artists"
• Transformative impact: "everyone that came in there, bro, this is, changing my life. Like, I haven't been wanting to make art, and now I wanna make art"
• Emotional resonance: "people are crying and, like, just vibing"

Human Brand Philosophy

Core message: "During this age of AI... I really wanted to not feel like like I'm giving them, like like, I'm indoctrinating them into something... more so say, like, this is what human is about. About creativity. We're about maintaining art. About focusing on the light, which is hue. The light, and us. And not cursing the darkness."

Key elements:

• Focus on creativity and art preservation
• "Hue" as metaphor for light within humans
• Non-indoctrination approach
• Human basics in the age of AI

Brand Expansion

• Painting "human" everywhere on shirts and walls
• Collaborations with other brands
• Neon light events with Johnny DJing
• One-of-one art pieces paired with album sales
• Not releasing on DSPs initially - direct sales model

Education Vision & Alpha Critique

Gen Z Voice Argument

Johnny made a powerful case for why he and Eddie should lead Alpha's cultural messaging:

Key Quote: "Mackenzie Price is not the face of education. She's the face of mothers that maybe care about education. The face of education is people that went through school with social media and technology at fingertips. I'm being the first ones to have to do that."

His critique continued:

• "her opinion really doesn't actually really matter much"
• "our opinion as a Gen Zer that did this matters the most"
• "Future of education should be her daughter, if anything"
• "you're putting a lot of clout tokens into your pocket and closing out a lot of the demographic that you're supposed to be speaking to"

Educational Innovation Ideas

Johnny revealed he's been developing education concepts since 2020:

• Notes from 2020 about personalized learning platforms
• Collaboration with Marcus on skill mastery concepts
• Haven't seen Alpha's platform yet but confident in ability to create better
• Vision for customized tablets with:
  • Music production capabilities
  • Fashion design tools
  • Gardening applications
  • AI-powered game portals for core subjects
  • Natural world education (nature, animals)
  • Real-world experiential opportunities

Production Education Model

• "Bunch of producers that stream and kinda just start teaching kids how to stream and make music"
• Using Twitch as educational platform
• Bringing in "biggest producers"
• Different rooms for different creative disciplines

Partnership Dynamics & Frustrations

Financial Reality

Johnny expressed frustration about his financial situation while building cultural value:

• Current situation: "I shouldn't have, like, fucking, like, $1,200 on my bank account"
• Recent struggle: "I had, like, negative money the other day because I'm putting all my shit into this"
• Investment focus: "Investing in artists, like, just that's all I care about really"

Expectations from Alpha

• Wants "verbal confirmation" that if he brings families to Alpha, they should donate to Human
• Frustrated by Alpha's spending priorities: "what are you guys spending money on if you guys aren't spending on getting into the culture?"
• Already connected with potential Alpha families (Lauren's team, looking at $65k tuition)
• Knows competing schools charging $76k/year

Gary's Response

Gary focused on:

• Working on "internal politics" as essential foundation
• Planning Parents' Day for June 14
• Need for commission structure (will take time)
• Advised Johnny to listen more than talk with potential Alpha parents
• Encouraged building Human independently first

Strategic Positioning

Johnny as Cultural Ambassador

Self-description: "I'm your, like, guy on the ground. Like, I'm actually doing what my ancestors actually did. Was run around and connect with people and, like, tell them what tell people what the future is."

Eddie Partnership

• Flying Eddie to NYC
• Vision: "when me and Eddie start talking about the shit that we care about, God unchanging the world and human flourishing and shit like that, Like, what our music is about, bro. We're gonna take we're gonna really be the pinnacle of the music industry"
• Positioning as authentic voices for important initiatives

Notable Moments & Details

Special Visitors

• Make-A-Wish connection: "Have nine kids with cancer coming to visit me and make music with me, bro. That's gonna be so special for me too"
• Growing recognition after music release

Website Development

• Gary offered to help Johnny clone GitHub repository
• Johnny to work on human.com independently
• Gary will troubleshoot attempts
• Planning human.com/shop for merchandise

Community Impact

• People creating spontaneous art for Human brand
• Example: Someone made custom piece after just meeting Johnny
• "It's a movement"

Key Tensions & Themes

1. Authenticity vs. Institution: Johnny represents grassroots cultural movement while critiquing institutional approach
2. Financial Support vs. Cultural Value: Frustration about doing cultural work without financial backing
3. Gen Z Voice vs. Millennial Leadership: Direct challenge to current Alpha leadership's cultural relevance
4. Organic Growth vs. Structured Approach: Johnny's space growing organically while Alpha follows traditional models
5. Immediate Impact vs. Long-term Planning: Johnny creating immediate cultural impact while Gary focuses on internal politics

Action Items Mentioned

• Johnny to continue building Human brand and community
• Work on cloning GitHub for website
• Set up human.com/shop
• Gary working on commission structure for referrals
• Parents' Day June 14 - potential Johnny involvement
• Johnny to engage with high-net-worth families about Alpha

Final Assessment

This conversation reveals Johnny as a powerful cultural force who feels undervalued by the institutional players he's trying to help. His critique of Alpha's marketing and positioning is sharp and likely accurate from a Gen Z perspective. The tension between his grassroots success and financial struggles while watching institutions spend ineffectively is palpable. His vision for education - combining streaming, customized hardware, and experiential learning - shows innovative thinking that could genuinely transform how Gen Z and Gen Alpha learn.