An Honest Introduction

I’m the youngest of 4 and, growing up in the Hope Gardens projects of Bushwick, Brooklyn, I was pretty fortunate to have lived during a time when there was still a sense of community. Although the entire block shared a backyard, it was our sanctuary, and we were a family. I was always a bit socially awkward and had come to be known as the church kid whose mom would call to him from the block-long rooftop that only our building had access to. Television and movies were, and still, are a big part of my life, as they had to power to influence life decisions. I got to experience an era where video games had to be played on channel 3, and Saturday mornings were designated for cartoon reruns. My personal childhood music collection revolved around a single solitary tape of Sesame Street songs my titi Lucy gifted me, and as a young boy, the industry was nowhere in my line of sight. In fact, my first real dream was to become a professional wrestler. Watching larger-than-life characters on my TV screen every week, I would grow a deep-seated appreciation for what is known as the “pop”. My imagination was my best friend, and for as long as I can remember putting pencil to paper, I used art, in any shape or form, as therapy. My creative outlets would be as randomly selected as tonight’s lottery numbers, and the gift of my capabilities would come to show me all the frustration associated with being a jack of all trades. Being the baby of the family meant I was too young to truly be involved in any conversation happening around me, and so I learned how to live within worlds that I created inside my mind. The better I got at creating those worlds, the more others wanted to join me in them. Thus, my “self-sufficiency” would cause me to grow up stubborn and narcissistic, and my addictive personality led me down a path of drugs and alcohol that might have killed the average man. The decisions I’ve made over the years, while lessons learned, have caused me tremendous suffering, some of which you will come to know through your interest in this digital memoire. So as I move forward clear-minded, sharp, and unapologetically authentic, I’d like to thank you for taking an interest in me, and for joining me on this journey through the story of my life. Without further ado, allow me to start from the beginning.