Pure Positivity

If we never faced struggle in the bubble well that's a curse. My nerves stirred worse drinking numb numb juice to quench thirst. What they call it liquid courage for? When after it's over you're weaker than before I was 14 and lost beyond belief. My parents had recently split and I just started high school where I knew only 2 people. Puberty hit me rather late and I was the smallest freshman who's voice had barely cracked. I got tossed into garbage cans on a regular basis by the seniors and was somewhat terrified. The task of fitting in was insurmountable, but I found solace in hip-hop. At that impressionable age Blackalicious, Gangstarr and Living Legends were the ones that helped me get through some tough nights. A year or two later I remember hearing Silly Puddy and felt that song was written for me.  Grouch & Eligh became my mentor of sorts and it's amazing to think that I grew up with these guys in my headphones. Their struggles mirrored many of min...

Are you who you say you are of just a sliver of who you're supposed to be? - Grouch While there are number of deeper meanings to why Victor Frankenstein created a monster, the most straight forward of them all was doing so as a service to humanity. Upon completion of the task at hand Victor became repulsed by his creation. So disgusted with himself he went into a deep dark depression and spent every waking hours devoted to destroying what he created. In the past 40 years our world has (d)evolved immensely. We spend our time staring at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We've traded character for popularity, morale fortitude for money, and passion for instant gratification. A monster has been created. The internet was originally manufactured for two professors to communicate to one another and now it's used for so many more purposes. Just like everyone else I hear the beep on my phone and feel the itchy trigger finger to see who may have contacted me. This track is a test...

There is no track that will ever be able to challenge the importance of this song to me. It now has been over 10 years since this ballad was originally released and for some reason it still resonates with me ever so deeply. I can repeat every lyric of this song flawlessly because it's more of mantra for me than anything else. Amp Live (the producer of this beat and member of Zion I) is flawless in his production. The beat is bananas and creates the perfect ensemble for this legendary track. The reality is there are no adjectives worthy of describing this track and I lack the creative writing ability to ev er serve this song any shot of real justice. Lets just say it's an appreciation song for more than meets the eye. Lyrics: Zion I & Grouch - Silly Puddy Zion I intro: Lord gimme what I need gimme what I need. Gimme what I need gimme what I need. Lord gimme what I need gimme what I need. [Zion I] Dear Lord you show me the best of times You show me the worst of times Confusio...

For those of you who don't know much about me I grew up with two psychologists as parents. Both of them are bay area born and bred while being steeped in a heavy brew of 60's and 70's San Francisco culture. My father grew up in an impoverished part of Richmond and has lived enough life to be considered one of the most wise men I've had the pleasure of knowing. This isn't me being biased in way shape or form, in fact multiple people tend to agree with me when it comes to the encompassing knowledge base my father has. At any rate he and I once sat down and he told me an awesome anecdote that I utilize to this day. He said something along the lines of this: Son there are two types of people in this world; Rolling Stones fans and Beetles fans. Both groups are two of the most prolific game changers that influenced the music we listen to today. What you need to realize is that the Stones are a bit dark. And the Beetles, ahh the Beetles, they are light. They sing about lo...