Kevin Brown from Cross Keys High School Takes Home Top Honors for His Original Remix
(Photo Credit: Real Thing Records)
[Atlanta, GA – November 20, 2025] — Georgia Tech’s EarSketch team, in collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company’s Real Thing Records, and Grammy® nominated Hip-Hop duo EarthGang, announces Kevin Brown, from Cross Keys High School, as the grand prize winner of “The Real Thing Remix: Real Code. Real Beats. Real Sound.” competition.
Launched in September 2025, the Real Thing Remix invited high school students from Atlanta Public and DeKalb County Schools to explore the intersection of technology and music by using code to remix original sounds donated by EarthGang. A total of 111 students submitted beats showcasing their creativity, identity, and passion for both coding and music.
Brown’s winning remix, “It’s Alright” impressed a panel of judges that included The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Head of Music & Culture and Head of Real Thing Records Joshua Burke, representatives across the Coca-Cola system, and EarSketch and Georgia Tech faculty. Opening with heavy bass and driving drums, the track builds from introspection to uplift. “The song begins on a low, reflective note and gradually fades into a comforting reassurance — a reminder that after every bad day, the sun will rise again,” said Brown. “No matter the highs and lows, everything will be alright.”
Sabrina Grossman, Program Director at Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) stated “Music is a powerful form of creative expression and combining it with coding creates an incredible educational tool. Through the "Real Thing Remix" competition, EarSketch and The Coca-Cola Company’s Real Thing Records, are inspiring youth to explore the intersection of music and technology, discover their own 'why,' and remix it into something uniquely their own."
Brown learnt of his win in unforgettable fashion, during a visit to the World of Coca‑Cola with his classmates, where they explored The Studios — the museum’s new interactive exhibit that brings Coca‑Cola’s role as a muse, collaborator, and cultural icon to life through artifacts, immersive moments, and hands‑on activities. While there, Grammy®‑nominated EarthGang made a surprise appearance to congratulate him in person. As the news sank in, It’s Alright, Brown’s winning remix, played overhead, filling the space as EarthGang offered words of encouragement and celebrated alongside his classmates — a joyful moment of creativity and innovation that perfectly embodied the spirit of the competition.
Johnny Venus member of Earthgang declared: “I think it's dope how the kids are actually using technology in a different way to create music rather than solely relying on AI, you know, creativity is still being fully immersed with the technology and coding. And it's dope. It's futuristic.”
“It's the next step in evolution, man. I’m excited to be, able to witness and be a part of this next step of evolution in creation and creativity and the blending and the unity of man and machine. That's so cool.” Concluded WowGr8, Earthgang’s second member.
Congratulations to the winner!
About EarthGang
Atlanta-born, Grammy-nominated, award-winning indie rap duo EarthGang, comprised of Olu AKA Johnny Venus and WowGr8 AKA DocturDot have been pushing the boundaries of hip-hop with their innovative albums, thought-provoking EPs, and masterful mixtapes well before signing to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records in 2017. The name EarthGang is rooted in a desire to have the whole world join them on a journey where music is used as a global vehicle to explore relatable themes of society and self; the conflict between tradition and modernity, religion and enlightenment—music and manhood. Their art experiments with classic & contemporary R&B, jazz, gospel, and funk sounds while their lyricism is influenced by deep societal themes ranging in topic from social justice, artificial intelligence, environmental conservation, posthumous art, mental health, and religion & spirituality. In 2019, their first studio album Mirrorland debuted at #22 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart paving the way for GRAMMY nominations on "Down Bad" (Best Rap Performance) featuring J. Cole, JID, Bas, and Young Nudy, and "Collide" (Best R&B Song) with Tiana Major9 from the motion picture soundtrack for Queen & Slim, both racking up hundreds of millions of streams. Over the years EarthGang has collaborated with legendary artists including J. Cole, Mac Miller, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Young Thug, Future, Kehlani, Gorillaz, Wiz Khalifa, & CeeLo Green and they’ve performed across the world on major stages such as Coachella, The Soul Train Awards, Governors Ball, Something in the Water Festival, Lollapalooza, Dreamville Fest, and more. EarthGang has garnered a loyal fanbase boasting over 3M monthly listeners on Spotify and 155M+views on YouTube. Following the release of their EarthGang vs The Algorithm EPs, which featured thought-provoking music that explore complex themes of human creativity and artistic expression in today’s digital age on RIP Human Art (Sept 2023) & ROBOPHOBIA (Feb 2024), EarthGang will be releasing the final, full-length installment with "Perfect Fantasy" in October 2024.
EarthGang has also been praised for their commitment to community activism. Their nonprofit organization, the EarthGang Foundation, is committed to raising awareness towards combating environmental injustices through climate and environmental conservation, with local and global programs that empower individuals to create positive change in the world.
About Real Thing Records
The Coca-Cola Company’s Real Thing Records (RTR) is driven by artists and their fans. The Coca-Cola Company’s Real Thing Records is an investment in the future of music - building new pathways for artists around the world to thrive.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Fuze Tea, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at
www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About EarSketch
EarSketch is a free online platform that teaches computer science through music remixing. Using Python or JavaScript, students compose and remix tracks from artists such as Alicia Keys, Pharrell, and Ciara across genres like hip hop, EDM, pop, R&B, country, and reggaeton. Designed to resemble a professional digital audio workstation (DAW), EarSketch connects students’ passion for music with coding, making computer science more accessible and engaging.
Developed at Georgia Tech in 2011 by Jason Freeman (School of Music) and Brian Magerko (School of Literature, Media, and Communication), EarSketch has grown into a global platform with over 1.6 million users in 155 countries. With its coding environment, 5,000+ audio loops, and curriculum resources, EarSketch helps educators engage students in computer science by connecting coding with creativity and music. Today, more than 4,000 educators integrate EarSketch into classrooms, camps, and after-school programs, inspiring the next generation of creators and innovators. Learn more at earsketch.gatech.edu.
Press Contacts
On behalf of Georgia Tech/EarSketch
Joëlle Walls, CEISMC Communications, jwalls37@gatech.edu
