IVTHEGREATEST

I AM INCARCERATED IN WASHINGTON STATE. SINCE I CAN'T ACCESS THE COMPUTER WHILE I AM ON THE INSIDE, I HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS HELPING ME. TO GET IN CONTACT WITH ME DIRECTLY YOU CAN SEND ME A LETTER AT: (FIRST LINE) Albert P. Jaquez , DOC NUMBER 821137 (NEXT LINE) S.C.C.C. 191 Constantine Way (NEXT LINE) Aberdeen Wa. 98520 (NEXT LINE) H5-A-81L
My History with MusicMy whole life I have been influenced by music. Whether it was watching my father slap the strings on his bass or just listening to my mother sing softly along with Sade as she prepared herself for work.By the time I was 9, hip hop was spreading across the nation like an epidemic. Run DMC were stomping in their shell-toe Adidas, while LL Cool J was the baddest MC alive. Everywhere you turned, you could see hip hop’s influence.Growing up in East Oakland, I, as well as many others, were exposed to the shadier side of life: pimping, ho’ing, drug dealing, robbing and murderings. That was everyday life. So it was no wonder why the whole East-side of Oakland went crazy when a local boy by the name of Too Short came out rapping about that hood shit. I , for one, soaked it up! That was the first spark. I knew I wanted to rap. I just didn’t know how. So for the time being, I was content with listening and learning.The following year of ’89, I was packed up and sent on an airplane to Seattle, Washington. I was to be reunited with my mother. (That is a story for another time.) Although I was leaving my friends, family and home, I was excited nonetheless. It took several months of getting situated in Seattle for my heart to turn once more to music.By the age of 12, I was writing songs and performing them for my friends. At that time, Gangsta Rap had a choke-hold on the game. It was songs from groups like N.W.A., Spice 1 and Ice Cube that really influenced me at that time.For a little over a year, I continued writing; but with no real determination. For me, it was only a hobby. By the age of 13, I quit altogether. It took me almost a year to pick up a pen and write, again. I remember that day . . . like it was yesterday. It was the same day I bought my first tape cassette with my own money. This tape, forever, changed me as an artist. It was the single, “Keep Ya Head UP” by Tupac. It was solidified for me! I was never giving up, again.Day in and day out I conditioned my craft. My free-style game was heavy. I started making a name for myself. Although I was consistently writing, I never actually considered laying any of my songs down on wax. For me it was all love. It wasn’t until the summer of 94 ‘til all that changed. By this time, me and three other friends started a crew called the 4oldias (four soldiers). All of us rapped; but only two of us really took it seriously. Me and my partner in crime, Andrew aka “Danky Drew,” at that time. Anyhow, the four of us were rollin’ around doing what teenagers do, when my 4oldia, Shorty, popped in this tape of a local artist by the name of Loco-Nutt. It was his newest demo track, “PointSide Thang.” We must have listened to that shit for an hour, high as fuck on stuck mode! I just kept thinking, to myself: “I know this cat! I see him all the time!” I figured if he could do it, then so could we! Drew felt the same way; so from that night forth, we were focused on hitting the studio.For the next year, Drew and I fed off one another, as we grew, equally, in talent. We were two peas-in-a-pod. Something like conjoined twins, inseparable from the hips. He was my closest roll dog and still is, to this day.It was six months later, and were still grinding. Drew and I continued looking for our break, while rapping to anyone, who would listen. Well, one day, somebody at school told us about a talent show between all the school districts. The winners would get a free demo, with a local producer by the name of Coconutt. So, needless to say, we entered the contest. Over the next few weeks, we composed a couple of songs using instrumental CD’s. Although the beats were stolen, the material made up for it.It came down to the week of the contest, when out of nowhere administration pulls us up and asked us what we have done. Hell! At that point, it could of meant a number of things; so I was scared shitless! Well, they went on to explain that they had, initially, started off with over 15 acts; but since the day we signed up, kids were dropping like flies! I guess the word spread that were in it and kids started jumping ship, like the Titanic! That’s when I realized just how much of a name we were making for ourselves. Well, the night of the event came and we won by default – (no challengers!); so it was pretty much our first show!The following week, we went to see this producer, Coconutt. We gave him a display and he liked us. Although the contest promised the winners a demo at a real studio, the reality was much different. Coconutt had a 4-track tape player and a couple of stage mikes. It was no Hit Factory,; but (fuck it!) it was a start! Plus, Coconutt had some really hot tracks. Life is funny like that, sometimes; because although we didn’t get into a ‘real’ studio that day, it wasn’t far until I got my first taste of the “big time.”It was my good friend, Andre’, to whom I could thank for that. It all happened so quickly. One minute, I’m watching tv with my girl; the next moment Andre’s asking me if I’m ready. Now, you know your boy was nervous; but that wouldn’t hold me down. Unfortunately, Drew was nowhere to be found and opportunity was pounding; so I was left to tackle it alone. Andre and I rolled out to the southend. When we got to the studio, there was a producer by the name of D.J. OZ Rock there playing the track. That shit was fire. He was playing it for another artist by the name of Ronue. It was his studio time and he asked me to be a part of his song, called “Banji Boy.” I was honored and I didn’t want to let anyone down, so I wrote my verse (in 20 minutes) and put it down, like I had been doing