Album Notes

Contact Info: (for musical collaborations, event booking, or just to talk about music...) PoeticProphetic@gmail.com

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As Bob Dylan once quoted, “time’s they are a’ changing!” The same could be said about particular art-forms during their prolonged existence.

I’ve listened to hip-hop music all my life and often I find myself trapped aching for the bliss that nostalgia provides. I’ve seen my favorite artists and groups break-up, conform (for the worse), struggle monetarily, and fail to duplicate successful follow-up albums. But, overall... I’ve seen hip-hop evolve from a very organic meaningful art form oozing with substance to become overrun by a money hungry industry whose product is monotonous noise pollution with no overlying message in the music whatsoever!

I’d much rather hear today’s generation hold a fist up high screaming “fight the power!” than see them bragging about materialistic garbage, sitting on chrome rims, yelling out “ballin'!!!”

I grew up listening mainly to east coast early-mid 90’s hip-hop. During my teenage years in Junior High a surge of incredible artists emerged in 1998: Canibus, Big Punisher, DMX, The Firm (Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Nature), Eminem, Puff Daddy (his first album), Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Pharoahe Monch, etc... Wu-Tang Clan’s track “Triumph” came out that year and it still amazes me to this day. This surge in lyricism and direction hip-hop was heading towards inspired me to start writing. I noticed a slight change in direction during the tail-end of 1999 when Cash Money records got the country hooked to southern hip-hop. Simultaneously, conscious rap musicians like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and Common where focusing again on social issues and writing some of the most thought provoking music which countered this southern movement. I saw through the light-hearted party-tracks of the south and dove into the intellectual rivers of conscious hip-hop…

Looking back over 7 years later I shake my head almost in disgust watching where hip-hop drunkenly stumbled. Labels turned into corporate juggernauts buying out the radio airwaves leaving the less wealthy artists searching for other means to advertise their work. Violence came crawling back into hip-hop with immature trigger-happy posses ready to riddle their enemies’ bodies in bullets for bringing the essence of battling back into the limelight. Opportunities, more likely leading to success are rather given to people of association opposed to unknown tremendous talents…

Now don’t get me wrong, here! There are still some positive elements in hip-hop today. The underground has kept it true and didn’t stray far from the foundation. Plus, there are still some mainstream artists who are very talented to deserve their success (old and new artists)…

---- MY MUSIC ----

The main objective of my material is to enlighten the listener. Old school heads will be refreshed by my true-school dedication in keeping my sound organic, honest, and nostalgic. While new school listeners will notice the fun aspects, braggadocio swagger, along with being introduced to historical hip-hop sound merged with new innovative ideas. Artistically, I focus on lyricism over everything else.

On “New Jeru’s Finest” you’ll find me educating the listener, spitting battle rhymes, covering various conceptual topics, and providing fun entertainment. Whether you’d rather hear thought provoking tracks like “Heaven”, “New Jerusalem’s Messiah”, or “Spread The Word”. Or you’d rather just bump some fun tracks like “My Girl”, “My First Love”, or “You Suck!!!” There’s something for every hip-hop listener on “New Jeru’s Finest”