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These storms, they rage; These clouds they roll. How I choose to reign Is in my control. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnfJakcuwem/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

And this is how you close out Summer Soulstice 2022 with the baddest band in the land, The Student Body. We did what we came to do, and I am so thankful to everyone out there in that audience that vibed with us. To The Student Body, I love and appreciate all that you all do beyond measure; y’all are insanely talented and top-tier musicians. Black everyday, I did my Black dance. I moved with the spirit of 1000 robins, not just the one I miss the most. If you can’t tell by now, I live for this. Thankful for the space for release, healing, and celebration 🙏🏾✨🙏🏾✨ As always, the 📸🔥: @samerghani https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce_PPD5OaPv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Seeing the forest and the trees all for what they are. As the vision grows larger, the focus has grown more acutely precise. The depth of comprehension of the subtleties and nuances that make life as grand and limitless, and subsequently prodigiously humbling; the awareness of all of that got me here. The music, the endeavors, the community work; all of that this year and beyond is being created out of a love for the living of life. Life with endless creative freedom to articulate the wonders, the horrors, the everything-in-between…that’s what I’m in this for. The further along in that realization, the “bigger” I feel; a largeness devoid of ego, supplemented almost entirely by passion and purpose. This was always the goal, right? I gotta run with it… https://www.instagram.com/p/CdBonF0u6hG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“No Wake” Episode 2 is out now. Link in bio. Filmed by @kellymichaelanderson and @ryanthomasreeve. Audio engineering and mixing by Josh Evert. Filmed on Lake Michigan at the crack of dawn and at the wonderful @cooperagemke/ @boonemilwaukee. Sponsored by @milwaukeerecord @silvercitystudios and @breakingandentering1. Collaborative Milwaukee magic, with a message, passion, empathy, and hope. ✨🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5KKfEu9WX/?utm_medium=tumblr

What a brilliant and extremely gratifying, beautiful night of music last night was…wow. Thank you @kase__music for having me share the stage with you over the past year. Thank you @ivyhouselive for the gorgeous arrangement and hospitality. Thank you to every single beautiful and radiant person that helped make the energy in the room truly magical; it really amplified the performance experience, I can tell you that. Many thank yous a million times over to @samerghani for the spectacular 📸🔥, as always. Today I am filled with gratitude, and am a more-fulfilled human being because of that magic last night. Thank you. (at The Ivy House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CadNQXyOwCD/?utm_medium=tumblr

Duality. Balance and serenity. Self-determination, with an abundance of compassion and awareness, of self and community. Incessant and ravenous ambition. Pure creative spirit. #KlassAct https://www.instagram.com/p/CaDQm0fFg5b/?utm_medium=tumblr

#klassact

Being an artist means constantly questioning what it means to be an artist, and what it is that you are doing it for. Web 3.0 is the Wild West, but the past has a way of feeling like a frozen tundra, doesn’t it? Can’t go back to anything. Can’t bring anyone back. When our time is done, spiritual beliefs and nuances aside, we’re not coming back to this. I’ve found myself full of fear and uncertainty recently, but then I remembered that this space of unknowing is where true discovery and innovation begin. Every single moment, our only choices are to resist and defend, or adapt and immerse. I’m always going to tend towards the latter. I’d rather be here, now, facing these fears and recalibrating with each moment, than to have no more moments to breathe life into. I’m making art to breathe life into real life. That which moves me must be real, otherwise, am I really moving? I can’t afford to wait and see. “I ain’t afraid of dying; I’m afraid of not trying…” https://www.instagram.com/iamklassik/p/CXHRzWWlNwG/?utm_medium=tumblr

What’s that? A bunch of culture vultures floating obtusely around this beautiful thing we’ve built here in Milwaukee? Hmmm…. What I hear is the imminent shift of decision-making power from our cultural “leaders”; you know, the ones that look nothing like the ones actually keeping it alive. I’m tired of the philanthropic saviors being allowed to even have creative input. I’m tired of the scarcity mindset (they are lying to us.) They’re still trying pay your favorite artists in exposure; still clueless, with their fingers nowhere near the pulse of the cultural and creative innovators of this city. Point blank: you are stifling actual creativity and progress, and your “representation” of us is lackluster, corny, and unneeded.🤷🏾‍♂️ Time to change the way the money flows; time to get some color in all the board rooms in positions where we can actually push this thing along. In other words: your Pilgrim mindsets and overbearing presence on this land of which you give little, and take A LOT…all of that is about to change. I know a few close homies who are on the same thing. In so many ways y’all are fumbling the bag. Missed opportunities. Gross oversights. All of that is about to change. I guess there is some value in exposure: exposure to the truth ✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1BOoulkKp/?utm_medium=tumblr

