Dear Lauryn Hill,

As I listened to your album
I know you weren't concerned with the outcome
It was more of a way for you to vent
But it was still worth every cent
I'm poor now but your words make me rich
And I feel like my whole life I've been in a ditch
It's time I get out and really see the world
It's time I stop worrying about finding a girl
Because in time she will come to me
And two individuals will go
From "me and you" to "we"
You showed me love isn't easy at times
It can hurt so bad; I hear this in your rhymes
Although I may never meet you, I do know this
"The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" reaches the top of my list
I never knew such beauty could exist
I had to write this poem, I couldn't resist
At times I see the world and shake my head
Saying forget everything else and get myself ahead
But you reminded me that's not what it's about
L-O-V-E, Love!!! Love!!! Let's all shout!
Because if I can, you can shout too! You can too!

Love,
Jimmy Ellis

Mac Miller’s death wasn’t an Overdose,
it was a Suicide,
it was the path that he chose that’s the way it goes,
when you’re chewed inside,

when you’ve got those demons,
and even beautiful music doesn’t exercise them,
we all gotta go sooner or later,
so Mac at 26 is tragic but not surprising,

wish he’d held out for one more year,
then he could’ve gotten in the Forever 27 Club,
joined the likes of Hendrix Morrison and Joplin,
but anyways whatever it’s still all love,

even though,
it hurts so bad,
especially since I’m writing this,
to Mac’s Swimming soundtrack,

13 songs on Mac’s last album,
and the last track’s ‘So It Goes’,
and ‘So It Goes’,
is playing on a record in Mac’s final post,

one moment we’re living one moment we get ghost,
and that makes me think of Jaden,
who’s last track was Ghost,
oh God Jaden no don’t start fadin’,

you’re it man,
you’re the one,
please push past the darkness of the pain,
and shine like the All Seeing Sun,

you’re our last hope like Obi-Wan Kenobi,
so don’t shut your eyes Young Jedi,
you’ve got the torch now so let it burn bright,
because the only thing that doesn’t wait is time,

time doesn’t give a fck about clocks,
until they stop,
she puts me together when I’m out of order,
perfect,

gives me the shivers how the Lord deliver’s,
and I don’t even read psalms,
but I swear to God it was all written,
that’s why even in the chaos I’m calm,

nothing’s GO:OD in the AM,
when you’re not feeling The Divine Feminine,
nauseous everyone feels toxic and obnoxious,
you're conscious that the poison feels like medicine,

resurrected just to be dead again,

it’s scary or rather haunting how Mac’s last video,
show’d him trapped in a coffin,
with a message that read Memento Mori,
you might win some but you just lost one,

shout out to Lauryn Hill,
she lost her mind but didn’t lose her life,
see no matter how difficult things get,
you win no matter what as long as you stay alive,

and it hurts so bad that we lost him,
that even I right now feel dead inside,
better take care out there and beware,
Self Care's only effective with friends to stand by,

**** I,
want to find a way to make everything alright,
want to find a way to bring back Mac,
gone forever to that Castle in The Sky,

and I just wish I could’ve said one last word to him,
and it hurts so bad I want to cry,
see Mac Miller’s death wasn’t an Overdose,
it was a Suicide,

so if you’re feeling hurt and depressed,
find someone to get that ****t off your chest,
because you’re loved whether you know it or not,
and life’s to short for long stories or regrets,

life’s too short for long stories,
life’s too real for fake friends,
so know that I love you you can always come see me,
because it’s peace love and respect till the end,

and ****,
we lost a good one today my oh my,
Mac Miller’s death wasn’t an Overdose,
it was a Suicide,

RIP Mac Miller,
may you Rest In Peace on Cloud 9,
may you finally find that love you need,
at that Eternal House in The Sky….

∆ Aaron LaLux ∆

In my arms lies a broken angel.
Her golden halo strung from her neck.
Her arms are covered in battle wounds, That spell out the hateful words that she always listened to.
I gently brushed her blonde locks from her face and kissed her eyes, whispering to her, once again, another good night.
I then gently laid her down in a bed of roses to let her sleep away the monsters.
Those that haunted her innocence and stole her youth.
Those that put her in the predicament of her broken heart

MC Lyte was lightweight
The Queen Bee was unseemly
compared to
this woman who shared you
and all you went through
And Queen Latifah wasn't half the leader
spoken word speaker
singer
soul seeker
that Oo La La
was
that Fu Gee La
was
Missy Elliot
lost her 8 stars
when she lost weight
(that's when she lost bars)
Lauryn
Lauryn Hill will always
always
be ours
she might be modest
but she'll always be
my Hip Hop Goddess

Late night dedications from you to me.
Writing you letters to see if you are holding it down for me.

