Braille.....from NYC

 I've had a pretty incredible week.  It would be hard to tell all my stories cause each one is so unique but I'll try to share all the highlights.  This blog covers a full week, from one tuesday till the next.

day 1 - I did a performance at the www.ughh.com store in Boston, MA.  Rather then just doing one or two songs - I did a full 35 minute concert including bonus freestyles.  Footage should be going up on the website soon.  One guy drove from Maine for this event, that's love!!!!  He's the one in the grey throwing up the "IV" in the picture.

day 2 - I drove to NYC and stayed with my manager.  We watched the American Idol finale and then went to www.wnyu.org where I did a live interview and freestyle for the "Halftime Show".  DJ Eclipse using runs the show but he was out of town - either way, I had a great time.  I got a recording of my freestyle and I intend to put it up on Myspace soon.

day 3 - I had a show in Danbury, CT.  The turn out was a little small but I had a great time kicking it with DJ Halo.  He showed some super hospitality and also DJ'ed for my set.  Adam B (journalist who interviewed me for Beyond Race) was in the house and all the other acts gave excellent performances.  Two kids drove to the show from an hour away, unfortunately they weren't old enough to get in.  The venue was called "Cousin Larrys Cafe" - so they assumed it was all ages.  I felt bad but was glad that I got to chat with them before the show.

day 4 - There was a huge youth event in Agawam, MA.  I was performing in a church and there was about 200 kids (see picture with kids in the front).  Shouts to Fat Soul, Wut and all the other performers.  This was a memorable night, when it was time to talk with the crowd I felt like God was really moving.  I crashed at a wonderful hotel and did some much needed laundry the next morning.

Day 5 - I drove back into New York City and got ready for my show.  The doors didn't even open till 11 PM and I ended up performing around 2 AM.  It was a late night, but the show was incredible.  My friend Ken (from Seattle) came to the show with his brother.  My manager and his girlfriend came through, and overall there was a great crowd.  DJ Halo linked back up with me, so he held down the wheels and that always brings a fresh energy to my set.  The performance definitely felt powerful.  I even had an intern from DefJam ask for a CD.  Word.

Day 6 - So I mentioned my friend from Seattle was in town for NYC.  It just so happens that my friend Ken works for the Seattle Mariners.  He translates for Ichiro, so he was in town because the Mariners were playing against the Yankees.  He was able to get me 4 free tickets for the game and I was so thankful.  First of all, the weather was perfect.  Second, our seats were stellar.  Third, this is the last season for the original Yankess stadium.  Forth, my dad was a baseball fanatic - so I really enjoyed the game because I know it's something he would have LOVED.  It looked like the Mariners were going to win, which I was kind of excited about but the Yankees pulled away with the win after scoring 4 runs in the 8th inning.  It was a roller coaster game for sure.

Day 7 - I had a day off so I ended up hitting an open mic that a local artist named Propaganda Anonymous invited me to.  The spot was called Sin Sin - and the vibe was super fresh.  There was a live band - just a 3 piece - plus two singers.  The singers would drop hooks and then a line of MCs would take turns freestyling the verses.  After feeling out the vibe for a bit, I stood in line and waited for my turn.  When my turn came, they switched the format.  Me and another MC had to trade 4 bars back and forth.  This is all freestyle!!!  I love freestyling, so it was no problem but after waiting in line for three turns of trading 4 bars - I started getting restless.  I wanted to flow longer.  haha.  So when my next turn came, I couldn't resist and I just kept spitting past my 4 bars and dropped a full freestyle.  That's how the whole night was before they started the trading, so I just wanted to get my piece in before the night was over.  My timing was perfect because the open mic literally got shut down after my turn - simply because it was two in the morning and the band probably was ready to call it a night.  Real dope vibe though.

