I vividly remember that transition between garage and grime
Wobbly baselines and eerie synthesizers
Epitomizing the darker side of London life
Gone were the girly vocals
Replaced by raw instrumental space allowing an MC to demonstrate
The delicate balancing act between bravado and flow
As whole studio's previously only available to those with dough,
Were condensed and squeezed onto desktop pc's
Whatever side of the musical divide you chose
The relentless march of evolution wasn't stopping
Time waits for no man
So the saying goes
And rightly so
Because
I've suffered many a splinter from sitting on fences
Worried that whatever side I decided to climb off Id be defenseless
For years I perched trying to search for the perfect way,
To permeate the boundaries of success away from the doldrums without being seen,
I saw attention as an enemy that could potentially halt my progress
Though thought and action were two factions that rarely agreed
In-bedded in the tred of my trainers is the memory of a thousand pounded pavements
Paces of procrastination
Paving slabs greeted my feet anytime I sought retreat in my lunch hour
An escape from my place of work
I took to these walks to create space for thought
My daily tours saw me over an*lyzing situations beyond contemplation
Until I realized immersing myself in grey clouds of thought
Was a just a subconscious delay tactic
A mental fence on which to sit
Blanketing the reality of mother nature's very own weather report
Worried about getting caught in a shower when the forecast was heat
For the sun's rays to penetrate I needed to accept the fact that weather does change And the outcome is out of my hands
In order to jump off the fence and make an impact
I tried to revolutionize the way that I think
In the same way that garage dj's did when they dropped 138 Trek by Zinc
Whether or not it paid it triggered a chain reaction for change to happen
I'm not sure who claimed they were first to maim that skippy 2 step beat
And chop it in half
All I know is it tore a line apart between old and new
I Love You was a long way from Bring Me Flowers
However it allowed a whole new species to blossom
The pollen of many genres responding to mistakes and lessons of the elders
Genetically encoded in the DNA of the music
And pa**ed on like father to Son
I decided I had nothing to loose by taking risks
Other than loosing a few splinters,
And the sole's of my trainers could start connecting with a few more stages
And a few less pavements
Actions have consequences – positive and negative
No action knows no satisfaction
Sitting on the fence in isolation was frustrating
Only dipping my toe into the ebb and flow of everyday living
Would stunt the development required for essential decision making
The act of waiting becomes frustrating
And that impatience converts to bitterness
Who's only home lies in defeat
I didn't wonna' be another could a' been.
So I selected my spot.
Jumped off my fence and went to ground
I realized sometimes you have to do things on you're own.
Accept responsibility,
And just go
The same year Dizzee dropped Boy In Da Corner”
I left home