Ermizak

Ermizak is an artist out of Philadelphia. Growing up on the streets of North Philly in the 80s and 90s, It was physically impossible to not appreciate the beauty in the colors of graffiti on the walls. Inspired by the break dancers, the hustlers with hip-hop boomboxes, My older brother and I quickly fell in love with the culture. I can vividly remember these tapes my older brother would bring home every week with various Artists on, I couldn’t get enough of it. Watching my brother express himself by following along Word for Word mimicking the cadences, the delivery, the flows & the style. I knew then and there, I wanted to be a part of it somehow. One day coming home from my first year of high school, I was listening to a song called Slippin by the artist who was known as DMX. Something about what he captured in that song made me write down his lyrics so that I can perform for my older brother like a showcase. I just wanted to show him that I love the culture just as much as he did. I wanted to connect on a deeper level by learning his flow, his cadence his delivery and feeling the passion behind his style. Then it dawned on me, if I can do all that for another artist, what’s stopping me from writing my own lyrics,, delivering my own flows, my own cadences my style, becoming my own artist. Even though it took years of practice, and I grew on a lot of Artists shoulders, I knew I found my calling, hip-hop became like a form therapy for me. There was just certain things that I couldn’t talk about with other people. I would just write down my feelings even if I didn’t know how to count bars, or had any idea about Song structure. I just mimicked my favorite artist, I never thought that, 10-20 years down the line, I’d still be writing music, but I honestly hip-hop saved my life, more than once. Seeing someone else cry over a song that I wrote years ago, before I was confident enough to share with others, made me realize that I have a purpose. This is my destiny, I may not leave a legacy of children behind when I’m gone, but the legacy of my music will live on forever. Long as my music can touch others, heal them, comfort them in ways that others cannot through face-to-face conversations. If my music is able to save lives, then I know I have fulfilled my purpose.