Collect calls from me to you and some steamy conversation...
when your family inquires about my whereabouts....you say I'm on vacation.

Your image in my head is what makes each day easier to bare.
I'm writing and doing this time instead of stressing and pulling out my hair.

It's been said that you do the time and don't let the time do you.
I don't want to see the white jackets and be 302'd.

Listening to the radio as the love songs play.....
Daydreaming as I glance at the pictures of us together on Unity day.

The reason I love you is not hard to see or maybe it's just me.
My emotions run wild whenever you're next to me.

Expressing to you my visions and dreams while I'm incarcerated.
Promises that when I get out ....our lives won't be complicated.

My thoughts become hot air balloons and the English language becomes foreign.
A refugee in my own land except my name's not Lauryn.

Wishing I could hold you and fall into a deep sleep.
Time would stand still and nightmares would never creep.

Our love is like a mountain that has no peaks.
I'm missing you like crazy as I'm counting down the weeks.

I'm holding you hostage.  You're a prisoner without the cuffs.
You're saving yourself for me, but it's evident I'll never be worthy enough even if I was free.

The money was my idol and it came so fast.....
Partying my life away and having a blast.
I never thought about how long the money and fun would last.

My rise and fall like a pool that's been deflated.
My capture and imprisonment greatly exaggerated and celebrated.

The families that I've hurt......by them I'm hated.
I've destroyed my neighborhood.  That's what many have stated.

All this is true .....so I'm setting you free.
Consider this the last correspondence you'll ever receive from me.
Please accept this heartfelt apology.  My love I am so....so sorry.

My love has revolved around you.  My every waking thought has been about you.

Now you are telling me that you're setting me free.....
Whoa! wait a minute......How could this be?

Since we were little kids it's been me and you.
You were the paper and I was the glue.
My people said that you were not good enough for me, but I was still stuck on you.

This really hurts my heart as I read the words you've penned.
I realized not so long ago that this relationship must come to an end.
The transition will be difficult and it will take time for my heart to mend.

As I listen to the lockdown love dedications again and again.....
I'll have vivid memories of how this relationship began it end.


                                                                            4ever in my heart
                                                                                Lockdown Love

I imagine the angelic way you move like the earth is your runway

Seeing your pretty eyes hidden behind eyelashes that resemble silk

I ponder your frame

Your silhouette is a stencil for a goddess

No one’s perfect

But your my perfection

I think about how I would grace your lips with discretion

Gently placing mine on yours and floating to a ****** purgatory

Where we just leave the wrongs and the rights of the world

Then I imagine the lips between your thighs puckered up with the elegance of a freshly blossomed May flower

I think about you so much my thoughts don’t know any other thoughts

Ideas of how I can be yours

Plans on how I can make you my forever

Well forever doesn’t last

So, lets be together until we both cease to be

I just would love to hear the words of you

You speak and I hear Maya Angelou

You speak and I hear Erykah Badu

You speak and I hear Lauryn Hill

You speak and I hear my wife

You are what I need to make us

“We” needs to be

As I think of you I can envision you looking at me and telling me yes

we was in the bando,
trappin, we were trapped..
cook named Orlando,
moved across the track..

used to be my  neighbor, now hes got the paper,
owns a couple barbershops, got myself a taper,

owns a deli too, couple cleaners down the main street,
not long ago we were sitting in the same seat..

back when,

we was in the bando,
trappin, we were trapped..
kitchen hot too handle,
Found ourselves a rat..

polices, driving by increases...
Orlando had a thesis,
Moved in with his nieces..
He says...

"Theyll never catch me in here,
I live without fear,
only time i cry is with this tattoo tear"

A couple days later, cops broke the door in,
couple windows too, just to let more in,
they found a couple rifles, most of them foreign...
Cuffed Orlando, his niece, and his babymomma Lauryn...

multiple charges of distribution.
couple cases of ******...
money laundering, and weapons, his attorney would murmur...


