i could say that this is going back to the beginning.  it is the back story of my first commercially-available single. by extension, i share the history of my initiation and development as an emcee.

there was tons of trial-and-error, experimentation and evolution to reach a point where i had discovered my “voice.” that element of yah supreme which appears in a vacuum, free from influence, emulation and contrivance. any artist can tell you that discovering the self is a powerful and scary experience. it is the soul laid bare, for all to see–and possibly shred.

at the same time, it is highly rewarding to feel divorced enough from the “self” to risk true exposure to the public. it is a point of no return, a plateau of immunity to critique. or, at least a divestment from taking criticism personally.

now, the demos that preceded “old & wise” sometimes make me self-conscious. but this was the first single where i truly felt like a mere vessel–a conduit for cosmic signals to transmit through. here’s the story behind old & wise and the label, Son Doo Recordings.

and if you lost your copy of the single, you can always cop the digital version here:

hard to believe this was almost 17 years ago!