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The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 7: I discovered www.irishhiphop.com and began to familiarize myself with the artists and the history of Ireland's Hiphop movement. I also looked to see where KRS-ONE was with his movement. I began writing lyrics again but I had no instrumentals to work with so I started using some "Sade" CDs that I had to practice with. I also had no place to record and knew nothing about the Italian Hiphop scene. That's when I discovered www.soundclick.com and began to download instrumentals which I could then burn onto CDs to take home and practice with. Just as my Civil Service was coming to an end, I began to reach out to Irish Rappers and Producers to get a better connection to the Irish Hiphop community.

The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 6: Oddly enough, through all this drama, I had Hiphop on my mind. In fact, it was the only thing that helped me keep a sense of calm. I walked around the city until I found Graffiti Art on the walls. I stood there staring at these walls because it gave me a sense that I was not so far away from home. I needed to believe that things weren’t as different as I had feared they would be. I needed to feel a sense that where I was, wasn’t all that far from where I’ve come from. “Never forget where you come from” has always been a powerful lesson for the Hiphop Generation. I followed the Graffiti back to the train station and sat down on a bench and watched as the tagged-up train cars rolled in and out

The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 5: At this point I was shifting myself away from a religious consciousness and more towards a spiritual consciousness. I was tired of all the dogma that I had come into contact with through all of the movements that tried to provide the final answers and ultimate truths to life. I was still a “Latin King” and I defended them in a legal case against the New Jersey Department of Correction’s mistreatment of them, but my mind was moving away from that dogma as well. I wanted to be more of a humanist: a member of the human family who wished to look out for the interests of humanity; as opposed to a member of a more confined group of humans who looked out for the interests of that group.

In Septe...

The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 4: To my great fortune, and this is another one of those mysteries of the how the Universe functions, I befriended a “Five Percenter” by the name of… you ready for this… “Knowledge Born!” He explained to me that the Lessons that I had, I should have never been given, but that nevertheless, they were child’s play as far as he was concerned. This was a very intelligent Brother and he shared with me a world of wisdom that altered once again my perception of not only American culture, but also life itself. He taught me that everything was questionable, even the “Five Percenters!” In essence, he taught me to think for myself and to question everything until I found my own truth that would allow me t

The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 3: Because we were not permitted to have radios, nor were there any music videos on TV, I and other prisoners began Beatboxin and Emceein. During this time, Johnnie and I developed our own style of Beatboxin that we called "The Funkbox," which required using only the throat for the kicks and bass-line and the mouth for snares, high-hats or non-bass melodies. This allowed for the recreating of the more funky sounds of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s Hiphop. Although Funkboxin is not as effective as Beatboxin in projecting a beat over a longer distance or through a noisy environment, like the streets, it was more effective in emulating the sounds of the newer drum machines, like the “TR 808”, becaus

The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 2: It was one of those moments in life that would forever transform my perception; the Universe simply put the lessons in play for me. I never knew the names of those Brothers and never saw them again after that. But they told me clearly that I am the Sole Controller of my Universe and that I should cease searching for that Mystery God in the Sky and recognize that the Original Man is the True and Living God. These were powerful gems for a 16 year old Sicilian young-buck from "Small Town, USA."

This encounter turned my sight towards Islam and kept me attuned to conscious rap, which was very widespread at that time. Boogie Down Productions, Lakim Shabazz, Rakim Allah, Ultramagnetic MCs, NWA, ...

The Evolution of Kounter Kulture Part 1: In the world of Irish Hip Hop, I am known as Kounter Kounter.

Hiphop has been a part of my life since around the age of four when I first landed in New York with my family in 1976. I didn’t grow up in New York but the starting point of it all and the energy of it all began there, in the Bronx. It was in New Jersey, a.k.a. New Jerusalem, that the Elements of Hiphop began to enter my conscious life. From the Street Language that I learned from my contemporaries - who were a multiethnic mix of Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, Italians, Boricuas, Irish, Mulattos, Cubans, etc. - to the mimicking of the dance moves that I would watch on “Soul Train” or “What’s Happening” and of course the Kung Fu flic...