Being introduced to Stevie Crooks' music in the spring of 2010 was a moment that won't soon be forgotten... While indulging in DJ Fresh85's mix during The Freshboxx on The Pulse with Yaya Martinez, he spun the title track off the Villains' release "Diamonds & Guns..." I was immediately drawn to the smooth samples laid over somewhat rugged claps and baps, and after the song ran its' course over the airwaves, Fresh was polite enough to inform me of the artist who had just struck a chord in my mind... I now had homework to do...
Having just acquired a new laptop at that point, my iTunes was in SERIOUS need of music as my previous library "went down with the ship..." I would later come to find that this situation was actually a blessing in disguise... With the idea to keep my new iTunes library fresh, I didn't immediately rip the (mostly) "classics" that filled my previous one... The idea was that it would force me to become more familiar and in touch with what's current and relevant in todays' Hip-Hop scene... After getting home, I downloaded "Diamonds & Guns" and it became the first musical addition to my new laptop... Shockingly (at that time,) a decent amount of time would pass until something else was added, as I would soon become somewhat preoccupied with this tape...