DyeVerse Perspective on WELCOME TO THE BLOCK
This one is special because I recorded all the instruments live I played the drums I played the guitar I played the keys and then I mixed mastered it and released it this isn't just me and the committee keyboard and the sequencer this was real live instruments recorded one at a time
Welcome to the Block” is my background — it’s my childhood, my trauma, my neighborhood, and my mentality all wrapped into one. I grew up broke, surrounded by chaos, raised by the block when there wasn’t anybody else. That environment shaped me. It taught me how to move, how to survive, how to adapt. But it also showed me everything I never wanted to be.
This song is more than a welcome mat — it’s a warning and an invitation at the same time. I’m letting people in, showing them the real — the pain, the loyalty, the grit, and the cold truth about life where I’m from. I lived it. I ran those streets. And now I rap about it not to glorify it, but to make sure it’s never forgotten.
This is the raw introduction to who I am and where I came from.
This is the Block.
The production process for Welcome to the Block was personal — all the way down to the strings and keys. I played every instrument on this track live. No loops, no samples, no shortcuts. I wanted it to feel like a memory — warm, a little worn out, but still standing tall. That meant layering live guitar, bass, keys, and drums with intention, letting each instrument tell a piece of the story.
Even though the lyrics touch on real things — pain, the past, the block I came from — I kept the music brighter. It’s got a bounce to it, something nostalgic, like walking through your old neighborhood with both pride and pain in your chest. I wanted this track to feel good, not just sound good. To be a reminder that no matter how rough the past was, there's still light in remembering where you came from.
This track is celebration and reflection at the same time. And because I played every piece of it myself, it hits different. It’s not just my story — it’s my sound.
There are moments where it makes me question my validity as an artist. I slave away in my studio — alone — building entire songs from scratch. I write the concept, play every damn instrument, record every layer, then mix and master it myself until it sounds clean and polished. I taught myself everything. No mentors. No handouts. Just grit.
And after all that, I drop a song on social media…
And silence.
Not even a word from people I’ve known my whole life.
It messes with your head. Makes you wonder if the last 40 years meant anything — if maybe the world doesn’t give a damn no matter how much soul you pour into it. That fear has kept me from going all-in sometimes. Not because I don’t believe in the music, but because I’m scared of the emptiness that follows the release.
But I’ll tell you this — social media can kiss my ass.
Whether they cheer or not, I’m still playing.
Still writing.
Still showing up for the art.
Because this is who I am, and I’m not stopping for silence.
Absolutely — my music is who I am. Every song I put out is a snapshot of where I’ve been, what I’ve felt, and who I’m becoming. I don’t write to fit in — I write to get free. Some tracks carry my pain, others carry my pride, but they all carry me.
With Welcome to the Block, I showed a lighter side. A little more warmth, a little more reflection. But it’s still me — the kid who came from nothing, found purpose in sound, and now speaks through music like it’s my second language. Some people fake it for the streams. I live it through the chords, bars, and drum fills I build from scratch.
So yeah — you want to know who I am?
Listen to the catalog.
Start at the block.