They say my writing *****, this is no place for this crap..
i dont do poetry, i just write reality rap..
and truthfully, nowadays reality lacks.
So i dedicated this to his daughter Natalie Max.

25 to life..
no chance of parole, bottle....

of hennessy,

just *** he was my role model..

They say how can you defend him, when i yell free Orlando..
*** i still remember when..
we was in the bando...




-afj

yo **** this ***** name jalel
whos really a woman whos tried to appeal
to be a man but understand
youll never be me im like eazy e
and you be d to r e
makin' threats but ya gets no respect
but a gun check respect the tech as load it through ya neck
ya guillotine hoppin' on th3 scene
with my sixty four creepin' slow
with 304s galore i adore
ya aint ready for war
i told you gotta put kids to bed
before midnight ****** in my sight
killin' emcees softly
not speakim' lauryn hill entice fright and thrills
make bodies freeze colder than the ice on my windmills
necklace blinging ***** im from texas
we ball lacs n throw blades on the lexus cant get with us crew be dangerous trust its a must
that ya step back or else get put flat on ya back imagine that?
me loosin to this janky ***** name jalel ya frill than a third wheel
cant even rhyme for ****
sound hesitated constipated
i patiently waited
for you to give me something to vibe but ya just too horrible
sped up ya flow fool
cuz ya sound slow as ****
i rep the old school sound the tools
from every angle
make ya bo legged like bojangles as ya body drools
nothing but blood covered
its a baptism as i continya breakin' nerves like annuerism
nad yea aint it dont stop
cuz its 187 on a muthaphukkin' flop


shut the corny *** lines up
u aint rippin' up **** but ya own ****
******' ya self with self gratification its me against the nation
im black n my brothers be ****** rasta jamaican
***** you fakin'
cant hang with the y to the o to the s to the e f
yes im fresh then a dead body on ya porch steps
sending warning scorning
while in ya morge stiff
ya family mourning
over ya cant **** with the best in the industry
do ya like james did to tammie
terrell entice hell everytime fools try to send mail
my way hop in the six tre
i got hoes to **** check my gangsta limp.
***** i am eazy e son of lost dynasty i see ya eyin me
peepin' **** cuz it hits
like a slug to ya cranium strong as titanium
got extra clips to withdraw
adn im.aimmin em
at your headpiece as ya body grows obese
bigger than della reese feast
only on the weakest i be the wickedest stick my **** in this
instrumental cant hang with me
you worse than that ***** jalel be
writing them corny *** lines
with them horrible *** rhymes
wouldn't even amount to a dime compared to mine
ya make me look flawless
rippin' vocal chords got ya jawless i be the rawest
on this competiton i got for bloodraw with no intermission
i see ya beggin'
but go back to jalel so ya can
start peggin'
each other yeaaa and it dont stop cuz its 187 on a ***** names pablo and jalel

Lauryn Hill is going to jail for not paying her taxes,
a fate that would surely befall us all if caught.

She argued to the judge that since her ancestors
were slaves, our economic system was imposed
on her against her will, invalidating her burden.

Pay your ******* taxes, you ignorant bigot.
When your ancestors started making money,
they started owing taxes.  This is a feature of
society called "equality."

Dear Amber Rose,

El pueblo unido jamas sera vensido.
(A city united would never be beaten)
"Half naked and I'm still not asking for it" - some crazy chick

Poem begins:
You are preaching women empowerment.
Dress how you dress make your self feel ****
Even it means wear nothing while walking in the streets.
I get the motive of your movement **** Walk I guess that's what we should be teaching our daughters.
But if you're dancing on that ***** pole now that's a different story.
Tell us how many ***** you had to **** to make it to the glory.
Hard to preach to a generation that glorifies strippers and undermines knowledge.
I am so pro women but **** like **** Walk and so on are the reason we are separated
men and women segregated.
Your biggest concern is what next party you are hosting, while these young girls are all confused about their bodies getting liposuction.
Trying to be you
Trying to be you
But why? when even Wiz Kalifa depicted you as an object and didn't glorify.
***** is power between the right pair of legs.
Tell us how many motel sheets have you gotten wet.
Such a shame our ancestors probably turning in their graves. Lauryn Hill wasn't naked and sold more then Nicki, Iggy, and Kim combined.
The real definition of a role model
Guess that's why you differ
Since you're a *** model.
To ***** licious to be a runway model.
But perfect for the *** shot I want to spray up in your mouth model.
Then go kiss your son with the same lips you rocked the mic model.
Women rights is not about a dress code.
Is so much deeper but what can be expected from a stripper.