With the noise of a violent world shaking up my mental like the strong gusts ushering in the cold front last night, I needed to take some time with the whirlwind of emotions and thoughts surfacing in the midst of it all. Today marks the 2 year anniversary of my last full-length album, “QUIET.” Today also marks the 21 year anniversary of the murder of my father, Robin L. Abston. “QUIET.” really began on that night; the forces and themes and obstacles I would come to grapple with in adulthood can largely be traced back to that evening. I am an artist born out of pain and trauma, like many humans in general walking around with the weight of menacing invisible darknesses, unarticulated but ever-present. It continues to be extremely difficult for me around this time of year, but honestly I am so glad I chose to put this album out on this day, so that I may always have a memory, and even better, tangible auditory evidence of my healing, the wisdom gained from that healing, and the intention to help others with my art do some healing of their own. This day gets to be both sides of that coin, because I set the intention and did the work to make it so. May this work and this story always be an inspiration to anyone struggling to accept the difficult parts of life. The last slide is a little montage set to an unreleased song of mine entitled, “NeverComingBack.” It’s the first time I ever directly wrote about my father and that evening. It is still very much so in demo/early draft mode, but the vulnerability of sharing something so raw and personal is all the more reason I felt compelled to include this snippet. I hope that during these seemingly wicked and hopeless times, my story and my art and my journey thus far can still serve as a light; a reminder that even the toughest and most dastardly things don’t HAVE to break us. We can, and should, continue to author our own stories of resilience and triumph, not just in spite of, but BECAUSE of the hardships we face. Duality and dynamism ensure that we can only adapt and push forward. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWl1UB-lCCF/?utm_medium=tumblr

“…so until the day they bury me in soil six feet under/ I’m trying to reveal every single one of the truths that they done tried to keep from us.” The numbness and lack of surprise does not infer we are complicit. You’ve shown us time and again who the preeminent victors are: those afforded the privilege of their forefathers vision and intentional favor receive the spoils, as victors do. Humor me this, though: do you think that makes us the defeated? Ahhh, the double-edged sword of contorting and paraphrasing our history is that you also seem to have forgotten our resilience. Your law does not make you righteous, clearly. Your laws don’t protect or serve folks that look like me and my friends. The unfortunate thing for the old guard, and the power of US, the generation capable of the greatest potential paradigm shift in decades, is that we are not complicit; not comfortable; not tolerant of your disrespect. You disrespect our intelligence and gaslight and manipulate the masses, devoid of any morality, ethics, or compassion. How can any type of justice be born of those circumstances? A rhetorical question if there ever was one. I’ve recalled another “QUIET.” record that didn’t make the final cut, made circa 2018. This song, “OpenYourEyes”, like most of my work is intended to, remains staunchly pertinent. I suggest that now is as good a time as any to take heed to the title. Time to turn up the wattage fellow light-shiners; dark days still lie ahead but we have to keep illuminating a path forward. ✨✨✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CWjHY3fl5kk/?utm_medium=tumblr

Constantly reflecting because that’s the key to projecting future goals. You can live in your past’s future, your future’s past, or just right here in this present moment; it’s all the same. They’re still rewriting history, currently, but if you pick up a few books and connect with your elders and the big homies and the great-grandparents, and never stop EDUCATING yourself, the foolish tricks won’t work on you, and you and I and us altogether can see the path ahead more clearly. Stop trying to patch up the crumbling facade around our foundation. We see you struggling and taking great pains to sustain the mirage; sadly (for you) what we have is beyond 20/20, but more like 20/21 x-ray vision. Seeing right through the charade. And more of us see it, too, like the folks in Hawkins realizing the Upside Down is real. Things happen a little differently and a little scarier, more menacingly on this side, but damn it, these days I’m feeling more like Eleven. We all just gotta tap in to the power inside, and really shift the entire paradigm. We’ve seen enough. My existence, our lived experiences…all of it: it’s real, without question of merit and value. I will continue to walk in the wholeness of myself and won’t tolerate being viewed as anything less than the dynamic artist and human that I am. We’ve seen, enough. Light-shiners in go-mode. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWWlqd9FPyk/?utm_medium=tumblr

Being a cultural capital investor doesn’t slow down or pause for the changing of the seasons. On the contrary, each seasonal shift is another opportunity for reflection and reenergizing. I journaled quite a few pages today for the first time in a long time. Last night, I cleared the studio whiteboard and zeroed in on one “tree” (for those who’ve been following my frequent “trees-for-the-forest” metaphor). For me, that’s one song. One song of a few that are feeling like they need to be out in the world so I can clear the mental whiteboard as well. Most were created between July 2020-Spring of 2021. It’s crunch time only because I’m still digging and that’s the sound of the shovel breaking ground with each strike. Crunch, crunch. Through the snow, through the cold, through the seasons…we live and we learn. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWRVmMhlCsO/?utm_medium=tumblr

