Bleeding Joy: The Narrative
The Split I walked out of one session with 22 tracks. Half went to So I Thank You and the other half became Bleeding Joy. They are cousins, born from the same air. The name is the contradiction: you're cut open, you're bleeding, but there’s a joy in the fact that you can still feel enough to write.
The Grind "One Step a Day" is my reminder to anyone trying to build something. Take one step and they can’t take your dreams. I’m in the booth rapping my ass off whether the world claps or stays silent. The strength is in the doing, not the recognition.
The Melancholy The interludes "Fools & Madmen" and "Coin" are from The Mentalist. I hate when a good show ends; it leaves a specific type of hole in the room. I took the clips that made me feel that exact weight.
The Cut "If Only for the Law" was supposed to be a heavy rap moment, but Riz only kept one verse. He thought it was too crass. It’s a record about abuse, and the truth of it was just too hurt for him to let it run long.
The Tribute "Plato" is for Dana Plato. I sampled her final interview with Howard Stern. If you listen close, you’ll hear how her depression and my own low moments start to look like the same thing. It’s a sad record, but I love it.
The Foundation "Fall 810" is probably one of the best things I’ve ever penned. It’s about my faith and trying to find where I stand in this world. I was watching a documentary, the background music hit me, and I just started freestyling until it became a song. It’s heavy. It’s me.