El pueblo unido jamas sera vensido.
(A city united would never be beaten).
El pueblo unido jamas sera vensido.
(A city united would never be beaten)

Sincerely,
A concerned father

He nearly ripped my throat out just to prove his point.
The bleeding thumbs of an angry boy can be tasted on my tongue at 11 pm.
His desire lies in between his toes and his malice in between his teeth.
He screams to a God he'll never praise and kisses a father he'll never love.
The sound of the air blowing between my teeth, however, shut him the **** up.
Shhh.
I have a project for you.
It involves you losing your victimizing nature.
Dropping your entitlement.
Opening your baby browns.
And listening.
Your sweat will never taste sweet until you love yourself like you loved her.
Your legs will stumble on their insecurities until you dance in your impurities.
Your vengeance is futile and will only make you avoided.
I can scream too.
You want to scream?
Scream with me.
But don't say I didn't help you.
Don't say I didn't try.
Don't act like the blisters and welts on your tan skin are from my fire.
You want blood?
I got plenty.
I'll jump rope with your esophagus.
Play dress up in your epidermis.
Understand your motives and thoughts better than Lauryn Hill.
But you can't assume anymore.
You can't believe that I fall to my knees because you make me weak.
That's not the case.
I don't need you like you need me.
Oh, please.

i met this girl when i was 5 years old,
and what i love most she had so much soul.
her vibe was cooler than rock and roll,
gotta say she had me feeling some type of way
i knew our relationship would grow to be big
she can be aggressive at times, which i kinda dig
be careful with what you say to her, cause shes got an attitude NWA would prefer.
I knew she was no one to **** with like the Wu
but to me shes been nothing but sweet
when i truly listen to when she speaks, its almost like she makes me feel complete
she exposed me to a new culture of afrocentricity, it opened my eyes to a whole new level of creativity
i fell in love with the things i heard, it was her elaborate spoken word.
her story is never borin', cause she be tellin' my whole life with her words like Lauryn
i know we come from a different way of life, but it doesn't seem to matter cause she's just my type
she had me singing songs from "hey ya", to the funky soul of de la.
she picked me up when i was down, she was there for me, when no one else was around
she was there to wipe my tears away, she always knows the right thing to say.
she always told me what i needed to hear
with her i have nothing to fear. she relaxes me when i'm around any one peer
shes made me want to learn and gain more knowledge.
to be honest ive learned more from her than any course in college
we didn't always get along
she wouldn't say it, but i could see something was wrong
we just couldn't relate, emotions smothered with hate.
i figured we needed a break
we needed to see what others had to offer
some came my way, but i still couldn't keep my mind off her.
i thought maybe we were done
my feelings were gone
taken out by Ms. Badu with "Mama's Gun."
but she reached out and we reconnected, and instantly those feelings were resurrected. I can't explain it, its like our souls are connected.
i missed her intelligence, and could feel it just being in her presence
i saw who i fell in love with was actually still there
we don't always see eye to eye, but truthfully i don't really care
we are together, and creating a better bond with each other
on the list of all the things i love, she climbed her way to the Tip-Top, theres no one else above
she goes by many names, but i just call her Hip-Hop

