You knew music influenced my life as a child when friends and I  were rappin’ the lyrics, beginning to end, to Warren G and Nate Dogg’s “Regulators” and Slick Rick’s “Children Story” in the back of our fourth grade class room. At one point even had my mother driving us around singin’ along to the chorus of Masta Ace’s “Born to Roll”.  Then came middle school and high school where, before Napster and Mozilla, friends and I would exchange home-made mixtapes to build on our limited CD libraries. Since then I’ve been on an auditory binge; fascinated with the intertwined sound of life and expression.

A quick lesson learned was flipping that one CD I got for Christmas, back when CD’s were hard to come by for a broke kid, into 7 albums I can now listen to at anytime I desire. I’m a fiend; and I need my fix. The music I come across helps me feel sane in an otherwise overwhelming universe. Amongst the plethora of sounds my speakers emanate, I find myself awed to audio who’s origin are people and places I may never meet myself. I realize now that I got away listening to way more than I should have at early age due to my immigrant parents’ lack of understanding fast-spoken English. I like to see it as early exposure to the arts. Sound lets me know the world is still alive, growing, and moving. From the ambient to that shit talk. The chill to the hype. To most of that in between. It is the relationships and experiences I come across that have shaped my organic soundtrack. With that, I don’t show up empty handed, I got five on it.

Exhibit B (Act I) – J-Billion
Smash On O’leary – Curren$y
Call Me – Joell Ortiz ft. Novel
Playground – J. Cole
World So Cold (Freestyle) – Freddie Gibbs

Just a few artists I’m currently feelin’ at the moment. Look out for their new work. Cop.

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