“As with all of my albums, this project follows my protocol of being conceptual. The idea of “Views of a Lifetime” was stems from continuing the journey of my last album “Keep Me Company”. That album spoken deeply about growth, and this project deals with looking back on “what was”, after you’ve settled into this new world of said growth.”
“Looking at the life you lived as you go into the life you are now living, the views of that lifetime are now front and center, and you are dealing with reflecting on what was worth it and what wasn’t. All of the goals and dreams and ideas that you may have had in your beginning stages are now coming full circle, or not. Recognizing the growth that you have now become comfortable with, your view of your previous life has changed, and you can reflect on It and realize how you got to where you are. Hence the title, “Views of a Lifetime.”
The lead single, “Sky is Like”, is a modern take on the classic “Nas is Like” by the iconic team of Nas and DJ Premier. As someone who was in high school when that song first dropped, I lived the momentum of that record firsthand. Years later, I came up with the idea of making my own version of the classic, spinning it in my own way, and without speaking about Nas at all on the record, still using it to serve as in homage to Nas and Preemo of sorts just off of the love that I, like everyone else in hip-hop, has for that song. “Sky is Like” is me bringing my own lyrical barrage front and center the way I idolized Nas doing on the OG version in 1999. Production wise, I called my friend and frequent collaborator DJ Manipulator who is an avid Preemo fan and explained the idea to him. I knew he was the perfect person to handle the musical landscape of such an iconic record. The main thing that I wanted to do with the song was not sample Nas is Like or make the beat the same as Nas and Preemo did. I wanted this to be an original beat with of course my own original penmanship, while using the Nas is Like scheme and changing it to Sky is like as a spring board for my lyrical schemes. Honoring our legends while incorporating our own originality is the best way to keep the sport and culture of it all alive.
Tracklist:
1) Tags at the MoMA (Prod. By Camoflauge Monk)
2) Pardon Me (Prod. By Tuamie)
3) The Wager (Prod. By Cartune Beatz)
4) Sky Is Like (Prod. By DJ Manipulator)
5) Devotion (Prod. By Conductor Williams)
6) Love Day (Prod. By Thelonious Martin)
7) Hope and Pray (Prod. By DJ Manipulator)
8) The Soloist (Prod. By The Other Guys)
9) Half Bloom (Prod. By Leo Confident)
Executive Producers: Miles Taylor, Skyler Taylor, Joseph Myles III
Photographer: Kick James TSC
Mixed & Master by: Brian Kidd
