So when I saw that…I started, “Maybe I got something right here!” That’s how it all started-turning that lil’ eight bars into a verse and eventually into a song (Willie D) Does everyone think they can rap nowadays? He said his rap, and everybody started laughing, but when I said my rap, they started raising their eyebrows. HHS: Excerpt from book: We came back in an hour, and I had like eight bars. Sometimes while listening, I'm thinking, 'Do I have to be on molly to get this?' I grew up in a different time, so I can't identify with a lot of the new stuff (Trinidad James for example). I also listen to Kanye West, Jay Z, Scarface, Drake and A$AP Rocky. Cole - I think he had best album out this year. MF: It's funny.I don't actually listen to hip-hop on the radio when I'm in the car driving. HHS: Which current hip-hop artists have your ear? Ultimately, anything out of context is a lie. Instead of a radio Raheem, we draw attention to ourselves by our cars. In Houston, for example, we have a car culture. People tend to think this can't be real life that they're rapping about. Some people dismiss hip-hop as having no culture, or as material put out by degenerates. However, the appropriate context is police brutality driving while black taking a kid out of a Crips set and dropping him off in a known Blood set. It's easy to dismiss it as simply hateful rhetoric against the police. MF: Let's take N.W.A.'s 'F**k the Police' for example. (summary of Jay-Z’s argument from Decoded: Jay-Z in Conversation with Cornel West). HHS: Excerpt from the book: His most poignant claim was that hip-hop must be understood in the appropriate context, else it falls victim to misunderstandings and lies. Future generations could grow up thinking that Macklemore or Justin Bieber were the originators. This book is important for many reasons - While recently viewing the AMA's we all basically witnessed cultural appropriation - Black style was used as a backdrop.

My whole music collection while growing up was inundated with Houston hip-hop and other regional styles. They're excited about it, and for finally being recognized for their contributions. MF: The local hip-hop community has given positive feedback. HHS: How have folks back in Houston received your work? So far, I have been able to sell 1,100 copies of my book in just 4 months! I really believe in taking opportunities, and I understand that it takes discipline and commitment to achieve success. MF: I feel as though I already know what death looks like, having experienced depression for a number of years, so I made a decision to pursue life at all costs. HHS: How did you stay motivated & inspired?

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