I'm from the land  overflowing with  milk and honey and my mind is more rich that The Europeans useless green paper money yes far from a dummy and like the dawn of day my personality is Always sunny.
I am a rare soul
On the outside I am just another hueman but on the inside I'm a being of the supernatural
I am a radiating rainbow
Shinning in between blue and purple
I'm the canvas of the star child so paint me Indigo.
I'm a lantern in the darkness of the heavily wooded forest, I glow.
My heart is as pure as the whitetess  snow
I am a farmer planting seeds, So, I reap what I sow.
I expand my horizons because the more you know the more you grow.
I am  vibrant just as  the stained glass window.
My soul is  a strong and fierce bolt of  lightening, quite powerful.
I am Fearlessly and wonderfully made in the image of  The Most High, Quite beautiful.
I'm an individual whose  energy is a current thats just flows.
Maybe because Love is My religion no matter where I go.
I was Created from the particles of stars hidden in the cosmos
Mixed with the elements of earth
Descended from the heavens, past the galaxy and from the wombman my spirit and body became one at birth
As it bursted thru my Earth mother, The Universe.
this body became both a gift and a curse
My life became as song unrehearsed
I guess thats why they nicknamed me lyrics because my words were my  hook and verse.
I am like many phases of the Luna very diverse
I am the moon that rises to rest in the midnight sky upon the evening shore as the cool ocean passionately kisses the sparkling sand.
I am the wombman with a vision and a plan.
I am India Arie, boosting your souls immunity. Healthy for you like vitamin C.
Loving me unconditionally
Embracing the Queen in me.
I am free!
I am Lauryn Hill opening your eyes to see the things that Are Real.
I am the peace that is still.
I express the way I feel.
I am Jill Scott giving you some food for thought.
Pay close attention because lessons are being taught.
I'm am Erykah Badu giving you something you ain't use to.
I'm Alicia keys Feeling the music putting my mind at ease
As the nature gives my skin goosebumps with its cooling breeze.
I am Janet Jackson giving you that that fire and passion.
lacing it with that poetic justice style and fashion.
Yet  I will have you talking to and looking at that man in the mirror like Michael Jackson.

Silly of Me, to think this was meant to be.
Always telling myself, “I’m Done.”
But, Tomorrow I’ll be right by your side
I’ll tell myself not to cry
Listen to Bob who said, “Every little thing is gonna be alright.”

But Boy, you steady ready to leave
To find yourself a new miss
Too blind to see this

Sinking
        lower into an
                                abyss

How you made me fall to my knees
Screaming out- "Don’t do this please!"
Holding tight onto small pieces of you
But this love ain't true

What I would of done for you
I’d give you the world
But you already seem to have it
So in love with you like a drug habit it get
One more dose and I’ll be out of it

Won’t take another hit
Checking in,
Letting the pain remit.

This ******* bliss
Girl, you’re smarter than this
You know men
Only out for that thang said Lauryn

Tonight I’ll sing glory amen
Rest my head
Leave words unsaid
I was mislead
Will find myself before I’m dead

Don’t
         f
            a
               l
                 l  
                  in love

Shed it aside,
It’s only a place full of lies and unrelenting cries.

And I’m sorry because this is how I speak to you. My words may not come out as smooth as they supposed to do. Lauryn hill said it well, “pain suppressed leads to cardiac arrest. Diamonds deserve diamonds but he convinced me I was worth less.” So that’s how I learned to write in rhyme and speak softly. I’m sorry if this isn’t what you’re used to but, I promise if you promise, to work on each others language, so maybe by the time I’m done this poem we’ll be as fluent as natives.

Like a lot of people, I love music
Common sense, Lauryn Hill, Musiq Soul child, I need both conscious lyrics and something ignorant and hype to balance it out.
And I've come to the realization
that I've met neo-souls music's living personification

Supple and smooth and conscious at the same time
Melodic and nice to listen to, and she's definitely more than worth the investment of time
With a mind quicker than a .38 at a right wingers waist

Why I never bothered to try to speak to her in high school is a question so hard to answer my brain is gonna end up in space.

we didn't mind our mistakes
like everyone else did.
he spelled his name wrong,
always and I sometimes.
He forgot key letters
slung his slang between
my tongue, pierced his
bottom lip, tatted
Breaking Babylon
across his chest, buzzed
his black hair low so that
his olive colored scalp
shone through,
scissored his black jeans into
shorts, lectured me on
his truths and my truths
and how our privilege
is self-evident, whispered
to me on cold cold nights
about the coming of the
Zion train and that either
Lauryn Hill or Nneka
would be it's conductor,
grew his hair down to his
shoulder when I
buzzed mine low revealing
my tight curls
and cursed his blossom
pink lips and prodded his
piercing with my thick
bottom lip and waited
and waited and waited.
He liked my mistakes
and my curiosity and I
liked his confidence
in his abilities. He didn't
cover his mistakes, he
was sure of them.
He told me the Zion
train would come the
day that I decided
to ask and still I
couldn't resist asking,
is your heart breaking?
and now he's telling me
he's missed me and that
it's good to hear from me
and that he's missed my
blue velvet voice, and I
have to bite my tongue
and nibble my fingers
to stop myself from
asking him,
is your heart still breaking?
but I know that I've
missed him more than I
enjoyed breaking his heart.
He likes my curiosity
and the mistakes that
come along with them.

