When I was in highschool, everybody knew that I was the art guy, which was pretty cool considering I was something of a dork otherwise. So periodically, I would be approached by people for various art-related tasks. Stuff like doing tattoo designs (which I still really like doing), gifts, and some other stuff. One of my better projects was initiated by this cool black dude who I basically didn’t know at all, and who somehow appeared in the lunch room one day and asked me to do an album cover for a rap tape that him and his friends were going to put out. It was called Real Headz Productions, if I remember correctly. They didn’t actually have a copy of it for me to listen to, and if they had I wouldn’t have probably known any better, because I was completely without knowledge of hip-hop at the time. In any event, I was trying to get a handle on just what sort of shit they wanted, so I asked them what it was they were all about.

“Slaying other MC’s” was the answer that they gave me. Which, looking back, is a totally awesome answer to give. But at the time I basically just stared at him blankly until one of his friends said to him that I didn’t understand and then he said something else which I no longer remember. Anyway, I made a cool set of drawings for them, and they even paid me. I forget how much, but I had to ride my bike way down into the ghetto to get it. I remember there was an ice cream truck on his street that had bars over the window, which I was astounded by in my youthful ignorance.

In any event, I was talking to my friend John the other day about my writing and the direction of my creative work and everything. Always supportive, he told me that if I were a rapper, right now in my career would be the time where I would start to rap about how good I am, and how my “flow” is so unstoppable and things like that. Which makes total sense. Because I’ve gone ahead and laid a lot of groundwork, and now I’ve got something to stand on, and something to build upwards from.

I also realize that I’ve spent a lot of time “slaying other MC’s”, although it’s in the fields of religious, mythological and cultural study. I also now very much understand the purpose of that sort of thing. It’s got everything to do with making a name for yourself, and differentiating who you are from those who’ve come before. Plus it teaches you to look with a critical eye into the works of others, and into your own.

Hopefully Real Headz Productions would be proud of me.