As I write about the wildest, darkest and most chaotic years of my life, I realize this is the most deeply, most personal and revealing story I’ve ever told. From my first day back at 854, to Paul Junior High, to the madness of the D.C. underworld, to Cardozo, running amuck all over Montgomery County, Maryland, and finally the shocking death of my cousin Keshia Semple—this chapter of my adventures came to a close.

At just 15 years old, I was already deep in the music world, quietly working as an independent scout for labels like Relativity, Profile, Tin Pan Apple, Cold Chillin’, and the legendary Uptown Records (1989–1993). I corresponded with label executives about new talent, receiving promo t-shirts, hats, stickers, exclusive mixes, remixes, and even European editions.

One summer in 1988, at Nobody Beats the Wiz in downtown D.C., I met a music industry representative who already knew about my family—and the rest is history.

Only a few people knew the full extent of this life: my father, my uncle, and those who came to my apartment on Park Road, N.W.

My studio was a miniature empire(2 bedroom apartment): four DAT machines, a three-turntable setup, four double cassette duplicators, sequencers, a TR-808 drum machine, a TASCAM 8-Track Reel-to-Reel, and three studio headphones. I owned 1,500 CDs, 800 cassettes, 150 8-tracks, 300 vinyl records, and hundreds of VHS movies.

Coming Soon...

HOW I SAW IT: The Life, The Times, The Tribulations and The Great Mis-Adventures of Lelund Nathaniel Hollins— Every Move I Make.