WORDS FROM THE CREATOR

I'm originally from NJ, born in New Brunswick, raised in Somerville and from a time when it took a village to raise ONE, with this sense of belonging and responsibility. While those were some of my earliest memories, they were also the most impactful. I lived above the community food bank and my mom ran the local free clinic.

By the time my dad was my age now, he had already taken a few kids from the neighborhood, turned them into “the band”, signed them to a major label, toured, had over a 20 year music industry career then retired to Decatur, GA.

I moved around more than an Army brat so I developed an appreciation for the unique charm of each city I was near. New York, New York, Trenton, New Jersey, Philly, Baltimore, Atlanta, and MUSIC… Hip Hop especially, was right there to help me acclimate. 

Growing up, it was concert band, jazz band, marching band, playing with the band. In middle school, on the weekends, I would take the train into New York City for music theory classes where my mom was going to get her masters. 

The first thing I ever saved up for was the Wu-Tang Forever double tape. It expanded my vocabulary, gave insight into world issues, took me on trips to places I've never been, taught me how to navigate through peer circles and business as a young man. It even introduced me to God.

Hip Hop during my adolescent years, opened doors of endless inspiration and creative expression. Initially thinking that turntables and a microphone would be just 2 more instruments to learn, hip hop became this brand new culture, method and vehicle of learning for me.

Everytime I relocated to another city however, the music programs would continue to get more and more out of touch, as art classes or creative electives slowly disappeared from school systems, seemingly from educational curriculum altogether.

 Beats and Bars is my way of giving back, carrying on tradition and honoring legacy.