Listened to Lauryn Hill sing the same words that you sang me.
I will always love you, who the **** can even blame me?
I ain't **** without you, you're the king and queen.
I just hope that you get what you want and that you never need, I'm on my knees prayin to the Lake God to bring you breeze behind your back, beseech to Based God that you never lack.
Please don't feel bad, you're doing a good job
Please don't feel bad you're doing a good job.
I'll be happy as long as you're healthy.
I hope you reach old age and you're consistently wealthy. Don't pay it back to your parents.
You're doing good, I wish you would get a million record sales I know you could. Please don't burn out or fade away, rock and roll is [_______]
I am selfish to sing you this song
Where was i when you needed a strong
Shoulder to lean on, i was wrong. I made you feel like **** now you moved on.
You hurt yourself to hold on
Love shouldn't hurt,
I'm on your arm.
Make a muscle
Do no harm
Do no harm

Oh lord, please let me confess
I know this life is just a test
but I can't seem to tell
the right from the wrong

This heaviness sits in my chest
right on the heart that you know best
and everyday I feel my soul leaving me

How do I seek you?
How do I feel you?
How do I love you from so far away?

-

Sing this to the tune of Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.... yes.

Messages written on paper planes.


I've been sat here thinking;
Thinking about drinking.  
I've been sat here drinking;
Drinking my life to the stars.  


I think that I have fallen.
I feel like I have fallen to the ground.
The people they are all calling,
But I cannot answer right now.  


My head's in pieces;
No memories.
My hair’s receding;
I guess that's just the way it is.
My heart has been aching for a million years!
I'm through with waiting;
Waiting for true love to cure all my tears.  


These pictures I show you,
They just ain't what they used to be.
These stories I am creating,
I hope they allow you to see the real me,
But until that time I will carry my torch.
Until that time I will be searching for love.
Until that time,
I will crawl on all fours to kneel at your door;
Until you find me and I see your hands raising me up.  


The books that I am writing, the lies I have told;
The truth I've been hiding, to protect my soul.
The visions I had, before I grew old.
The memories I made…where did they all go?  


If love is out there somewhere, send her running to me.
If there's nothing out there for me,
Then I'll say goodbye and leave.
If all there is to find, is yet another lie,
Then let them all begone.
Put Lauryn’s Miseducation on and just leave me alone with her songs.


It's written down on paper, but it's a paper plane.
It's carved into the stone face, but it's hidden away.
It's written in the stars!  But the time is midday.
If all I need is really out there…
Then please send your message my way.


(C)2017 Aa Harvey. All Rights Reserved.

Lilah,


I remember when I was going through a really hard time last year, you were there constantly even when it felt like I wasn’t
and you didn’t mind.
You didn’t mind not understanding what was wrong but as long as you could console me to a certain extent, you were pleased.
You’d give me this face thinking that I’d crack a smile
and seeing that I wouldn’t budge, you’d put on the Lauryn Hill station on Pandora.
You’d paint these pictures that were messages that said,
“Don’t Leave Me! I Wuv U” and ”You Are My Everything, Dont Go”. I’d glance at them when you were in the process of adding more and more decorations in watercolor..
but I never let the thoughts behind it actually resonate in me.
I didn’t care about how my actions or thoughts could hurt or affect anybody,
I couldn’t eat or think straight but that’s what heartbreak does..hopefully you won’t find that out soon.
I thank you for that now though.
Supporting me with the little things that you do.

This is for the introverted kid on his lonesome
One of Lauryn Hills lost ones
Eyes burning him down like acidic solvents
Pressed down and sprayed at for low prices like cheap deodorants
Ever-changing skintone from the haematomas
Losing friends who he's been with the closest
What's the point keep cards close to your chest if you're just gonna fold quick
Council estates have turned into war camps
Now the ends are looking like Colditz
I guess that'd explain why everyone in the bits is speaking Polish
Youths are hiding in alleyways gripping knives that are stolen
With a razor sharp focus
Aligning the moment then he zones in
An act of violence turns to a condolence
Flowers and roses
A single mothers heart is broken
Shattered and open
Tears stream that could fill an ocean
The kid was sacrificed and cut inside like Kingsley Coman
Underhand tactics used like sneaky trojans
It was for the kid I bet you
The ambience started hard but went soft like fresh fruits
Just be careful and keep those that respect you.

