UnLearn Is UnLearning The World

"I'm either losing my mind or finding my genius..."

In a climate clouded and darkened by artists and executives who focus more on quick commercial success than long term societal impact, UnLearn has been grinding to shine his light in the name of all things Hip Hop; the music, the culture and the movement. As an Emcee, Poet, Actor and Activist, this Washington Heights, New York native has garnered a reputation for his energy and keen ability to grab listener’s attention with charismatic delivery and soulfully inspired lyrical content. He appeals to old and new fans alike as a wordsmith of the people with a musical ministry, focused on creating "Ghetto Anthems” and “Corner Store Soul-Music”, in order to become one of the truer and more influential voices in Hip Hop. UnLearn takes the best from all dimensions of song writing in order to create his substantive, yet accessible brand of lyricism. In an age of economic, creative and moral decline, UnLearn partners his unique life story with history, politics and spirituality to provide social commentary and insight, as he explores the human condition of the inner city, articulating its sentiments while he chronicles the emotions, triumphs and tragedies that make up the Urban American experience.

In his formative High School years, in addition to the many talent shows, open mics and frequent appearances on Manhattan Public Access Hip Hop shows, UnLearn sat in studio sessions for artists like Fat Joe and the Late Big Pun and recorded songs with underground mainstays such as Jean Grae and Pumpkin Head. He began receiving serious notoriety when he was given the chance to join the 2003 Lyricist Lounge Club Series Tour, opening up for the group Boot Camp Click. Positive audience responses to his live show allowed him to extend his stint on the tour, continuing on the road for another two months, performing spot dates with acts like Young Bloodz, Dead Prez, Killa Mike, Killa Priest and Hip Hop Icon, Big Daddy Kane.

After moving to the Bay Area, California after being evicted from his New York apartment, UnLearn's new found sense of self and maturity would manifest itself in his 2005 release of “Confessions of A Dangerous Mind”, his first mix tape project released via the internet for free download, standing at the forefront of the digital music wave. With a majority of the production being provided by then up and coming producer Jake One, this would be the project that would come to define UnLearn’s sound; introspective lyrics with hard hitting drums over soulful horns, strings, pianos, guitars and vocal samples. All these musical elements would work together to relate tales of poverty, heartbreak, success, salvation and a man’s fight to maintain integrity in a society prone to corruption. The project was well received by a number of Hip Hop Web magazines and blogs, solidifying UnLearn’s presence on the internet. In addition to being a featured artist on a slew of Hip Hop web sites, he would later contribute to HipHopGame.com as an Essayist and Op-Ed writer, touching on social issues from a Hip Hop perspective. Since then, UnLearn has worked with a myriad of artists and producers from the Hip Hop world including names like Skyzoo, Sir Michael Rocks (The Cool Kids), Sha Stimuli, Domingo, Wordsmith and Donny Goines, gradually creating a space, all his own, within the independent marketplace.

In addition to his urban alternative news website and social network ItzAllAHustle.com and his weekly podcast audio blog, UnLearn has recently released the single and video for his song Hunger Games (Black Hoodie Rap) written and recorded at the height of the Travon Martin tradgey. “I wanted to go against the grain…” UnLearn recalls. “Everyone was saying ‘I Am Trayvon Martin’ and I was like, ‘I don’t want to be him.’, ‘I don’t want to be another young Black man dead in the streets’, we should be protecting ourselves and fighting back to maintain our right to life and freedom…” Hunger Games is the first single from UnLearn’s debut album, "The Wake Up Call", slated for a 2013 release.

UnLearn's music tells the story of a man seeking redemption; not just for himself, but for an oppressed community trapped in the sweet torture of chasing an elusive American Dream. He invites his listeners to awaken from this slumber and break the illusions, that they may define and seize their own destiny, apart from the glitz, glamor and bright lights that have blinded and tarnished the souls of a whole generation. As the culture of Hip Hop is increasingly co-opted by corporate interests, causing the voice of the people to be silenced, UnLearn's message is a deafening scream; a reverberating voice of reason in an irrational world, speaking Truth to power and speaking Truth to stupid. As a man, UnLearn’s "more than music" approach strives to add something new to the collective consciousness and internal dialogue of Hip Hop culture and urban communities at large. Unlike most up and coming artists, looking to be Hip Hop's next "King" or "Boss", UnLearn seeks to carve out a unique niche for himself as Hip Hop's next great Thinker; a brand that is an amalgam of the spirit and dreams of leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and the passion, street savvy and artistic genius of Tupac, Nas and KRS-One. UnLearn allows us into his world to bear witness to his struggles and transformation, with the hopes that we are inspired, encouraged and empowered to pursue greatness and to find our own genius.
“Let the UnLearning begin…”