Now & For E’vier

One day E’vier and I were sitting around listening to jazz records…. we were looking for samples…… At the top of one track, a voice came on and said:

« Look! Up in the sky!  It’s a bird!  It’s a plane!  No, it’s SUPERSELF!! »

E’vier quickly replied, « THAT’S ME! »  – I said, « What do you mean? »  – He said, « I am gonna start calling myself SUPASELF!« 

Little did I know that he WAS ALREADY and WOULD CONTINUE to be JUST THAT.  You see…. E’vier had the biggest heart and personality of anyone I have ever known, in fact, it must have been quite a bit of work to contain it within his slim frame.  He did everything in a grand way.  He didn’t even walk so much as glide forward on his feet.   If you could exponentially multiply your greatest attributes, you would be larger than life — a SUPER form of SELF — or just E’vier.

People pass away and stories of grandeur come about…. but everyone who knew him knows that I don’t need to embellish to tell his story.

One time he came to visit.  I was « entertaining a guest » 🙂 so he didn’t come in but spoke a few words to me through the door….. when he left, my guest said « How big is that guy?!!!  He sounds like he is 7 feet tall 350 pounds!! » — A giant among men with a voice to match.

I met E’vier when we were just kids CRAZY about dancing….. He loved art PERIOD…  music, dancing, singing, rhyming, reading, writing, drawing, so this was an easy match.  We used to dance together on my broken down porch and in his living room…. shoot, who am I kidding, in everyone’s living room.  🙂  As proud members of Wisdom Stylerz (dubbed so by Drew a.k.a. Cheetah Speed) we were always practicing.  Wisdom Stylerz is a huge dance crew composed of  friends sharing in the culture.  We were like a clan of Shaolin Monks, each member having a special skill…… great times.  —-But that is another story.

Later our love for music brought us together as MC’s with my fellow brother Uche in the COLAB.  I think this is when he gained his hunger to express himself with his thoughts and ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE BARITONE VOICE.

It’s crazy when you lose someone and examine how much of yourself…….. is really due to their contribution. He single handedly made some of the greatest impacts in my life.  He changed my diet, introduced me to oils (my scent), fashion, music, locks–you name it– all while becoming a BROTHER to this only child.  The first time I ever « built » with a human being was with E’vier.  He awakened the conscious artist within me.  I knew the power of music, but he made me realize the power of thought combined with it.  E’vier was well read/versed in damn near every subject: religion, music, politics, and all with a global awareness and concern.

Confidence?  He embodied swag before it was coined or even popular.  Ever the Leo… from mane to roar to kingship.

An eternal optimist…. he appreciated everything so much.  This journey is not all glamorous and, like a protective parent, sometimes I keep people shielded from it, but to him…….  I would complain…….. and he would make me feel TERRIBLE!!!  🙂 …….. As he showed me how much I had to be thankful for in the very thing I was complaining about.  He was like a turbo-boost-nitro-powered-jet-pack of positive energy.  It didn’t matter what you did… you could manufacture plastic spoons for a living and he would make you feel like you were the ambassador of a large country called –YOU!  (btw: nothing wrong with plastic spoons…. I use ’em)

They say there are 6 degrees of separation, but sitting around a room of grieving friends and family, we all realized there was really only 1 degree between us all…. and it was E’vier.  He was comfortable in any setting from his family, to the children he taught at his job, to his suburban friends, to people that some would probably see as a little sketchy, and that was the beauty of it all.  That is why he touched sooooooo many people….. literally from all walks of life.

I could go on….  I knew him the majority of my physical and the entirety of my conscious life….. in fact I WILL go on as he continues to influence my words and actions and HE WILL GO ON.  I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU MAN!!!!!  I LOVE YOU!!!!! You have planted so many seeds…. there will be an endless harvest.  When I evolve I want to be a SUPASELF just like you.  If you didn’t know it, I looked up to you while you were here and I look up to you now.  As the stories pour in I realize that I may have to reconsider what I value to be SUCCESS in this life.

Cousin Kwab said we are all upset because we are selfish and want him to be here for us and I think that is true.  I am angry that YOU ALL didn’t get a chance to meet him.  You would of loved him.

The only solace I have is in knowing that when I get to Heaven he will be there to introduce me to EVERYONE that I need to know….  because that’s E’vier.

R.I.P. LION

Some energy is too great to be contained… whether it be in a physical shell, or on a tiny planet, in a vast universe.  Always — Your Brother