Do remember to go out and support him by copping his project From Out of the Shadows (Stream/Download): HERE
For the benefit of anyone who’s been living in an underground bunker for the past several years…who on earth are you?
A liberator, the guy with the key who opened the door and let them out. A fourth generation Brooklyn kid, an emcee. I’m not a leader, or a follower, just a messenger, a book personified.
How did you get started in music, and what drives you to continue?
I was always exposed to music growing up, my father had a lot of records, everything from James Brown to The Cleftones to The Tom Tom Club and Tito Puente. My mother is half Puerto Rican, so there was always Salsa being played. When I first heard Rakim I felt like this is something I need to do. Getting better drives me to continue.
Do you remember the first recording/song you ever made?
Yes, terrible…
If a movie about your life in music was to be made, what interesting/strange moments and stories would you share to make the movie cool?
I would borrow my boys van and we would load a generator, a mic, an amp, and speakers and do these SWAT raid style street shows in random neighborhoods and parties. I would invite other cats who thought they could rap to get their bars in. It was like a jacked up cypher.
Are there any other interesting facts about you that hardly anyone else knows?
About 10 years ago I got mercury poisoning and it led me down a path of transformation that I could’ve never imagined. It was my rites of passage, a trial by fire. I was gonna kill myself through it and survive, or I was gonna quit life and expire.
What is the greatest thing about working in the music industry? And what would you change if you had the opportunity?
I don’t consider myself a person who works in a music industry, I take people as they are whether in the music biz or any other biz. It’s not the identifiable marker for me. People are people and we take them or leave based on our compatibility, creativity, ethics, integrity and similarities in goals and vision.I am changing it by not letting money be the driving force behind the product.
Looking back, what have been the most important moments in your life so far?
The hard things, the crisis moments that challenged me to the deepest part of myself, and changed me from a boy into a man. Family disintegration, homelessness, mercury poisoning.
What have been the biggest highlights?
I wouldn’t say there’s a highlight, but a state of being that’s achieved through self-knowledge, humility, and surrender to the organization of life beyond the egoic self. A sense of peace without fear, discomfort or struggle.
What has been your biggest challenge…and how did you overcome it?
There’s been a lot, both big and small. The large ones are numerous and I don’t want to disrespect them by putting them in an order of importance. They all served their purpose to make me who I am. I overcame all of them by will and persistence and by doing it by myself…without help. I don’t complain, and I put in a lot of hard work. When you have no safety net you find you can do things you couldn’t imagine..
Who are your heroes? Why do they rock your world?
There are no heroes, only heroic moments. It’s like the message and the messenger…I relate to the messenger, the hero is irrelevant. People who have integrity and honesty in everyday life and give out of compassion. The hero was just doing what the moment called for.
Who have been the coolest, most memorable people you’ve met along the way, and how did they make an impact on your life?
Woody Allen, Richard Gear, G Rap, Phil Simms, Iran Barkley, Heidi Klum, Michael J Fox, Glenn Close, and DJ Premier. They all impacted my life by being the regular human beings they are, and not being the “stars” they’re portrayed as. They aren’t special, they’re just people with a marketable ability.
When you’re sitting on the porch age 97 what would you like to look back on and smile having achieved?
A family, connection to GOD and the Earth, inner peace..
What has been your most memorable or inspirational gig and why?
Rocking at a block party where no one but the deejay knew me, so he passes me the mic, throws on some beats and I start with the bars. I watched everyone stop what they’re doing to gather around to check. It made me realize there’s a polarity between people, there’s a pull and repelling energy that draws people towards you, or pushes them away. It was a self-realization.
What has been your strangest celebrity encounter?
Heidi Klum, and Richard Gear.
Who would be your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would you serve them?
A gorilla! I would serve it raw greens, smoothies and a vegan coconut cheese cake! Imagine a gorilla sitting across from you at a long table just eating and looking at you and not saying shit. People talk too much anyway!
What are the greatest songs, albums, books, movies, TV shows, websites you’ve ever come across?
Books:
Albums:
- Nas – Illmatic
- Mobb Deep – The Infamous
- Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt
- Smif-N-Wessun – The Shining
- Jeru the Damaja – The Sun Rises in the East
- ATCQ – Midnight Marauders
Movies:
- The Living Daylights
- Escape From NY
- The Road Warrior
- Big trouble In Little China
- The Man With The Golden Arm
- Interstellar
- Artificial Intelligence
- The Shining
- Full Metal Jacket
- The Executioner (Sonny Chiba)
- Duck You Sucker
Website: Youtube!
Shows:
Name 5 songs (yours excluded) that we would expect to find on your iPod or Music Player
- Willie The Kid & Bronze Nazareth – “The Guilt”
- Your Old Droog – “Gunsmoke Cologne” (prod. by J-Zone & Sacha Jenkins)
- yU – “Homicide” (prod. by Nottz)
- Fashawn – “Place to Go” (prod. by Exile)
- Apollo Brown & Ras Kass – “H2O (featuring Pharoahe Monch & Rakaa Iriscience)”
What special-hero type skills are you blessed with?
An ability to read minds.
Where can everyone reading this interview keep up with your adventures?
From NYC to Costa Rica in the real world but in the void you can check me here
Any final thoughts?
Thank you for the interview.
The Author