One of my first jobs was as a waiter in a Thai Restaurant
Run by a scary Malaysian who'd taken a liking to me
We went to a rave once
And he gave me 400 AUD for Chinese New Year
Bless him

But one night a tall Singaporean guy called Sunny came in
He was a musician too
He played in a rock and roll band
The Suns

Sunny lasted one night
But he told me about an open mic run by a girl called Michelle
And we stayed in contact
----

Gom was in the year above me at school
Gom was the only African at our school, he and his brother
Goyte also went to our school, he was in Gom's year. At school I was smart and cool, played bass and was friends with everybody. School was sometimes an escape from home life.

Marcus took me to Gom's place once where he lived with his girlfriend Nikki
I took my guitar and Gom and I jammed in the bedroom
A singer and a rapper
----

The first time I ever played live was at a place called Yah man Rastaraunt
It was a Caribbean Restaurant on Hoddle Street, South Yarra, Melbourne
It had that black feeling, of warmth and mystery. Or maybe that was youth and ****.
But I played, and some of the girls were crying
I'd found my thing
I went back the next week and froze up
----

There was a place called Pure on Smith Street. This was where Sunny said the open mic was run by Michelle. In those years, Smith street had a sacred vibe. Maybe it was the presence of an Aboriginal community or the fact that gentrification hadn't yet taken hold. But things were elemental, exaggerated by the warmth of summer nights.
I loved these open mics, the people I've met. I'd invite my work crew and friends. Sometimes I'd pack that venue out, for 3 songs!
----

Gom and I started a band
Melbourne was hip-hop, music, life and Fitzroy was Mecca
On Monday nights you could go to a place called the Laundry and see B-boys doing backflips on dancefloors!
Open mics, Latin Culture, losing my virginity
I was living and working as a waiter in beautiful Carlton, Melbourne's Italy. I love the parks there.

I flew interstate to study jazz
To smoke more ****
Then less ****
To wander like the wind, to bend like the rain, but always circling music and its hubs

I moved to London in 2015
I worked in a cafe and met a guy called Stefan from Austria. He is still one of the coolest and nicest people you can meet. I'll have to link up with him in Berlin one day soon.
He introduced me to Stefano from Italy who played the drums
We set up a band and had a few gigs
We had Hakan on Trombone and Bahadir on bass
Stefano had all these connections to the Turkish musical community
Because of the fact he plays in the Oddbeats, a psychedelic Turkish Band, one of the long standing hippie bands round these parts

I worked in a cafe called Music and Beans on Green Lanes, London's Istanbul. It was run by a musician who played amazing violin and also ran a music school. I lived in a tiny room above the school for a bit. On Green lanes there was a place called Jam in a Jar where you could see all kinds of music, from Mediterranean to Irish folk. It had a festival feel to it.
----

I go to open mics and jams like I did back in Melbourne,
It's very jazzy and jammy in this city. I like going to blues jams sometimes.
But I do like to remember those first gigs and musical experiences I had back in Melbourne
The meditation and wonder of it

I see Lloyle Carner at the swimming pool sometimes
He comes in with his daughter and wife
There I work as a lifeguard
On the days when I'm not working, I'll be working on my music, playing guitar, piano, writing, listening, learning, humming, singing, reading...
Stefano and I set up a house removed from the noise of traffic, replaced by the sounds of birds. There are trees everywhere and a lake nearby.
I've dedicated myself to being able to sing that great song in great condition, so that keeps the number of joints, beers and cigarettes down and the number of kilometers run and minutes meditated up.


I would cite Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Aston “Familyman” Barret, Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Flea, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, James Jamerson, Donny Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, Sam Cooke, Bill Withers, Frank Sinatra, John Coltrane, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carole King, James Taylor, Norah Jones, Nick Drake, Bjork, Portishead, Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Burial, Flying Lotus, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Aphrodite, Charlie Parker, Chopin, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Jeff Buckley, Jaco Pastorius, Eric Dolphy, David Bowie, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, J Dilla, Tupac, Juicy the song, Nirvana, Crowded House, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Prince, Parliament, D'Angelo's 3 Albums to date, Blackstar, The Roots, Adele, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Eryka Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote, Nai Palm, Muddy Waters, BB King, Ben Harper, Joe Cocker, Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Mavis Staples, The Beatles and tapestries more as inspirations and influences