Black Confessions Background
I almost died. Seriously.

In the song "Black Confessions," I wrote about a life-changing event that left me bedridden and almost ended my career and life. In 2013, I suffered an injury in my abdomen that changed everything. An injury that left me unable to speak or rap for almost two years. 

One day while recording, I felt a snap in my abdominal area. I went to sleep for the night and when I arose, it was difficult to keep my balance. Feeling exhausted, I sat on the living room floor.  I eventually laid down and lost consciousness; my brother called 9-1-1 for help. I was completely disoriented by strangers waking me up and questioning me. I realized that they were first responders as they rushed me to the ambulance. They were frantically trying to find a pulse, but they couldn’t. The paramedic yelled to me, "hold on!" as he finally stabilized my condition. After a brief visit to the hospital, they sent me home still feeling like shit. 

The injury remains a mystery to doctors. It was tough to breathe and even whispering was strenuous before I had to rest for the day. My ability to walk was also affected since standing for more than a few minutes made me feel like I would faint. I couldn't eat solid foods without having severe stomach pains causing me to lose over 30 pounds. I started drinking meal replacement shakes to get the nutrients I needed. My mother helped me throughout the healing process; she taught me about deep-focus meditation. Through daily introspective states of mind, I kept a positive outlook on the road to recovery. 

Even though I was injured, I never gave up my passion for making music. I vowed that one day I’d be able to rap again. I would put my headphones on and write in a notebook that I had next to my bed. I scribbled out tons of songs during my recovery period. But, I knew that I would have to take baby steps to become healthy enough to record and perform. 

When I mustered up the strength, I would support my artist friends at their shows and events. I would always keep a wall or chair nearby because standing for long periods was still challenging. Everything that I did at the events was kept to a minimum to conserve energy. I became tremendously skilled at hiding the pain that I'd experience during these outings. I would try my best to seem normal even though I was in excruciating pain; it went undetected by the people I would interact with. Sometimes my health would crash after the events, sending me back to the hospital. Regardless, it was encouraging to see fellow artists doing what they loved. Whenever people would ask me why I didn't go on stage to perform it was bittersweet, but it was all in due time. 

In 2015, I finally had the courage and strength to get on stage once more. The showcase was called "Prolific Goodz" by Queen V. Despite needing more work performing, I was incredibly proud of myself for taking the leap of faith. I'll never forget the day of the showcase because I finally broke out of the cycle of misfortune. Since then, I have been on television sets, stages all around Chicago and Los Angeles, and even personal gigs.

This life changing event drives me forward, appreciative of my gift. I know now not to take my talent for granted because it can easily be taken away from me at any time. Thank you to my family, friends, collaborators, and supporters for helping me persevere through one of the darkest times in my life! 

Now... I'm All About Action!