It’s getting darker sooner. Truth-tellers out here doing light work within the tightening grip of dusks and dawns. The days are winding up a little slower, but winding down ever quicker. Getting down to the foundation because now is the time to dig deep. Truth be told, outside of my mother and aunt’s birthdays, November is stained with a lot of heavy feelings, annually, for me. The more aware of it I am, the better prepared mentally I am to get through it. I’m sure that I’m still crafting my best works to date; and I’m sure that mortality and its fickleness will forever haunt me. As long as I can keep using it as fuel, the dark days don’t seem so dark. Life does indeed look way better with the lights on. Shout out to the very first Hot Spot in Bay View where Trees, Cam and I spontaneously cut this “SoGone.” remix…remember when that challenge was popping off? Anyway, even as I was entering what would be the darkest days of my life, the magic in the art was always there. I don’t even remember all of the remixes that came out around that time, but I’m still quite sure this was infinitely more inventive and musically interesting than all of them 😎 Not sure if we ever released it, but enjoy the clip. Besides all that, enjoy this moment you are in right now. Even if you can’t enjoy it, just BE in it. LightWorkers United ✨✨✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEIPM_FpSn/?utm_medium=tumblr

While my last KlassNote emphasized the importance of being grounded and being rooted in the physical here-and-now, this entry is a reminder to never stop shining. Be brilliant in your truth. Be compassionate in your truth. Be fluid and malleable within your truth, because the truth is, nothing in this world is as cut-and-dry as we may like to believe it to be. Truth is: the truth is much more complex than most of us are willing to acknowledge or comprehend. I paired this with an unreleased song from my award-winning 2019 album “QUIET.” “2Deep” was written as one of a few records that addressed betrayal; uncovering those who move under the guise of trustworthiness and friendship and love. In 2018 when I wrote this record, I was slowly and painfully emerging out of my own personal hell with alcoholism and substance abuse; so while I was reminding the audience to not be so obstinate and not get lost in myopic world views, I was also encouraging myself to not get too deep down the path I was headed. This record didn’t end up seeing the light of day; I, on the other hand, did. Thank the heavens I did. A reminder that no matter how dim your light gets, it is never too late to shine like a trillion-watt light bulb, word to @jayz ✨ shout out to @samerghani for the fantastic photos from this years’ Summerfest set that I used for the song clip. Keepshiningkeepshiningkeepshiningkeepshining ✨✨✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CV07_brlCDS/?utm_medium=tumblr

World-building, in real life, real time. You don’t have to log on or sign up for this reality; you simply choose to be present and aware and adaptive. That’s the cheat code. As we shift deeper and deeper into this virtual and digital world, let me remind you (and myself) that what we do here on this earth has real consequences and effects and impact; our digital selves can’t save us from the real-world issues. Be here, in it, and intentional with the world(s) you create. Think about generations after you’re gone. At least that’s what I’m on; building better and laying stronger foundations to do so. Feeling on top of the world with the weight of it on my shoulders, somehow…and I’m ok with that. The responsibility and challenge I accept every day. #KlassAct4Ever https://www.instagram.com/p/CVyelcglnqE/?utm_medium=tumblr

#klassact4ever

I feel the anticipation of taking off, and the forecast of upward trajectories; like taxiing before takeoff. How ironic that the college dropout is taking education, and this art, and this idea of culture and community to a higher place. Living and learning at the highest level; returning that same energy tenfold into the place that birthed me. I’ve seen “ups” before, and damn it I’ve certainly been down to the darkest depths of the lowest of lows. Today I hold myself to a higher standard than yesterday. Tomorrow, I will do the same. Even if I don’t “succeed” in that particular goal that day, moving with that kind of intention ensures success through the lens of longevity. Damn it, these days I’ve been feeling like I ain’t took a loss in a while because I’ve learned from every setback; every second-guessing; every fear and doubt and unfortunate circumstance. I learned from the uncomfortable parts and started figuring out ways to let that in and allow that to inform and authenticate the work. Working on speaking to the soul, from the soul. I’m gonna lock in and finish something for you all before the end of the year. And that won’t even be THE thing. Just making space for the next phases and new connections and higher levels… #KlassAct4Ever https://www.instagram.com/p/CVv2fivFICo/?utm_medium=tumblr

#klassact4ever

How It Started VS How It’s Going Now ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CGksLJWnkxO/?igshid=xnusskqsxfuq

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