Rafael was
born in Brooklyn (before it became the spot to be)
to Puerto Rican immigrants, and music is deeply ingrained in the culture and
city he was raised in. He grew up on a diet of salsa, plenas, Latin-jazz and
soul, but ever since he copped his first raggedy cassette tape of Wu Tangs 36 Chambers, hip-hop is where his heart
is. It strikes him as the most revolutionary and creative genre, and even
though hip-hop has grown into a big business, he has faith. I refuse to limit
my coverage to just the underground or mainstream, he says, noting an aversion
for blindly showering the underground with praise for keepin it real and
summarily dismissing the mainstream. I want to discuss everything from the
good (Ghostface), the bad (50 Cent) and the ugly (D4L).

Words to
live by: Stay far from timid/ only make moves when ya heart's in it/ and live
the phrase sky's the limit. ~Christopher Wallace