Malaki Mask Profile: Out-Arting a cut & paste kind of life

Miranda Squires
Varying tones of the E-key resonate in the distance while students and other campus visitors
walk, skate, and ride by the Spartan complex corridor. The soft melody filling the air comes
from Malaki Mask whom sits, legs-crossed on the smooth concrete, with a small tank drum in
front of him; he enjoys playing serene music to support campus life. I kind of want to offer
people a different vibe when they are on a different side of campus, he says.
On his left is a metal rack filled with mountain, street, and cruiser bikes of different color
variations. With pink, black, and blue bikes in view, the rack conceals the physical location of
the music for those coming from the West. But he says this is where he gets the best acoustics
and passersby say the sound carries down the sidewalk toward the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Library and the parking garage.
Describing himself as unconventional, he sits with avant-garde distinction wearing leather
shoes, dark pants, and a distressed, jean vest with several patches sewn on it over a black
button up. Hoping to have a sleeve one day, noteworthy tattoos crawl up his right arm. And
while his appearance delineates his artistic mind, he prides himself on his positivity saying, the
way you think daily affects you.
Grabbing drum sticks from his backpack, Malaki explains the reason he performs in public is to
alleviate the stress of his peers, even if it is only temporary. And in turn, he uses his music to
relieve his own stress.
Self-taught to play the tank drum two years ago, Malaki says since birth [he] was supposed to
do music. His mother is Puerto Rican and his father South African, so he feels culturally tied to
harmony and composition.
I play by ear, so if it just sounds good and if it feels good playing it, Ill just play. Malaki Mask
Growing up visiting New Orleans with his father, Malaki explains The vibe out there is all about
music, jazz and culture, he says; the lifestyle there is so lively, and very different from
anywhere else in the United States. In fact, his middle name, Coltrane, was derived from the
famous saxophonist, John Coltrane.
Inspired by his visits and the origin of his name, Malaki took saxophone lessons when he was
young. But when he moved to San Jose, California in 2009 to pursue his degree at San Jose
State University (SJSU) he was concerned about the instruments volume. In his efforts to
refrain from disturbing his neighbors, Malaki was eager to explore a different avenue of music
that would be less of a nuisance. And after a drive to Santa Cruz, CA, he found the tank drum he
has now.

Malakis natural aptitude for performing aids him in finding outlets of artistic expression where
he can obtain the mental focus he needs to pursue his degree. Indie Professional (Pro)
Wrestling is another way Malaki increases his focus and drive inside the classroom. He says
many individuals can fulfill the capitalistic part of [their] brain, growing in economic success
through their professional life and special schooling, but personally, he says, for the artistic
part of my brain, I do wrestling, music, skateboarding; whatever I can do other than the cut and
paste kind of life.
Malaki defines the cut and paste lifestyle as being able to discern what others expect us to do
to benefit our future versus what we can accomplish for our own mental satisfaction by
embracing our creativity.
Malaki says when he initially came to SJSU he soon realized he was spending money on studies
he wasnt dedicated to, and ended up moving back to his hometown, Riverside, CA in 2010.
There he received his Associate's degree at a junior college, and a few years later, came back to
SJSU to complete his Bachelors The right way, he says.
While some students decide to achieve higher education to be more financially stable, others
do it because they like to learn about new subjects, and ultimately, some do it because they
have been told it is the right path to take. However, it is necessary to acknowledge our own
creativity, alongside, the tasks that are more suitable for ones livelihood.
Although, a degree seems somewhat irrelevant for Malaki, he feels inspired by his successful
older brother and hopes to be able to work alongside him in the corporate world someday. By
channeling his energy into music and indie pro wrestling, he is able to have the mental focus
and drive to finish his degree and pursue work that will sustain his future.
Malaki describes wrestling as an improvised performance theater, and his exuberance is
palpable upon describing it. While watching WrestleMania on the couch one day, he said to
himself, I can do that. As he continued to watch, he realized these wrestlers were from an
outfit in Santa Clara, CA, so he decided to look for a local gym, and found Pro Wrestling
Revolution.
He said one of the first things they teach is how to fall without hurting yourself. Using his
fingers to symbolize the correct way to fall, he says, We just learn safety at first and from there
its improv.
After taking a few classes and many training sessions, he began to really enjoy himself. When
the instructors told him that he had a knack for it, they asked him if he would be interested in
performing on pay per view and traveling around the Bay Area doing live shows; he said, yes!
I have a certain ability and it would be a shame if I wasted it, he says.

As Malaki meticulously describes how this kind of wrestling takes an extreme amount of
practice before it becomes second nature; he says eventually someones move will be
something he already learned, and all he has to do is read and react. He explains, when a
wrestler throws him off the rope, Ill bounce back, theyll hook me, and Ill just do what I
learned already, and Ill do a front flip and land on my back.
Since he is smaller than most of the other wrestlers, he is usually the underdog, but he loves
the way kids cheer for him. And whether it is music or wrestling, he hopes to bring others joy
through entertainment.
Having an outlet for all those times school, work and family makes an individual heed
expectation, Malaki pursues creative outlets that let him express himself in a more inventive
way. His optimism allows him to participate in activities that may not be ideal in the minds of
others, but are satisfactory for his mental state.
A phrase permanently inked on his forearm states, not all those who wander are lost.