After being in a group called Reelaktz for years and years — technically since 4th grade — but not dropping any product, I did my first solo sessions with Patrick Murphy in 1999. I was living in Dallas (1997-99), and Patrick had also moved back from UT to the exact same complex as I. In 1999 I’d also gone back to Austin to work on my boy NickNack’s first single (we did a duo 12-inch under the name Soundscape) and his “Reconstruction” album.
By the summer of 1999 I’d literally moved back to Austin hoping to do the unthinkable (would it make us look crazy?) and launch an international hip-hop career straight outta the capital/casual city conveniently known as the Live Music Capital of the World. Before that year was up, a real hero named DJ Baby G had also moved to Austin. My boys from Reelaktz who’d started this event called Hip Hop Humpday (the main reason I moved back) also started a Sunday residency for Baby G at the Sidestreet Bar, which I think is now called Fuel.
By the year 2000 my neighbor from back in grade school, Bobby — the same amazing artist who did everyone’s graffiti sweatshirts, jeans, etc., at North Garland High, all the way up to my Create & Hustle album cover — who was also my ride to high school and an emcee in Reelaktz for a year or two… became the art director of a hip hop clothing store (basically) on the Drag in Austin, that was owned by another friend from school named Alex the mexican Alpha. The clothing store was the stepchild of the screenprinting shop around the corner, and I started working there as a mascot. Since we promoted the store at spots like Humpday, I met alot of folks coming in to consign CD’s as well as DJ’s, including but not limited to Jeffresh, 2DQ and UT student upstarts DJ Kurupt and Rapid Ric. Ric was doing some “mix every kind of hip hop on Earth” mixtapes with IHOP-styled artwork (not Mountain Dew, yet) and was looking for local emcees to rap on his CD’s so I offered myself.
I wanna say Hot 93.3 in Austin started around late 2001 or early 2002. And one day I heard a song by Memphis Bleek featuring Nate Dogg on my homie Deuce’s evening show. I don’t think it won “Hot or Not” or played more than 20 times, but it sure was funky and soulful. I never forgot that song, called “You Need Dick In Your Life”. I guess it was about the Vice President, to help with his approval ratings. Yes, absolutely.
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Scholar Emcee 