Every genre has it’s moment and I feel fortunate that I was at the right place at the right time – or more accurately, the right neighborhood with the right friends – during the golden age rap.

“Rap music” was my first introduction to music. It was my doorway to rock, blues and punk, and of course, it ultimately paved the way for my own music.  Now, of course, my parents, being children of the 50s & 60s, had always had classic rock playing in the house and in the cars (which were built and then re-built during those decades too = major pieces of shit btw), so I was no stranger to Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, but rap is what really took hold of my imagination.  It seemed so raw, so vibrant, so teenage…even though I wasn’t one yet. I know every genre has it’s moment and has the same effect on the pre-teens of those days – but this was MY time. This was MY new genre and it fucking rocked.

One of the first albums that I physically and mentally carried around with me was LL Cool J’s brilliant debut, “Radio.”  It had big beats, with big empty spaces filled with LL’s quick and loud delivery. Fast forward nearly 25 years later (holy shit has it been that long?) and I’m still creating music that is heavily influenced by rap and hip-hop culture.

Enter my latest offerings; a collection of cover songs ranging from obscure rap to quintessential 80s pop.  But don’t worry, I’ve thrown in some current hits like U2′s Beautiful Day and Kid Cudi’s Day n Nite, just for good measure. One of the more notable cover songs that I’ve done isn’t really a cover song at all – it’s more a re-interpretation of the original song.   I’m talking about my cover version of LL Cool J’s debut album title track and the reason for this post: “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”

I decided, quite deliberately, to take a literal view of the song and treat it as if I really couldn’t live without my radio.  In doing so, I turned it into an introspective ode to the boombox – a love song of sorts, about devotion.  I know, silly right?  But, hear me out,  when I wrote this version it made me feel like there was more to the lyrics – It made me take the idea and the nostalgia of that time more seriously.  For me,  LL’s lyrics seemed to fit nicely over this quiet little acoustic melody.

Watch the video above and then listen to my version here: