Life Goes On...

Like the title says...life goes on. No matter what struggle or challenges you face. The world doesn't care. If u were to disappear, people would miss you, but after tears were shed and kind words were spoken. Life goes on...

I made that statement because recently I was forced to accept that harsh, lonely reality. To be honest I'm glad I had to go through a tragedy that left my heart bearing scars. It's not because I'm a masochist. It's because it taught me three lessons. Each can be found in old expressions. "Life goes on" was the first. The second was "What doesn't kill u makes u stronger," is a fact. When I reached my lowest point is when I found the strength to stand back up and start walking forward again. Losing my daughter was the hardest thing to emotionally survive in my life. Now I'm conditioned, and there's very little left in this world that can harm me. 

One of the steps I've been taking to get back on track, is getting back in optimum shape. It's summer. The weather is hot. Masks are off. No better time to have a beach body. I spent the better part of two months doing my best impression of a couch potato. When I was in the bottomless abyss of despair the ice cream started talking to me. I'm not sure when it started. It was a few weeks after the break-up. I was sitting on the couch, crying like a child because Bruce Willis got shot in Die Hard 2 (or because I lost five figures on a trade), fluctuating between anger and sadness when the ice cream started talking. 

It would say "Hey, its cold and dark in here. Take me out. I'll keep u company and make u feel better." In all fairness the ice cream didn't lie. It made me feel better for a long time. I walked past a mirror one day and looked at my reflection. The mirror had become the enemy. I hadn't seen my reflection in months.  All it took was five seconds of appraisal for me to know the ice cream had to go. Immediately I rushed to the kitchen snatched the ice cream out the freezer and prepared to throw the whole pint in the trash. The Ice cream, frosty and emotionless asked. "Why throw me away? Didn't I make u feel better?" Trapped in the depths of rage and self hatred I yelled back. "Yes, but now I'm fat." Always cool, calculating, and compassionless, the ice cream replied. "I promised to make you feel better. Not look better. That's your job." The ice cream was right. It did what it promised to do. There was no one but myself to be angry with. Once I came to that realization my sanity returned. I thanked the ice cream by eating it. I haven't brought a pint home since. 

During the lockdown in Europe all the gyms were closed (like everything else). Here in the Netherlands we had a (21:00 - 05:00) curfew that only recently ended. No gym meant I had to device a way to get a full body workout at home. One thing to remember is no matter how much u exercise, if u don't eat healthy the results won't show.

The last lesson was perhaps the most important. "No Risk No reward" is also very true. Even if u don't succeed in achieving a goal, you gain more experience from every attempt. Trust me when I say, taking a risk on yourself is the best thing u can do. In eighteen months my entire life changed. I'm optimistic about the future, motivated in the present, and making peace with the past. The journey I'm on is like trying to climb Mount Everest, blindfolded, with one arm handcuffed behind the back. If you're going to stay around prepare yourself because its going to be a bumpy ride.  

Until Next We Speak, Be Well

Tha One an Only 

Tha GlobeTrotter

We're back like I never left. The last few months have been traveling, creating, and planting seeds for the future. 

The time has been well spent outdoors doing activities instead of sitting behind the computer writing. The positive is I've recorded new songs, made a new video, and traveled to the U.S., Japan, and Bulgaria. The negative is I haven't updated the blog in a few months. 

Thanks for the wait. My new single Tha GlobeTrotter is now available on all digital platforms. The song describes some of the adventures I experienced traveling around the globe. The video was shot in June. It was recorded between locations Sunny Beach in Nesebar, Bulgaria and Amsterdam, Holland. The production was done by JaRaheem from Scientific SoundLabs out of Philly, PA. The same guy who produced G.U.N. Muzik. 



Aside from the single I've been recording a lot of new songs. I'm really heavy in the boom bap style of production. My music puts more emphasis on lyrical content than production. Speaking of dope producers. Check out my man DoomDaWiz new mixtape Wizdom. It features over thirty tracks of hard emcees over boom bap production.

My next trip is to Split, Croatia. I leave in about a week to get video footage for the next project. It's the last trip for this year. The rest of the year will be concentrated on completing the album and preparing for a family expansion. 

Stay tuned for more music and videos over the next few months. Below are some photos from my trips and a few pieces of thought provoking street art.

New Video: Four Walls

Greetings, bloggers and readers...it's been awhile. 

During my absence I've completed several new songs, travelled to two new countries Portugal and Belgium, and finished one video. Since I'm short on time I'll stick to the topic at hand and talk about the video. In the next post I'll give a summary of my visit to Algarve, Portugal. Hands down one of the most beautiful places on earth. Check out a few of the pics from the trip below. 

Four Walls is the last single off Tha Audio Bully album. The song details my struggles dealing with success and failure. It's also about how it feels to be confined by peoples opinions of your creativity, and the state of Hip-Hop. When I started making music Hip-Hop was about beats, bars and passion. Now it's about which producers name is on the track, singing instead of rapping and how tight the singer/rapper's pants can be. I don't judge peoples fashion choices. I do critique an artists lyrical skill level. For me it's a privilege to make music and have people appreciate my unique sound. For that I say "Thank You!!!"

Below is the video for Four Walls. The clip was shot mostly in Amsterdam with a few pieces in Belgium. Check it out, drop a comment, and if you like it...tell a friend to tell a friend. Until next time. Peace

New Video and Art

What's poppin people!

It's been awhile since my last post. During that time I've been through more up's and down's than a roller-coaster.

The "down's" were having leg surgery to remove the metal plate and 5 screws I got a long time ago. The surgery went well but due to a hematoma I had to keep my leg elevated and couldn't walk for a month. It's been a month and a half since surgery and the hole on my leg has finally closed up. 

The "up's" by far outweigh the "down's" in terms of creativity. Once I was mobile again, I shot the video for New York Spit. The song is Dollarmentary and I trading bars about our love of Hip-Hop over a classic 90's beat. The video was shot in Amsterdam and New York City. This was the second single off "Tha Audio Bully" album coming January 2015. The song is available on iTunes by clicking the link.

 

During my recuperation I spent entire days drawing and writing. The results from those endeavors were primitive colored creations. The drawings were done in blue, red, and black ink. Not by choice...those were the only pens around me at the time. With the exception of "Gun Pop Art" which was drawn and shaded in black pen. Then it was colored in marker by a friend.  Some of the images will be used in future painting like "Lucky 13" or "Cat in Baby Suit,"  the rest were for practice.

There are more videos, music, and blog posts coming in 2015. I had to focus less on the posting and more on the creating for awhile, but in 2015 I'll figure out how to balance the two. Check out the new video and art. If you like what you see leave a comment and repost it to a friend. 

New Video Exclusive

Hello Readers, 

Like the title says this is a new video exclusive (within the first few minutes of being uploaded) release of my new video "Wanna Sound Like Me". 

The song is off Tha Audio Bully album coming later this year. The video is fast paced visuals that follow the lyrics and provide a 3D experience to the song. The song is lyrical and melodic, so the video is meant to give images to what the rhymes are saying. I believe in making a fan a day, cuz it helps the music reach new ears. Check out the video and if you like it, forward it to a friend.