Thinking about black history month and the folks of color that have had influence on me. I grew up in the 90’s, and ODB was my favorite rapper. I had his classic album, Return To The 36 Chambers and Nas’ It Was Written posters covering my walls in between drawings I made of Spawn and Spider-Man. I loved OBD’s raw and improvisational style that to me always felt honest and fresh. The lyrics from that mid-90,s east coast NYC hip hop was deeply embedded with the phrase keep it real, and with so much BS thrown around I connected to that. I didn’t grow up in Brooklyn but in a safe suburban town in RI, but I was a teenager with too much energy and anger with a HS that didn’t give a shit about me or my interest in drawing. I didn’t take an art class til senior year because my guidance counselor stuck me in graphic arts. Same thing? ODB’s music gave me a release for the pent up frustrations I had with how my life was going (broken home, constantly moving schools, schoolyard fights and other s...