J.A.M.E.S. Watts-Wish You Were Here

James Watts is my dude, one of the few real blog rappers worth respecting. I don't know what dukes has been up to as of late, but back in '08 he got a little buzz for these two minute freestyles, where he showcased how clever he was off the top, and how he could flow to any instrumental. From there, I copped some compilation tape, and found Wish You Were Here. It's some real heartfelt and truthful storytelling on the part of James, and a poignant instrumental that really captures every word. He even got Rik Cordero to direct the video. Surprising that this jawn didn't amount to more, it should have.





http://www.mediafire.com/?uzzjum4yygu
http://sharebee.com/5895f6e2

At one point, me and James were writing back-and-forth, and I asked him if he'd be willing to expand a little on the characters represented in the song. Below is his answer:

"Wish You Were Here" actually is based around three ideas, each being represented in a verse. The first verse talks about the decision I made to pursue music -- obviously, it's something I love, so this verse served as a message to people who have particular passions but are hesitant to follow them. I'm saying, more or less, that I wish more people could move themselves into a space where the restrictions of life don't weigh them down from attaining the things that they really want.

The second verse is more literal -- it's about a friend that I lost at age 14 -- he was my best friend at the time, and we were just both going into high school when he passed. That was always a pivotal experience that stuck with me, so I brought it forth on the song.

The last verse was based loosely on a few friends that I have (though I rolled them all up into one character) -- it's about a young man who's been really going through a lot of drama, but despite that, he feels that as long as he's alive, he's okay. The song ends with him telling me "man, I got my health though, so fuckit, I'm fine", and I reply with "I'm there", to say that I'm attempting to live my own life the same way -- that despite hardships, as long as we get up the next morning, there's always a chance to make it better.