TODAY - So today I had a live performance for fearlessmusic.tv.  Check out the website and you'll get a feel for what Fearless is all about.  Bands come in and do a performance in the studio and it airs on Fox late nights.  DJ Rob Swift came through and backed me up for this performance, and I also had some friends add live instrumentation.  We had Ben on the guitar and Charlene on the keys and vocals.  The set up was super professional, so we all did our best to be professional as well.  We knocked out all four of our songs without messing up once - everything went super smooth.  We were able to watch back our performances on a nice flat-screen in the lobby and it looked/sounded amazing.  Once I get more info about when the show will be airing - I will definitely spread the word.  Anyway - my wife and daughter are flying into New York City tomorrow morning.  We have two days off and I was able to book us an incredible room at the Grand Hyatt Hotel near Central Park.  I booked the room using Priceline and literally got about 50% off of the normal price.  I can't explain how much I've missed Gabriella and Nikki.  Tomorrow is going to be more exciting then all the last 7 days put together!!!!

Braille ... from Boston

So right now I'm chilling in Boston.  I have so many stories to share.  First, that picture of me and my wife in the car shows me holding a Rockstar brand coffee drink.  I don't really like the Rockstar brand but I bought that particular can because it was "lite" and I wanted to share it with Nikki.  Anyway, when your on the road - you get tired of the usual gas station options for beverages.  I'm not much of a soda guy.  I got intrigued by the Monster brand coffee drinks.  A lot of them are pretty tasty - and I have curious taste buds.  haha.  I like to try new things rather then just have the same stuff over and over again.  I have one question though - are these drinks bad for you?  I can't really figure it out, so in all honestly - I am really limiting my consumption because I just don't know much about it.  I'm not an "energy drink" type of guy, so I like the Monster drinks mainly because of the taste.  If anyone knows much about it, let me know.  In the meantime, I think my curiosity has been quenched.

This week has been pretty intense.  I did 5 shows in 5 shows and drove about 6 hours each day.  Not to mention, since my wife was staying with family in PA - I've been completely alone.  I've been waking up, driving all day, rocking shows and then repeating the cycle.  It hasn't really been that bad though - but I do kind of feel proud of myself when I arrive into the next city on time.  haha.  The picture with the highway sign is from when I was passing through Scranton, PA.  Home of the Office....haha.  

So about my show in Buffalo - this was a crazy night.  I arrived to the venue around 7:30, which was way to early cause apparently heads in Buffalo don't get started until super late.  Since nothing was going on, I wandered over to a Jamaican spot and ate a beef patty with cocoa bread.  It definitely hit the spot.  This was my first time in Buffalo so I didn't have any friends from the past to visit with.  I did however enjoy chatting with Tone from Deepthinka and DJ Cutler.  It was fresh to meet the guys and build a bit in the local scene.  I didn't take stage until around 1:30 A.M. or something...haha.  I wasn't sure what to expect but I just poured my heart out on the stage.  At the end of the show, I got a lot of love from the crowd.  Edreys was in the house, and there was also a local crew called Sons of the King who rolled deep.  They performed after me and had like 12 dudes on stage.  haha.  After the show we were all building and it led to a huge prayer huddle right outside in front of the bar.  I stayed the night at Tone's spot and his hospitality was great, he even cooked me some potatoes in the morning.

To close this post, I will explain the bowling score above.  haha.  Bobby Bishop had an event in NorthHampton, MA and he invited me to be apart of it since I was in town.  Me and Bobby played two games of bowling and although both of us struggled to even score 100 each game, Bobby did take me out both times.  We attempted to throw a concert in the bowling alley but the sound system was a little insufficient.  I was playing submission hold and the sound of bowling balls rolling was much louder then the beat.  haha.  None the less - Bobby took a moment to share a message with the kids and we all ended up huddling together and praying before it was all said and done.  I've been staying with Bobby's family the last two nights and we've been having a lot of fun.  His daughter loves it when I stand on one leg (I'm a one trick pony, haha) and so she had me jumping around on one leg for like two hours strait.  Tomorrow I performing at the Undergroundhiphop.com store in Boston.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Thanks for tuning in.  Much love.  peace

Braille..... from Philadelphia

Hello.  I got a long drive today so I'm going to keep this short.  I rocked three shows in Pennsylvania over the last three days.  It started out in Washington - which was a show at my cousin Andrew's church.  One guy drove like two and a half hours to come and see the show.  Crazy.  Another guy drove from 30 minutes away.  It was hilarious because the youth at the show were playing some games before the concert - and the two guys who drove to see some Hip-Hop got recruited to play some broom ball.  haha.  It was like hockey with brooms.  You never know what your getting yourself into when you come to a Braille show.