it all my life. It was - on – from there.Drew and I started hitting the booth with Coconutt. He had been getting studio time down in Tacoma, and would bless us with a couple tracks every-so-often. Although it was great experience; it just wasn’t enough to satisfy my hunger. Drew and I both felt as if we were being neglected. You know, when you’re young, you could be very impatient. Needless to say, I wasn’t as understanding of things, as I am now. But, everything happens . . . for a reason. If it were not for my lack of patience, I might not have decided to produce my own music. You see, I figured: “why should I sit around and wait for another man to make us some beats, when I could just learn to do it, myself?” No disrespect to Coconut; because he taught me so much, even when he didn’t know he was teaching. I owe a lot to that man; but my ambition was too big. And, it was that same ambition that, eventually, let me into buying my own equipment to record songs out of my own basement.It took a whole hell of a lot of hustling from ’98 to ’99 to finally achieve the initial goal of building a studio. While I was hustling, trying to get my paper up; I was going down to the guitar center and playing with their floor model Trinity. Well, I finally got enough money to buy the necessary equipment. The problem was I wasneck deep in the game, with my priorities ass-backwards! Once again, music became a hobby, secondary o the streets. While most cats were rapping about a fantasy life of guns and drugs and robbing; we were living it. We would do shit and it would just give us more to rap about. Now, please don’t get it misconstrued: in no way, shape or form am I proud of the things I’ve done; but I am grateful for it because my mistakes are what made me who I am today.Now, in understanding just a fraction of what my life was like then, it should be no shock or surprise for you to learn that in May of 2000, I was charged with Murder in the first degree. And, later that year, I was convicted of Murder in the 2nd degree; and sentenced to 183 months in prison. Now, because it is about the music, the details of my crime are unnecessary.For the first couple of months in county, I would write poems to help me through the days. I was still holding onto Hope. Well, neeedless to say, when convicted, I was destroyed. Facing 15 years in prison, all hopes of being a successful artist . . . vanished. I spent my first 2 years in prison with that same attitude. I was sent to an institution with no music program and the only instruments we were allowed to buy had a price limit of $300.00. Although I harbored no real dreams of getting out of prison and blowing up; I still continued writing. I wrote some of my best songs in this period. They were all so raw and emotional. For me, it seemed during these long 2 years, my soul cried a hundred times over; and I alone had shed the tears of a thousand men. This was my defining moment. I hit rock bottom! I only had 2 options left: Stand Up or Stay Down. I’m sure you could guess what I chose.Now, although I hadn’t produced a beat, since early 2000; and make no mistake – I didn’t know what the hell I was doing back then; I was still determined to produce, again. Good lyrics are nothing without a good beat. Now, because I do believe: If you want something bad enough; then you have to go out there and get it! I went out there and got it. It being a Yamana QY 100, a small sequencer that most producers wouldn’t give a second look.So, for the next year, I focused on composing songs, putting them on tape, and sending them home. The quality was below average; but I was content for the time being. I continued learning the mathematics of music. I studied my scales and chords and more and more music began making sense. Everything started falling in place. Other music equipment came my way (nothing worth mentioning); but for a man used to having worms for dinner would feel awfully blessed to have just one slice of bread. Now, not to get off the subject, but I feel as if some of you may have been mislead, unintentionally; so allow me to set the record straight: No, I have never owned nor used an MPC on any of my songs. No, I don’t have any access to computers; a word processer is as good as it gets. So, that means no Fruity Loops. No Pro-Tools. No Reasons. No – none of that. Everhting is done as gutter as possible. I work with what I’m given.So, as I was saying: things just fell into place music wise. It was to the point of forcing my hand business wise. You see, I had a lot of talent; but a business was a foreign world to me. So, I decided to take the same approach that I took for making music: Learn, Learn, Learn!It is now 2007, and for the past 3 years, I have been learning about business. Most recently, learning how to conduct business as a corporation. I have always been the type of person to want to know how things work,. By all means, I don’t claim to know everything about the music industry; but I do know I will continue studying vigorously, every day; and given my current circumstances, time won’t be an issue.My goal, for now, is to simply put as many people in the know, as possible. I want them to know of the talented artists, as well as staff involved, in creating the unique sound of RBB Entertainment. I want the people to know of the many talented men and women there are currently incarcerated across the nation. We are not all bad people. Many of us made mistakes – just like you; and it is my belief that we deserve the chance to be heard like any one else. It is also my belief that our mistakes and our struggles may help give some people inspiration in their lives. If we could go from convicted drug dealers, robbers and murders to respected producers, song writers and legitimate business men; then why can’t you? The artists under RBB Entertainment -- all have incredible stories to tell. Thank you for your time.CEO and Founder of Reign by Blood Incorporated.
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