C.X. aka Cisco X, Producer/Beat Master extraordinaire, state's that I trace my musical ancestry back to the days when my mother and father would have family gatherings at home.Me and my older brothers would pull out guitars and microphones and have a musical session with the entire family. These humble beginnings were the start of my infamous ear for music and sound variation. While getting into the music production side of the business, I've been in the underground game since Rick Rubin and I graduated from high school. (can u guess who he is and what he did)...I'll continue, I started out as a well known local D.J. and began producing hip hop (sampling) with just one Technics SL1200 Turntable, a Tascam Porta One 4TRK Cassette Mixer and a Roland S10 Digital Sampling Keyboard. I became very creative by not making the samples obvious to recognize which then gave me the ability to become even more creative by producing original music (to avoid the copyright clearences). I soon began to understand what it takes to know the music buisiness. During that time, Rick Rubin graduated from N.Y.U. and started Party Time Records. He approached me one hot summer afternoon with a cassette tape in his hand saying, yo, I want you to hear this track that I'm putting out. We sat in his M.G. sportscar, put the cassette tape in and the track played...... The song was called "It's Your's". T-La Rock was the M.C and Jazzy Jay did the scratchin. (and if you were around during that time, you know what I'm talkin about). The rest, you know, blew up in our faces and from there another page in hip hop history was added. Rick Rubin also became a major contributor to hip hop history. After listening to the track Rick then asked, do you know of any rappers that would be willing to rap on some beats that I've created. My mind was transforming because during that time, I was down with a group of comrades that had skill's but there was one setback, I joined the U.S. Army National Guard and was prepared to leave for basic training that summer. So what I did was have Rick take me through our hood (even though Rick lived on the outskirts of it) to look for my comrades so thing's could jump off. No connection was made that day but a number was given to Rick so that the connection could be made later. While serving my time in the guard, 31M Multichannel Communications Equipment Operator in(Electronics), I found out that the connection was made. There were limo pickup's to the Roxy, The Latin Quarter and Danceteria, and all in NYC, those were some of the main spot's then, my comrades were really plugged in and I was comming home soon but for some reason, thing's did not jump off as planned.... I eventually received my honorable discharge from the military, caught up with Rick and found out that thing's did not work out due to ego's and people not willing to follow through. I also heard a few untold reason's from a few comrades about why thing's did'nt jump off and at that time decided to re-invent myself. Rick eventually kept it movin and called on Russell simmons (his partner at the time) to give auditions in Russells City College dorm room while still having access there. They then met Queen's native, L.L. Cool J. who performed in the door room ("Can't Live Without My Radio") and set off a firestorm of entertainment for the hip hop world to hear. Eventually, Party Time Record's was changed to Def Jam Recording's with the help of Russell Simmons and the rest is hip hop history. (check out the movie Crush Groove on DVD). My comrades and I eventually departed continuing to pursue our goal's and with me not really having any recording equipment, I decided to focus on building my own recording studio. I soon started ("The Link's That Form The Chain") Blackchain Production's.Trial's and tribulation's approached again when hypertension (high blood pressure) set into my life and shut both of my kidney's down. I was introduced to Dialysis (artificial kidney, blood purifying machine) three day's a week, four hour's each time from 1994 to 1997 and eventually received my first donated kidney from a family member. While being out of commission from continuing to pursue my music carrer, I strived to get better at making a way to deal with my health but caught an upper respiratory infection damaging the donated kidney. I soon signed onto a kidney transplant list to get a second kidney and was blessed to get it in 2000, causing me not to lose my brothers kidney. In 2005 my family suffered a house fire that took everything material but was able to rebuild a new beginning. Since then, I've been even more thankful than ever because I am still here to talk about it and now, have been given, once again, another opportunity to transform myself into this human productive music makin machine. My trial's and tribulation's have structured me to stay focused on (1. HEALTH) (2. LOVE) (3. SOLID FOUNDATION) (4. FAMILY STRUCTURE) AND (5. A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHATS GOING ON AROUND ME because without it, there will be no real success stories. "BEAT'S 4 YOUR RHYME'S BY DESIGN". CISCO-X, BLACKCHAIN PRODUCTIONS.
