#atfu

The brand new flavor in your ear and it’s magic. Peace to my brotha @rustymk2 and @lunamusic. I’ve been playing Rance Allen all day and everything is on The One! #existintheinfinite #jaaamaccordingly #ATFU #theprofessorandthehustler #indianapolismusic #wreckastow #dopecouture #gshock (at LUNA music) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwiVpwknEp8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1e0jf7gwf12zf

Once upon a time, @rustymk2 and I played @artscouncilindy Art & Soul, 2013. @brianyarde on drums, @brandonmeeksmusic_ on bass. Still one of my most cherished experiences as a musician in Indianapolis. There are so many amazing African American artists in the collection of featured artists, being one of them is an honor. Check the list some time (my ppl if you’re a featured artist, represent in the comments). That’s @tashabeckwithfineart work on the banner. I’ve don’t think I’ve ever seen these pictures in color. This show was very fun. I don’t remember who took these pictures, please if you’re out there let me know. Thank you. If you zoom and look close there’s an original DOPE sticker on my case. Shout out to @phnm @edanedan @cmart.la, and all the homies from what is now a long time ago. The last photo is The Football, a dance I learned from my mama @camerabug3. We had a ball. Record Store Day got me reminiscing. #jaaamaccordingly #existintheinfinite #loveindy #indianapolismusic #ATFU #TheProfessorAndTheHustler #bougiecrew #artandsoulindianapolis (at Indianapolis Artsgarden) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwTR_TlHU0V/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16bqbupmvo2yv

January 31, 2016. @sirdoug hosting what was probably a J Dilla tribute rehearsal. @lonegevity on the mic. Kevin Anker on keys. @sleepynap on drums, probably the octapad. Nick Tucker on bass. I think @diosadelsolyamor is in the cut back there. If you look closely, there are some digital errors/stutters in the picture. This year was one of my favorites for that event. At @thehifiindy. Peace to all y’all, love y’all. Thank you for being you. #jaaamaccordingly #oldsoulent #loveindy #indianapolishiphop #ATFU #bdtb #indianapolismusicians (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnuxFPqhaIE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=v9274xk70h44

#tbt Locals Only Indianapolis, I think this was June 2010. My brothas. Fast forward to 2018, there is a lot of hip hop music and a lot of musical talent in general in this photo. At this point, we all had some work but this was early for a lot of us in our musician lives in Indianapolis. Love all y’all. (L-R) Me; @greygranite; @bobgbarker; @iammtu in the back; a fresh faced @oreojones, milk’s favorite emcee; @djbtam Rest In Peace bruh, thanks for always being so cool every time we saw each other; @jasonecwright fka alpha.live; @king_combo holding the MPC; @jbrookinz, please send me the American Gangster remix album you did that was on MySpace; @jmoore1977, a constant supporter and member of the hip hop family of Indianapolis; and I think that’s @kaljfitness in the shadows lol. Shout out to anyone who was at this show, special shout out to the Locals Only family for opening the doors to hip hop when some of the venues city wouldn’t book a hip hop show of Indianapolis’ own AND let us design shows as we saw fit. Locals was and is a major place in the history of hip hop in the city and I miss it. #jaaamaccordingly #indianapolishiphop #ripdjbtam #ATFU #heavygunblog https://www.instagram.com/p/BnsCQurhjRE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1j6s5jhbpzpo7

“Here We Go” is track eight on Spectrum. The production is a few layers of drums, a chord progression loop, me playing keys, and me playing bass guitar. This is 100% the audio form of how it feels when I’m on the highway around the city. All my musician friends can relate to post-gig trips home late at night, less traffic and whatnot. Cruising on the way home. This was originally recorded on a different beat but I re-did it for comparison. Maybe I’ll put the old one up. I have a few didn’t make-it’s or not right at the time tracks around, the sketches and alternate versions. I love this one though, it’s the perfect song to lead to the last song on the album. #jaaamaccordingly #mrkspectrum #ATFU #allthefunkunleashed #ableton #lofihiphop #bassplayer #sampler #loop #breaksruletheworld

This is track number two from Spectrum, a cut named “On My Mind” which was made around the time that I was playing @bangsnicely’s mix “Here” everyday in my classroom. I like to hear what other folks are creating just as much as I like to hear what I’m creating. There are a lot of talented people on the planet and that mix is a dope blend of dope music. This song has one verse of reminiscing about being a teenager in Dayton and how life is different. “Dodging potholes, neighborhood slalom style” in reference to Indianapolis streets. A shout out to @coolhandlex (who is also bangs nicely and the homie forever). The other verse is about what my life was like back then, now what I know to be a manic episode. I’ve been rapping about my mental health in some way since I started writing raps. One moment at a time is my approach now but there have been times where I was in full struggle mode. My wife knows better than anyone else and is a key reason that things are much better. Recording tunes helps, a lot. A whole lot. I believe being creative is a worthwhile balancing activity for people, even if you don’t sell/post/share/talk about what you create. But having people that love you nearby is priceless. My small piece of mental health advice: don’t convince yourself that destructive behavior is just genetic or familial and is unchangeable or should simply be dealt with. Get some help from a professional and be better for your family and your friends. You can do it! The sample flips on this album were really for my own enjoyment. I love this song so much. The part about Gargoyles and documentaries on the couch is real. I own the whole Gargoyles series on DVD and watched it when it aired originally. It’s brilliant. #mrkspectrum #jaaamaccordingly #ATFU #allthefunkunleashed

This is the first song on my 2014 album Spectrum. The opening bars are literal. Escapism was real in that moment. I wrote this not long after Eric Garner was killed by a NYPD officer. This is really me talking to myself. Some of my tunes are just written so I can go on with the rest of my life. So “still hitting the dance flo’ like anyway” is me going back to life, even though some parts are really jacked up. I feel so much better after writing and recording these kinds of tunes. It’s healthy for me to go through that release. Peace to my friend @jasonecwright for encouraging me to do this for another one of my albums. Check old posts for the ones from my album Voyager. #jaaamaccordingly #spectrum #ATFU #allthefunkunleashed