Ra Kazadi on Building Nostalgia and Noise: A Creative Agency

This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with Ra Kazadi, SMU football alumnus, Dallas-based artist, and cofounder of Nostalgia and Noise, a creative agency merging art, music, and culture. Ra’s path began on the field at Southern Methodist University, but art has always been part of his identity. With the introduction of the NIL policy, he discovered how to merge his athletic discipline with his creative drive, turning art from a personal outlet into a thriving profession.Through Nostalgia and Noise, Ra is shaping Dallas’s cultural landscape by hosting events, activating creative spaces, and building bridges among local artists and entrepreneurs. His mission is to use art not just as expression but as action, a catalyst for dialogue, empathy, and progress. Tune in to this episode to hear Ra's perspective on creative problem solving, building community, balancing art and athletics, and his vision for Nostalgia and Noise as a hub for collaboration and cultural impact.