On this day, 20 summers ago, my crew Athletic Mic League released our very first debut album, Sweats & Kicks. With this album, we were determined to make our mark in this rap game. We learned alot putting this together…

"Can you hear me?
Are you listening?
I am the voice
who fought silence
to make statements
a minority
That's how you rate greatness?
light-skin but still
looked at
as the strange tint
reminiscent of 
rapes, trades, ships…

" Eyes closed
closed in on
a legendary road
revolved around the most
legible prose
several pros
have made the grade
many retired
still never known
for how they played
whether home
or away
behold the day
ya'll see the…

An O'Jays song came on the radio the other today..

Then I had to listen to 50 cent's "Ski Mask Way" joint after that.

My mans Disco D produced that joint. Many folks probably wouldn't have known that because Disco…

"Black boy
black boy
turn that s#!t down 
you know that America don't wanna hear the sound 
of the subwoof
tweeters and amplifiers crying freedom 
trying to make me turn down
the volume when I see'em
thinking that they confining…