Culture lives in places, but it survives through people. People who show up not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. This is the heart of Keepers of Culture, a video series from GANGGANG that documents the individuals sustaining, protecting, and evolving culture in Indianapolis. What began as the Keepers of Culture mural by artist Ashley Nora at Butter 1 in 2021 has grown into an ongoing archive honoring voices whose work often goes unrecognized but always matters.
In this episode, we spotlight B Swift — born and raised on the west side of Indianapolis, a longtime radio personality on Hot 100.9, and an emcee whose voice has become synonymous with city pride as the public announcer for both the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever.
The Voice of the City
B Swift’s relationship to culture didn’t begin with a job title. It started with sound. Long before Hot 100.9 and NBA arenas, he was building sound systems as a kid, learning the physics of beat and bass while the city was his audience. His upbringing in Indianapolis didn’t just influence his taste — it grounded his understanding of culture as something lived and shared, not performed.
Music and legacy were in his blood. His family’s connections to acts like The Deele, Babyface, and After 7 didn’t just give him songs to love — they showed him what was possible. But more than proximity to greatness, it was sacrifice that shaped him.
His father stepped away from the road. Away from touring. Away from momentum. He came home to raise his sons.
That decision reframed everything.
When someone chooses presence over applause, you grow up understanding that legacy is not about fame. It is about stewardship. It is about pouring into the next generation so they can stand on something solid.
B Swift did not inherit a spotlight. He inherited responsibility.
What carried him through were people who refused to gatekeep. Mentors who opened doors, elders who pushed him out of his comfort zone, peers who saw something in him before he fully saw it in himself.
So when he says he doesn’t want to be a gatekeeper, it is not branding. It is lineage.
“I don’t ever want to be a gatekeeper of any shit. This ain’t my shit. I’m just a part of it.”
Now, as a father himself, he speaks about wanting his daughter to find her own way. Not to replicate his path. Not to inherit pressure. But to build something on her terms.
That is the full circle.
Why This Matters
The mission of Keepers of Culture aligns with the work GANGGANG has carried since its inception: center beauty, equity, and culture by activating the creative economy and putting institutional power back into the hands of artists and cultural workers. GANGGANG isn’t interested in surface-level diversity or checking a box. It is about transforming systems that undervalue cultural contribution, making space for people whose work makes cities more whole.
B Swift’s story is more than a personal journey. It’s a reminder that culture isn’t abstract — it’s woven into radio waves, basketball arenas, sound systems, and every moment when a life’s passion becomes a city’s voice.
Watch. Share. Remember.
Keepers of Culture: B Swift captures what it means to carry culture with intention. It is an invitation to think about how culture flows, who shapes it, and what it means to belong to something much bigger than oneself.