Vol1:F.I.S.T. Part1

Vol1: F.I.S.T….Part1

I am a Rapper/Producer/Engineer based in Los Angeles, and this is just a little about my journey; “What makes me different?/What makes me “F.I.S.T.”.

Growing up; my childhood, there was always music being played around the house, from jazz, funk, r&b/soul.

When I came out of high school, I connected with a crew with a rapper named “Arif S. Kinchen”, and two dee jays (Mad Money Mike), (Gregory Silver). When I joined the crew, I became dee jay number three, and we formed a crew “H.B.N.C.”, which stood for “Hip Brothers N Charge”; I did that for over 15 years.

Mike and I were the two main dj’s, greg would be the third, the back up when he would attend. At the beginning, mike and I were thick as thieves; but as he got older, he started other pursuits which caused me and Greg to become close.

Greg was the son of the jazz musician “Horace Silver”, and he taught me some dj skills, and he had musical talent.

When mike started going in his direction, greg and I became tight, and I began to learn being an engineer by programming his ideas in the equipment. I was the only one who could read the manuals and understand them. After programming greg’s ideas, I began to learn how to program and create my own ideas.

When I embodied being a producer, I always knew I had skills, and my sound was different from the mainstream.

For many years I’ve had crews of rappers, and their rap skills were superior to mine. When we submit demos, the tracks that I would rap on, were not received like the tracks that I wasn’t on. After years of being told, I’m a better producer than a rapper, I owned being a producer.

I began producing in 1994 and took a hiatus in 2006; when I returned in 2012, I took my production to another level.

I couldn’t find any rappers at that time, and I didn’t know about many avenues for a producer. To increase my chances of establishing myself, I embodied being a rapper.

I was very apprehensive and unsure of my rapping; not so much my lyric writing, but my delivery. These two things determined “What makes me different”; I didn’t posses the lyrical style and flows that was in the mainstream, and I didn’t like the trap music sound at the time.

“THIS IS: “WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT”: because I didn’t like the trap sound, I felt that I could take that sound and build on it; trap music was too basic, too empty and can be redundant, so I decided my music was not going to be that traditional hip-hop/rap sound when you hear it.

I wanted my music to sound like something a person would sing on, not rap. A slogan and philosophy I go by is: “With me I bring the hip-hop”.

My rap flow is what determined the sound of my music, and the subjects that I speak about. As I mentioned, trap music was the mainstream, and they posses flows that I didn’t own; but there were a few mainstream rap artist with a flow like mine. I have that old school, spit rhymes on the corner type of flow.

I realize that there is still an audience that appreciates rappers with a flow like mine, but every one was talking about the same thing, if not nothing; so I decided to rap on subjects that the mainstream wasn’t speaking on, and deliver the raps on beats that embody the message being delivered.

I use a core sound of hip-hop; usually the drums, bass, some type of sample elements, and a variety of synths, guitars, and vocal samples to bring you a sound that embodies and signifies “F.I.S.T.”, that range from dance, pop, rock, r&b/soul, reggae and jazz.

The songs that I write; I discuss topics and subjects with cutting edge lyrics, visually graphic metaphors, with a “rap anthem” rap flow which allows ease to rap a long to my music.

THIS IS JUST A SMALL PART INTRODUCING YOU TO ME.