"Hip-Hop started out in the heart" -Lauryn Hill-

As a youngin, I grew up in the hood, branching out in Hyde Park and Mattapan, Boston Ma. Born into a Christian based household that wasn't big on hip hop, my parents thought She was too raw and vulgar, but at the time they had no idea what it truly was. I remember my first experience was listening to my older brother playing Tupac Shakur's "Ambitionz Az A Ridah" or The Fugees' "Ready or Not." At the time, I didn't realize the immediate impact that hip hop would have on me at a young age. It dictated the way I talked, the way I dressed, the bounce in my step, and my train of thought. I became Hip hop, hip hop became me. I constructed my own nickname from Jay-z’s “H to the Izzo.” I took the word “shizzle” dropped the “le” and gave birth to the name Shizz. I always thought differently than my peers, so when the Fugees broke up I followed Lauryn, and her style of music. She introduced me to MC's like Mos Def, Common Sense, Talib, The Roots, Jay z, Nas... And it’s been history ever since. When I had a bad day, I could always put on some Erykah or Mos Def to make shit better. Having my heart broken hip hop, she picked the pieces up and made me whole. When I felt misunderstood I could always run to hip-hop because I knew someone would understand me. The beats and rhythms, lyrics, and stories I feel myself within it. I recall making beats on pots and pans pretending I was a producer imitating the rhythm to my favorite songs. I’ve been hip hop long before I came to terms with Her. Hip hop is a way of life. Hip Hop breeds life. Hip hop and I, will forever be...

“Hip Hop is prosecution evidence
The out of court settlement
Ad space for liquor
Sick without benefits
Luxury tenements choking the skyline
It's low life getting tree-top high
It is a back water remedy
Bitter and tender memory
A class E felony
Facing the death penalty
Stimulant and sedative, original repetitive
Violently competitive, a school unaccredited
The break beats you get broken with
on time and inappropriate
Hip Hop went from selling crack to smoking it
Medicine for loneliness”

-Mos Def-