We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of our friend Adam, a man tragically taken from us before his time by external female forces beyond his control. For those who don’t know me, my name is 88-Keys: rapper, singer, producer, but most of all, one of Adam’s best friends. To commemorate his life and attempt to prevent a similar fate from befalling others, I created The Death of Adam, my first album that details his wild ride from typical nice guy to playa to, finally, murder victim. When people found out I was making this tribute, the wave of support from Adam’s friends was incredible. Redman, Bilal, KiD CuDi, Little Brother’s Phonte, J*DaVeY, Shitake Monkey and Kanye West all got up on the album to show their love for our fallen soldier.
I know Kanye, in particular, was a close friend of Adam, so it was cool he wanted to be so involved in the project. As Executive Producer, Kanye was instrumental in fleshing out the thematic concepts of the album. If I had ideas for Adam, I’d always bounce them off ‘Ye and, when I wasn’t sure about the direction of certain tracks, it was Kanye who always told me to just be me and not make music with any expectations in mind. Kanye loved Adam, so it seemed fitting that the first single would be “Stay Up! (Viagra)” with him on vocals.
Adam was one of the nicest cats you’d ever meet until he started falling in with the wrong crowd. He LOVED women, and it was a classic case of “too much of a good thing” that tragically led to his death. Adam’s story runs all throughout The Death of Adam, starting with his luck—or lack thereof—as a “nice guy” and ending with his heartbreaking demise. I know if he were here today, he’d appreciate tracks like “The Friends Zone,” about a girl needing a friend but the guy wanting more, and “The Burning Bush,” which, if you think about it, should speak for itself.
88-Keys
Bio
Friends, family members, music lovers,
We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of our friend Adam, a man tragically taken from us before his time by external female forces beyond his control. For those who don’t know me, my name is 88-Keys: rapper, singer, producer, but most of all, one of Adam’s best friends. To commemorate his life and attempt to prevent a similar fate from befalling others, I created The Death of Adam, my first album that details his wild ride from typical nice guy to playa to, finally, murder victim. When people found out I was making this tribute, the wave of support from Adam’s friends was incredible. Redman, Bilal, KiD CuDi, Little Brother’s Phonte, J*DaVeY, Shitake Monkey and Kanye West all got up on the album to show their love for our fallen soldier.
I know Kanye, in particular, was a close friend of Adam, so it was cool he wanted to be so involved in the project. As Executive Producer, Kanye was instrumental in fleshing out the thematic concepts of the album. If I had ideas for Adam, I’d always bounce them off ‘Ye and, when I wasn’t sure about the direction of certain tracks, it was Kanye who always told me to just be me and not make music with any expectations in mind. Kanye loved Adam, so it seemed fitting that the first single would be “Stay Up! (Viagra)” with him on vocals.
88-Keys ft. Kanye West “Stay Up! (Viagra)” from Decon on Vimeo.
Adam was one of the nicest cats you’d ever meet until he started falling in with the wrong crowd. He LOVED women, and it was a classic case of “too much of a good thing” that tragically led to his death. Adam’s story runs all throughout The Death of Adam, starting with his luck—or lack thereof—as a “nice guy” and ending with his heartbreaking demise. I know if he were here today, he’d appreciate tracks like “The Friends Zone,” about a girl needing a friend but the guy wanting more, and “The Burning Bush,” which, if you think about it, should speak for itself.
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