#bigjcsb

Where do I begin with this project? The aptly titled Never Die in January is a body of work that showcases my crews diverse range, and unwavering UNITY. This is an EP that felt to all of us like a mixtape, and also our purest GROUP tape thus far due to how the selected tracks came together.

The Journey started in November, where we had all decided to take a work trip to NY to get some work in with ProjectPorter, who had a couple of cuts lined up for Big J CSB. It ended up that last minute myself and Estebang weren't able to make the trip for personal reasons. What resulted from those sessions was Midas Touch, RAW, and Dream, with J, Scrue, Jak, and Cornerboi shining throughout the session

Back Home in Miami, Bang & I were locked in the realm working on a collab tape fully produced by our homie Digitale. These sessions helped build our chemistry and felt dope knowing we were all getting work in, even in different states.

I gotta give credit where it's due.. This tape really came together due to Jak Maker's urgency. He saw the opportunity to put the NY sessions together for something bigger. He also was able to focus solely on rapping as opposed to producing, arranging and mixing as he usually does and has showcased before on projects like Dante's Garden. These are some of personal favorite verses from Jak, He came out of the gate swinging on Midas Touch and really set the tone for the rest of the tape.

The 2 other tracks from the tape featured myself and Bang on Mink Coat Draggin' and Curtain Call, produced by Joe Robbie Stadium and J/S respectively. I met Joe Robbie at a session I had with the Homie Nick Garcia for a song we got together called Therapy. I had peeped his work online and it was dope getting to chop it up with him. We have a lot of things in common including our love of Miami Sports teams, especially the Dolphins (Hence the stage name Joe Robbie Stadium lol).

Shortly after the Nick Garcia session, the homie came through to watch a myself and Scrue rip the stage at Unseen Creatures brewery where I was able to further chop it up, we left that night eager to work together and would shortly after start cutting some of the dopest tracks I've been a part of, one of these tracks ended up on the tape (Mink Coat Draggin').

The reason I say this tape is aptly named Never Die in January, is for a few reasons. I suffered one of the worst bouts of depression I had ever faced in my 29 years on earth. I dealt with issues I thought I had left in the past, and had to face new realities that I thought I was prepared for, but my actions showed me I clearly wasn't. I might sound crazy but my entire life, I never truly put much thought to my own mortality. I know I bleed just like everyone else, I know my bones might break, I know at any moment disaster could strike.. But I always thought I was invincible.. Think Superman but with a buzzcut, a sports jersey and a giant [d] for [dru] plastered on my chest. Whatever the situation, in my mind I was good. I was hit with some news that changed my entire perspective and I really had to accept that my way of thinking had to shift.

I know I can physically die at any moment, but what ensures that I live forever are the reasons I get up and step into that booth. Every line I’ve written, every verse I’ve laid down—even in my darkest moments—adds to my testimony. Long after I'm gone, my words will echo FOREVER. I'll die by that.

I didn’t die in January.

I'm still here MF.

It's a [dRuWorldOrdeR]

Yours Truly,

-[dRu]