Downtown Brooklyn

I grew up in Downtown Brooklyn — a place that truly felt like a melting pot. Cultures, languages, foods, and music from every corner of the world lived side by side. That environment shaped how I saw people, how I connected, and how deeply I appreciated the beauty each culture adds to the world.

It’s hard not to notice how differently things feel today. Without variety, the world loses its color. Just think about children: put kids from any background together, and they’ll show you how naturally humans can connect before the world teaches them otherwise. There’s a lesson in that.

Sometimes I look around and wonder how we arrived at so much chaos, division, and noise. But if you pause and really look, you start to see patterns… and maybe even the pieces that have been lost along the way.

My love for music was born from that rich mix of cultures — I blended the sounds I heard from everywhere because that’s what felt natural. But not everyone understood it. Some people have palettes, or perspectives, too limited to see the bigger picture.

I’ve always seen the world like a painter. Basquiat once got asked, “Are you a Black painter?” He said, “No — I use every color.” That’s the spirit I grew up with. That’s the spirit the world could use a little more of today