When I made my first beat the summer of 1997 there was a fearlessness and strong feeling of necessity. It was like I was posessed and in my mind looping this record (Strawberry Letter 23 by Brothers Johnson) was the most important thing in the world. In fact, humanity was depending on me to loop this record over and over again on the first blank cassette tape I could find. As time presses on, adult responsibility and perceived expectation can be a real hurdle when it comes to

“Back when I released American Beatmaker, Otis Taylor of The State newspaper called me prolific. I didn’t know how much that word would mean later.”

I really appreciate the memories that are attached to the music I make. Each track is like a timestamp—capturing what was happening in my life and what I was feeling while I created it. This project, in particular, brings to mind two friends: Grayson and Rhett. Funny enough, during the span of about a week, I happened to have conversations with both of them. And honestly, it’s never hard to get into a conversation about music with me.

Back in 2018 I was traveling down a rabbit hole on YouTube and Wikipedia. I started with Mike Tyson highlights and iconic moments which...