I guess I'm pretty old school when it comes down music. Sure you can catch me on the stage rocking sci-fi raps with Planet Zoron, but when I go home, I don't even listen to hip-hop. Does it strike you odd that even though I'm a hip-hop artist, I mainly listen to jazz, neo-soul, new age and funk? I hope not.
I guess the apple never falls far from the tree. My dad always listened to jazz and classic R&B. I guess when you grow up in Detroit, it's hard not to. But at any rate, when I was younger, I listened to artists like Miles Davis, Rachell Ferrell, Will Downing, Brian Mcknight, Ramsey Lewis, George Duke, and Anita Baker to name a few that come to mind. I guess you can say I was way ahead of my time or maybe I just had an "old soul" at the time.
But the fact of the matter is, even though these artist were not hip-hop, they taught me so much about the inherent nature of music. Attributes such as passionate songwriting, brilliant compositions, and stellar performances had to rub off on me. Perhaps this is why I never wanted to write about balling, selling drugs...your typical "street" emcee if you will. I always sought to raise the bar by rapping about everyday life in an extraordinary way.
"Rock the house yall, like it's old school 89 with flows thats divine so they way beyond time."
"Another Planet" by Planet Zoron
I guess at the end of the night, the lesson learned is you normally get out of life what you put in. Who knows what my musical fate would have been had I not listened to these ingenious musicians. For all I know, I may have never become an emcee, producer, promoter, and owner of an entertainment company. And though I can feel that this 14 year run might be coming to an end as I prepare for law school, and embrace spirituality- I know it was well worth it. I wouldn't take it back for the world.
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