Artemus Salas, my brother and co-founder of Modern Knot, wandered off from this mortal coil last Thursday. Not only was he one-third of our original content creators, every of my creative endeavors from 16 - 26 years old was directly involving my man. He was the very first person who told me that I should be rapping.
We started Innermitten Music, the first rap group I ever recorded with, in 2001, in the literal wake of multiple deaths within our friend group. It was started in the spirit of brotherhood and friendly competition, giving us an ego-safe space to explore lyrical ability and transparency. Real talk, I don’t know if anyone ever matched him in his ability to clearly convey complex, emotionally-rooted ideas. As McBride, Kase, Menace, QRST, he found an outlet to process unthinkable trauma and express the boundless love he had for both his blood and adoptive families. This man wore his heart on his beautifully inked sleeve.
I truly hope my friend finds the peace in death that he never could in life. I hope his family can find peace and hope in that notion. My heavy heart goes out to his daughter, to his mother, and to all of his adoptive brothers and sisters. This man had the longest hugging arms in the game, and I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve felt those long arms embracing us all at once over the past few days. I know he didn’t want this to hurt like it does, but if my grief can be traded for his relief, I’m not the least bit reluctant to make that trade. I don’t say that lightly; this man will be so fucking missed.
Very soon, I will be making a collection of our recorded works available for download and streaming. Until then, I will be turning the bottle all the way upright to this jam. I love you brother. Give Steve, Brett, Kieth, Matt, Mike and everybody else our love. Tell them we miss them.