Nikki decided to stay in Washington, PA for about a week because she has a lot of family there that she doesn't get to see very often.  So I'm doing the next 5 or 6 shows on my own.  I miss them already, but I think it will be refreshing for them to stay in one place for awhile.  I did a show in Pittsburgh and that was a memorable night.  Shout to Destro for setting the gig up and shouts to all the local homies like Conduct, Set Surgeon, Calm, Mike and many more.  The Pittsburgh show ended up being pretty comical towards the end.  I fumbled my lyrics for "Shades of Grey" - which doesn't happen often - and ended up dancing for awhile and joking with the crowd.  We all had a blast.

Last night I rocked in Philadelphia.  Shouts to AOI, The Hustle Band and Vitamin F.  The local talent was all rocking with bands, so I was the only solo artist.  Muze One, Victor (the macho twin from Holy Culture Radio), Phanatik, DJ Essence, Tekson and others from the Extreme Tour (it was a surprise to see them, cause they just happened to be in the area, but they come from Texas), Shai Linne and many more were in the place.  Although the crowd was small, it was a very meaningful group of people and it was an honor to share what I do with all the Philly homies.  After the show I went to DJ Essence's studio.  Official was supposed to come through with some beats, but he had other engagements so me and Essence made a song together right on the spot.  It turned out really fresh.  That joint is going to be exclusive for a mixtape coming out soon.

Anyway... I'm on my way to Buffalo.  Just wanted to give a quick update, it's been a busy week for sure.

Braille.... from Washington, PA

So here I am in a Panera Bread again.  Haha.  This last week has been an adventure.  We drove from Rockwall, TX strait to Chicago, IL.  Look at a map, it's a long drive.  We stopped half way somewhere in Missouri.  We were staying at a Comfort Inn and Gabriella wanted to play instead of sleep after such a long car ride.  The next morning we continued on our drive and arrived in Chicago about 20 minutes before the concert started.  Gabriella was restless after spending two days in the car.  Nikki couldn't really stay at the show, because Gabriella needed some alone time before being surrounded by tons of youth.  

I performed at a spot called The House in Chicago and they were doing a Stop the Violence special.  It was an honor to be part of the event.  They were offering free AIDS testing to the community and spoke about some of the violence issues happening in the city.  Many young people loose their lives way to early from un-necessary gunfire.  We can't blame any ONE person for these social ills, but we all can play a roll in helping to bring PEACE.  Before I performed I had to run to my van to grab some CDs.  The neighborhood we were in didn't have many white people.... and while I was walking I crossed paths with a black guy.  (please excuse my use of "white" and "black" because I know they are very bland terms).  Anyway... I said "what's up" as we passed and he reached out to shake my hand.  He said "that's right, we gotta stop this racism stuff".  It was a short moment, but it was definitely significant.  Unfortunately, there is still racism happening in the U.S.  I don't witness it very often, but every now and then I'm reminded that it still exists.  In some areas two people of different colors shaking hands is no big deal, but in some areas it's still very rare.  I've always been friends with people from all different nationalities, racism has always seemed ignorant and pointless to me.  I don't judge people by the color of their skin.  If someone does me wrong... that's between me and that person.  I don't hold it against their community, their skin color, their race or their family.  The history of the U.S. is littered with hateful things that have taken place... .a lot of racism and separation.  In some communities you still see the effects of things that happened 30 or 40 years ago.  It's painful and I definitely want to play my role in loving both sides of the fence and help bring healing.  While walking around this neighborhood in Chicago, there was a lot of broken glass on the concrete, kids running out of buildings at full speed, broken windows with boards.  I'm really thankful for The House and the work they are doing to bless the community and invest time in the youth.  I was glad to be a part of it.  Shouts to Pastor Phil Jackson!!!

