I'm a martial artist. A big part of martial arts is focus mindfulness and concentration. .
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So it only makes sense that I meditate a lot. I don't know if you've ever tried meditation before, but you usually want to find a nice, quiet place, so that it's easier to focus internally. I like to pride myself on that fact that I can actually feel my heart pulse from my teeth to my toes and the energy coursing through my body. But a feat like that can be harder to achieve with distractions like someone on the phone in the next room, playing loud music next door (I'm the biggest hypocrite), or having sex upstairs above you. But then I realized life is like that, with obstacles of its own. Even if you do manage to find peace and quiet in your environment, it won't last forever. Nothing lasts forever. Forever. Peace. Quiet. These are not concepts that exist in nature. There's always gonna be thunderstorm, or a bird squaking in the distance, and other external distractions luring you away from your goals. That's why you can't be a product of your environment, but something stronger than it, if you ever Intend to transcend it. Be the rose that grew from the concrete, because these distractions and obstacles only make you that much stronger in toughening your resolve, focus and concentration. Like sharpening a saw. Imagine that you have to saw through a block of wood. The saw represents you, and the block of wood symbolizes the obstacles standing between you and your goals, the other side. If your focus and concentration are honed and sharp, it will be easier to get to the other side. But if your saw is the the same dullness as a hammer, you'd do better sharpening the saw first before attempting to cut through. It's obstacles such as these that separate the winners from losers. As MLK said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy…"

​I wrote Inferno 2 years ago, during what was probably one of the most turbulent times of my life. After making the decision to leave school (to my family's dismay), I left my parent's home at age 20 with little more than $300 in my pocket, my phone, my laptop, my jeep (which died 3 weeks later), good friends, my rhyme book, and a vision, which was admittedly unclear at first, but refined over time. Some might even argue that I was richer than most. Shrouded in a cloud of doubt, uncertainty, and insecurities, I did the only thing I know how to do - I survived - just as I have every day since.

I tell you all this because I'm frequently asked by other artists how I've gotten as "far" as I am in my career. And my answer is always the same, regardless of what your passion is or how far you are in the pursuit of it: Be about it. Because if there's anything that I've learned in life, it's that if you want something bad enough, excuses won't prevail. You will.

2 years later, I'm proud to say that I've been fortunate enough to share my vision with you.
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There's a fire inside that I refuse to let die...