I would hope so. That's how I'm looking at it, whether its true or not the proof will be in the pudding. I learned a lot from what I've seen and I hope it comes out in the tunes.

You're the only hiphop act on Dcide Records. Why did you choose this particular label and how confident are you in them to release and promote this project?

My music is real different now. It ain't just on some straight-ahead hiphop. Plus I have a lot of respect for Jeff Clyburn, the guy who runs Dcide. He told me what he felt he was capable of doing and he was one of the only people who would fuck with me at this point. A lot of it didn't necessarily have to do with choosing a place to be, but being fortunate to deal with people who feel you, who want to help you out, and give you a place to do your music. I'm looking forward to it. I think the songs are good and I think they have what it takes to get them out there.

Why did you choose to call the group Cherrywine?

I ain't really gonna say, but it has something to do with where I'm from. It has a really heavy sexual connotation and its kind of a play on words. I'm gonna leave it at that.

It seems like a lot of artists are approaching the live band format (i.e. Mos def, Q-Tip, Roots, etc.), what is Cherrywine bringing that is going to be different from those projects?

I know the Roots music, I saw Jack Johnson perform once, and I haven't heard the Q-tip shit, but I know the cats in the band and myself are approaching the music looking for a new beat or a new cadence. We aren't trying to take it back when it was this is that, not that that's what everyone else is doing, but we are searching for new rhythm so its gonna be some different shit. We don't set out to intentionally be different, but who gives a fuck about what another cat

is doing, especially not enough to bring it into your own musical world. Its self generated music and I don't want to compare it to the other stuff because I don't know that much about it.

What are the different instruments you will be playing?

I basically learned how to play guitar, then I started playing drums and keyboard. Those are the instruments that I can compose my music with to a certain extent. Live, I can probably play keyboard and guitar and hold it down.

Did you train under a certain musician?

Nah, I taught myself how to play. I asked the heads that I knew who played to show me some shit and I built off of that. I wasn't taught or did too much extensive studying besides playing by myself and with other people.

That's a bold step to just pick up an instrument and go

out and play with other people without really any instruction. When did you get to a point where you were like ok I'm nice at this?

I'm still not like that. Its like information and knowledge, the more you get the more you're like damn I don't really know shit. Its all a process of getting a song down and getting that under your belt. It changed my approach to music because I realized what spontaneity and the absence of perfection is about. It's the human aspect, not quantization, which gives the music its longevity. The imperfection of humanism is always going to make it so that every time you hear something you're gonna hear something new. Every time you play a song again you're going to play it a little bit differently because you're a little bit better now. Your mind is a little bit broader because it's been a week or a month since you last played it. That's what's exciting to me. The prospect of it is pretty dope.