I also met another guy at my show in Chicago who took a Greyhound Bus from Michigan just to come and check it out.  At a few of my shows people have come from long distances to see the concerts, give me words of encouragement and just build.  It's been incredible.  The next day me and the family celebrated Mothers Day in Indiana.  We had a Jacuzzi room at our hotel... and although me and Nikki didn't get a chance to soak in the tub together - the Jacuzzi was the perfect size swimming pool for little Gabriella.  haha.  My show in Indiana was also very significant because it was a mothers day event.  The crowd was small but I was able to share the stage with YSG Timothy (who I've talked with via email in the past) and some other artists from within the region.  Props to DJ Rhino for setting it up and blessing the Mothers who were in attendance.  It was a real fresh night.  After the show I took my wife out to eat so we could close out Mothers Day with a bang.  Earlier in the day I also took her shopping for some new clothes - .... I still think shopping in the mall is more exhausting then rocking a show.  haha.  While I was in the mall I picked up a June issue of The Source magazine.  They did an interview with me in the "Under The Radar" section and also reviewed my record.  I used to cut out pictures from The Source and hang them on my wall when I first started rapping.  It was an honor to finally be featured in that magazine.  www.rapreviews.com also reviewed my record this week - so it's been a pretty exciting time.

Nikki...from DALLAS!

Hey All!!

  

  We are here in Dallas now, I have to say I was looking forward to this portion of the tour! I am finally getting a little girl time!!! As Bryan said we got to visit with some close friends while we have been here. Its very exciting for me ! 

 One of the benefits to being on tour is that you get to visit so many people from your past, catch up on old times and just chill. Today the weather is so nice! Its sunny and not humid at all, usually when we are in Texas its so humid, and when i walk outside i just feel damp. I HATE THAT FEELING!  Also, your face gets all shiny no matter how hard you try to stay fresh. Guys, you might not relate, but girls you know what I'm talking about!

 The visit with my family went great, i was able to see all my family, and they all met Gabriella for the first time. They loved her and she warmed up to them  right away. I almost did not get to see my Uncle that i wrote about in my last blog and i was really upset about it. At the last minute it all worked out and I was thankful! He is just trying to get better. I was able to encourage him as much as i could. Him and Bryan got to talk about music and Bryan gave him a CD. My uncle was so excited about this! He is so proud! I was glad to be a light in his life if only for one hour. Keep him in your prayers.

  We are heading to Chicago after Dallas, then all over the east coast. I am really stoked to go to Boston in particular! I have always wanted to go there, i love history and there is so much of it in Boston. Bryan gave us a day off there so we could see the sights :) 

 Gabriella has been having a high fever for the last 2 nights. I am going to see if it happens for another 2 nights, and if it does we are going to take her to the doctor..she is fine during the day but once night time hits she gets cranky and gets a fever. No other symptoms! If anyone has any advice about this feel free to let me know! I am not to good at playing doctor :) Well, Gab is taking a nap right now and i need to do some other work online, i will be writing again soon, thanks to everyone who reads this and leaves comments it encourages me! love all of you! 

Braille.....from Dallas, TX

It's thursday morning and I just realized it's been a week since my last post.  I just finished a show last night in Irving/Dallas.  It was super fresh.  We had a great turn out, plus some of my close friends such as Sivion, Malachi, Marissa, Keith Hill and others were in the house.  All of my shows over the last week have been incredible - from Flagstaff, Albuquerque (two shows) and Dallas.  I had a day off in Albuquerque so I spent about 5 hours in the studio recording guest appearances.  So far I've dropped 7 guest verses during the first two and a half weeks of this tour.  I still have a handful of songs left to record so I need to find at-least one more studio to hit up before the end of this month.

Last Night we stayed with our good friends Luke and Jen.  Luke's farther, Larry Huch was the pastor over the church I was attending when I first met Nikki.  The church was based in Portland, OR but relocated to Texas about 3 years ago.  Whenever I'm in Texas, I'm usually doing an event with Luke.  Our families have become really close friends.  Another married couple that we are close to recently moved to Texas as well.  Malachi, Marissa and Natalie!  Me and Nikki have people from all over trying to convince us to move.  haha.  Right now we live on the road!!!!  But it's fresh having close friends all over the U.S. (not to mention all over the world).  We still anticipate settling down in Portland once this tour is over.  The Northwest still feels like home for us, plus most of our family lives there so we want to be close to them.

