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By : Edwin Charles
5 min read
Welcome to the Common Wealth where common wealth is not common. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, music and art have always been a part of my life. An infamous quote that I wrote in a poem is, “Life is Art and Art is Life.” Everybody has a story. Therefore, everyone has an autobiography. I consider every individual in life as an artist… The sound of life always reminds me that there is no such thing as pure silence. The art of learning how to learn, function, work, and teach is my least favorite song on the radio that I know by heart… I’m from a culture where the culture from my country doesn’t make sense. Common sense in my country isn’t common sense from my country. Poems and quotes, expressions and slangs that I’ve made my own: Trust Number One, Trust No 1, Great Vision, What’s Popular, What's Right?, Non-Fiction, etc. Art is everything I live, everything I breathe and smell, having all my senses to utilize, everything I see/n in life, my ability to touch, feel and hear…
My favorite genre of music is Hip-Hop, mostly rap and R&B. This year of 2023 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. I will be dedicating my artwork to influences I’ve had throughout my lifetime… I always wanted to have some type of talent or unique ability that I still yearn to crave and I feel like music is solely responsible… Being able to adapt or relate to something that you never experienced. Music is all around us in the streets, stores we visit, jobs we work at… Art and music complete my life… I thank my parents for the art of being born. I am a child of God, an immaculate conception. Born into a wealth that riches can’t afford, for the songs that sing from my Angels above forever ring a bond never to be broken as each melody is a harmonizing sound of music to my ears. May God bless America and wash my sins always from this bloody bean, for the land of greed and the home of the slaves.
Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #161 September 2023
Check out all the art and columns of September's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass