"In 1997, I put out Lacksi-Daisy-Cal’s “In My Sleep…” cassette. I first met Lacksi-Daisy-Cal (a.k.a. Lacks a.k.a. Ta’Raach) around 1996-1997 at the Impact 89FM college radio station in East Lansing. He was living in East Lansing at the time and would always hang out at the station on Saturday nights during the Cultural Vibe radio show.... Early in 1997, in one of the smaller side studios at the Impact 89FM radio station, Ta’Raach (a.k.a. Lacks) played me a tape of some songs that he had been working on. Needless to say, the stuff blew me away! (These songs would later appear on the “In My Sleep…” tape). It was the best Rap music from Michigan that I had heard in a very long time, but there was one big problem: Ta’Raach didn’t have any plans or motivation to do anything with the songs. Needless to say, it was mind bottling to me how anyone with songs this good could just sit on them and do nothing with them!?! I felt that other people needed to hear his music! So I asked if I could do something with his music. Maybe try and put out a tape for him? Help to get his name out there? Let his music be heard? I told him of the relative success that I’ve had selling my own mixtapes in local record stores (throughout Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Lansing), as well as online through a smaller “Underground Rap” distributor that used to be out in the Bay Area.... I sold the “In My Sleep…” tapes on consignment to local records stores and through ATAK distribution. I told Ta’Raach up front that I wouldn’t be able to pay him anything… that this was just a promotional gig for me. I wasn’t in it to make money (in fact, I barely broke even!).... Like all of my mixtapes, this was a DIY/homemade project. I bought all of the blank cassettes, cassette cover stickers, cassette J-card inserts, plastic cases, etc. I printed off all of the covers on my old printer, made all of the copies on my beat up cassette deck, and assembled the “finished products” all by myself. I told Ta’Raach that I was charging people money for the tapes, but only enough to cover my cost. He seemed OK with it. I think that he was just happy to have someone out there promoting him (as insignificant as my efforts actually were)! The good news about all of this was that a few years later, after continuing to make moves, Ta’Raach eventually got signed to a legitimate label… one with real power in the music industry, and a reach that extended all over the world…." - via Phizyx, read his blog for lots more info. By now, you know who Ta'Raach is, I'm sure, but this ended a quest for information after Elzhi shouted out Lacksi-Daisy-Cal on his Out of Focus EP. They'd do work, along with Hodge Podge, who was also shouted out by Elzhi and now goes by Big Tone, as well as Dwele, as the group The Breakfast Club. Free downloads: In My Sleep and Hodge Podge's Earcandy.