Gabriella has been doing great!!!  That picture of her laughing in the car was from one of our 6 hour car rides.  I was singing a song about "stinky pants" and she was laughing really hard.  She always falls asleep in Nikki's arms at my shows.  haha.  It's cute, but our baby is getting heavy.  We need like a mini portable bed that we can bring to the concerts.  We have been sleeping in a different bed pretty much every night.  Some nights we stay in hotels and some nights we stay with friends.  All three of us (me, Nikki and the baby) cuddle up in one bed together.  Needless to say, I've been waking up every time the baby moves.  It's hard to get a full night of sleep sometimes because Gabriella has been rolling around a little bit.  Her temperature has also been a little high - so we are keeping a watch over that to make sure she is okay.  I'm typing this early in the morning.... we are learning how to post pictures with our BLOGS!!!

Nikki... from New Mexico

Hey everyone...

   Its been a while since I have been able to write. Things got kinda hectic for the last few days. From Cali. we headed to Phoenix Arizona, and stayed the night. Since Gabriella enjoyed playing in the water at Disney Land so much we decided to find a hotel with a nice pool and take her swimming. The last time I took her swimming was last summer when she was still a little baby! So this time it was really exciting. She was not sure about the huge mass of water at first. We told her it was a big bath, then she was OK! She splashed and played like a "fishy." 

  From Phoenix we went to Flagstaff...Flagstaff is in the mountains in Arizona so it stays much cooler, which was super nice. I took advantage of the nice weather to clean out the van! This was the highlight of my day. I love keeping things clean and organized. I try not to be to anal about it! We did not have  time to fully clean it before we left Oregon. So we unloaded the WHOLE van, and I cleaned the heck out of it! Afterwards I felt very refreshed, that might sound crazy, but when you are basically living in your van (haha) you look forward to cleaning it! 

      Bryan had a show at a local youth group. Everyone at the show was so nice and were super stoked to see Bryan! Once again we were able to meet some new friends there. We stayed with someone from the church and the house was so comfortable. I swear the bed we slept in was like sleeping on air, I felt like i was floating and slept like a baby. Gabriella also conked out when her head hit the pillow! The next morning we woke up and headed to New Mexico. That's where we are now. We did a show at the Victory outreach church. Bryan has known one of the pastors there for about 8 years. Its always nice seeing familiar faces! And everyone there is so hospitable, I know I say that about everyone we stay with, but we are  so fortunate to know so many genuine people through out the USA. People that support us, truly support us and understand what we are doing traveling as a family spreading the word of God. Most of you reading this are those people! :) Thank you!

   Today Bryan had to do some recording and the couple that owns the studio we really got along with. So me and Janette took the day to hang out, do some shopping and watch a movie! It was a fun day doing something out of the ordinary. Just a nice day to relax! There was a kitty at their house and Gabriella loved it! She would get her face a couple inches from the kitty's and talk to it! She told it all about Mickey Mouse and Paci's (Pacifiers). It was the cutest thing. She would not touch it though! I would try to get her to pet it and she would just point and say "kitty,kitty,kitty!" This is our last night here in New Mexico tomorrow we are attending the Victory Outreach Sunday morning service. Then heading to Levelland TEXAS!!! Where my moms side of the family lives. After my family moved from Texas to Oregon we would go down there every year for Christmas. But since i got married and moved out we have not been able to make it down to often. So I rarely get to see them all. They have never met Gabriella, so I am excited for them so see her in person! I am also going to see my uncle Michael. I have not seen him for about 8-10 years. He has been in jail for a long time. Mostly for drugs etc. He is a good man, and its unfortunate he had to go through what he did. But i continue to pray for him. Well, now he has cancer and is very sick, so I am not sure when the next time I will see him is. If ever. I am going to try to be a light in his life. He always was fun to play with during Christmas when i was a little girl. I would appreciate your prayers for him to!  And for other family members I have going through different issues. Hey, we can all use prayer right? Well I am going to sign off now! My grandparents do not have Internet and probably don't even know what it is hehe. So i am not going to be able to write for a couple days at least. The next time I will be writing is from Dallas Texas! Where some super close friends live! So we are anticipating that for sure!!! love all of you and be blessed!!!