Potholes ft. Abadawn

50% OF ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CHARITY (WWW.SAVEDARFUR.ORG). HELP STOP GENOCIDE.

A native son of the Pacific Northwest, Alexipharmic had a love for life and music since his first day out of the womb. Musically influenced by everything under the sun, from Hendrix to Mahler and Davis to Rakim, Alexipharmic spent his childhood in the libraries of the schools where his mother taught, learning about Buddhism and the ongoing struggles of Rwanda, the Sudanese, and the American homeless. This upbringing molded a man called to duty: to empower, inform, and be a voice for the voiceless. When Alexipharmic first heard 2Pac’s “Keep Ya Head Up” at age nine, he knew what form his mission would take: using music to help make a better world.

Shortly after, piles of spiral-bound notebooks filled with lyrics littered the floor of both of his parent’s homes. Turning in homework at school was difficult and awkward, as almost every piece of paper had hasty lyrics or undelivered love notes scribbled on the back. A few years later, Alexipharmic began recording his songs over beats given to him free of charge, using an old camcorder with the lens cap on and rapping in an old coat closet. Out of these early sessions came a library of songs.

While in college, Alexipharmic recorded his first-full length album at age 20. It was his first time in a studio, and he slept on the studio's floor for two weeks to save money to record the album. The budget for the recording was $75. The product of these sessions was Run, a powerful 14-track album that served as a window to Alexipharmic’s growing world view. Songs ranged from the politically charged “Fox News,” to the more down tempo “Summer.” The climax of the album is the title track, where the narrator runs back through time, intervening in decisive moments in the history of the world. The song is a microcosm of the whole album, capturing the spirit, attitude, and energy of the whole.

Not ready to rest after releasing Run, Alexipharmic set his sights higher by organizing a national benefit tour. The Save Darfur Tour launched in January of 2007 and featured the Visionaries, Vakill, Grayskul, Sleep, Lightheaded, Sweatshop Union, CasOne, Freestyle, and label mate Abadawn along with Alexipharmic to raise awareness for the victims of the genocide in Darfur.

Alexipharmic is currently finishing up his next album, American Beauty. It will be released in Fall 2008 on Elephant Memories Records.