Newsletter No. 1
Who am I? What brings me Joy? When did I fall in love with Music?
Who am I?
I am originally from St. Louis, MO, but am currently residing in the DMV metropolitan area.
I relocated unofficially upon my acceptance to College in 2005, but officially relocated upon graduation, signing my first lease to my apartment in Maryland and deciding never to return to the Midwest.
I now practice medicine full-time and write creatively in my spare time.Â
This Blog was started as a passion project, but it has quickly become the healthiest form of escapism I’ve ever had since going Sober from Alcohol in August of 2022.
The courage was conjured up to start this Blog only 2 months prior, after almost 1 year and 2 months into my Sobriety.Â
Once upon a time, Alcohol was my escapism of choice, to my detriment. However, combining 2 of my undernourished passions (writing and music) has replaced that and I couldn't be more proud of that decision and less toxic outlet.
What brings me Joy?
In addition to music, I also enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, working out, traveling, spending time alone, and spending quality time with my Wife.
My favorite books I read this year includeÂ
Think Like a Monk By Jay Shetty
Rest is Resistance By Tricia Hersey
The Black Girls Guide to Financial Freedom By Paris Woods
Adversity For Sale By Jay ‘Jeezy’ Jenkins
Atomic Habits By James Clear
My favorite podcasts that I listen to regularly include but are not limited to
Rap Radar (No surprise lol)
Drink Champs (yes, I still watch, despite being Sober, because fortunately watching people drink does not trigger me at all)
Brown Girl Self-Care
Therapy For Black Girls
The Minimalists PodcastÂ
Buddhability
I work out at least 5 days a week, with 2 of those workouts being outdoor cardio regardless of the weather, because that's what Hats and Gloves are for and the Sun and Natural Air bring me an immense amount of peace.Â
Regarding my Wanderlust spirit, my wife and I travel at least 2-3x a year to new countries. Our most recent trip was to Barcelona, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal in August of 2023, to celebrate my Wife's 30th birthday. The trip before that in March of 2023 was to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
When did I fall in love with music?
Music was an ever-present influence in my childhood.
From listening to Anita Baker, Whitney, Aretha, and En Vogue while cleaning the house with my Mother on the weekends to later, becoming a trained musician in my middle school, high school, and college marching bands. I began my musical journey playing the Flute in middle school and then crossed over to Alto Saxophone in High school and continued in College. Of note, I was the first Black First Chair Saxophone (Junior year)and I was the first Black Drum Major (Senior Year) at my High School. Even with all I have accomplished since then, these two achievements are still 2 of the most memorable.
I have passively and actively been invested for as long as I can remember, and the interest and investment have only grown in adulthood.
My favorite Urban Music Artists of all time include Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, and Toni Braxton. I list these as my favorite artists because these artists taught me everything I knew about like, love, lust, and intimate partnership before ever entering into one for the first time in College. For this reason, I credit my hopeless romantic perspective on life and determination to find a life partner at a young age, to them. My favorite Non-genre-specific Urban Music Artist of my generation is Beyonce, but my favorite Hip-Hop Artists are Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar, and Young MA.
Although my primary love is for Urban Music (hence the name of this Blog, lol), I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I am a long-time fan of Pop and Country Music also. The 2nd and 3rd CDs my mother bought me were Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, which explains fully how I grew into a closeted Taylor Swift Stan lol.
But in my defense, her songwriting skills are unmatched and she is an emotionally unhinged and charged Sagittarius like myself.Â
Interestingly enough, in hindsight, I am realizing while writing that there was never a time in my childhood, adolescence, or adulthood when I did not take music seriously. Music is as serious of a matter to me, as Medicine and my Marriage, which reflects the magnitude of its priority and impact in my life.
When did I fall in love with Hip Hop? *Cues the Classic Film, Brown Sugar*
I vividly remember one of my first Christmas gifts as a child being a grey boombox with a combination CD and cassette player.
The first cassette tape my mother purchased me with that Boombox was TLC's Crazy Sexy Cool, but the first Rap CD (a single because those were still being sold at the time lol) she allowed me to buy was an edited version of Bone Thugs-N- Harmony, ‘Tha Crossroads’, from their debut album, E. 1999 Eternal. She didn't buy the entire album for me because she was unsure of the quality of the comprehensive content, and I'm sure the only reason she bought this particular single was that, Tha Crossroads, had a spiritual undertone to the chorus lyrics, ‘And we pray and we pray and we prayyyyyy, everyday, everyday everydayyyyyy.’
Nonetheless, I learned every single word to that rap song, the first day she gifted it to me. I was 8 years old at the time, but those lyrics resonated deeply in my spirit and I found myself often rapping lyrics to myself, during times of uncertainty, fear, love, and joy. This song was my first introduction to the healing power music possesses and the many ways, I could utilize it to calm and invigorate me.Â
The accessibility and affirming aspects of music are what make it most appealing to me. Unlike other forms of therapy, it is available to all listeners regardless of location, socioeconomic status, or insurance coverage. Additionally, it affirms all emotions, not just the positive ones, empowering everyone no matter what they are going through. I have felt just as affirmed in my anger as I have in my peace, and just as affirmed in my despair as I have in my joy.
In this way, music has allowed me to feel fully seen.
What can you expect from UME in 2024?
I began this blog intending to review urban music albums weekly upon new release Fridays.
I since have decided to review concerts and films with urban music artists featured intermittently. Along with Artist think pieces and quarterly newsletters, to allow subscribers an opportunity to get to know me personally.
To all the current subscribers, who have been supporting me in the brick-laying phases of this blog, thank you and I look forward to sharing more with you all soon.
Easy Listening, The Urban Music Enthusiast