"...Sometimes I feel like my flesh
Is now speaking to my soul
I understand my purpose
And as long as the earth twist
I'm here to tell the truth
Until I'm underneath the surface
On whatever medium
The antithesis of skinny jeans and shirts that's smedium
Awon bout as real as they come..."
Wooo, catch that 21st Century sample of "Remember The Rain;" it's nicely flipped by Phoniks, and featured on Awon's "Matte Black Soul" LP. Lord knows ... I been old, lol, so I know it's not uncommon to feel like our best days are behind us. Yet, Awon was something of a seasoned vet even before his name caught on, now making waves in the underground bringing maturity, messages with purpose, and lots of soul & jazzy hip-hop with his projects. The blueprint over at Don't Sleep Records is not new, it's just too many artists got jaded or abused by time and veered off course - Phoniks and Awon, however, keep the focus on the music, complementing it with strong visuals, products and packaging + they get themselves overseas where the love is. The industry might be slow to catch on: doing it the right way does work! But then, you can't copy authenticity. (Updated).