Published: Monday - November 21, 2005
Words by Charles "CZA" Sweet II
Swigga (Photo: Agatha Music)
From: Bronx, NY Influences: Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One
Lucia in the Caribbean definitely has its perks -- lots of sun, the beautiful landscapes and gorgeous women as far as the eye can see. L-Swift was more privy than most at this because of his mother's profession. As a nurse, she was always in demand, and as such, always on the go, so he experienced "paradise" first-hand. Life was good all the way up to age 8, whereupon his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. They went from doctor to doctor, but it seemed that the only way to save her life was to cross the Atlantic to the states.
The pair ended up in the Northeast sector of the infamous Bronx, where you're just as likely to see a would-be jacker as a would-be rapper on the corner ciphering with his brethren. Even though Swigga and his mother reached the U.S., the doctors still couldn't do anything about the disease that she had been fighting for so long. Ultimately, she succumbed to the illness and left L-Swift without his foundation, his one source of guidance, and a home. L-Swift ran the streets, performing petty crimes in hopes of seeing his next meal.
Knowing that he was on the path to becoming nothing more than just another statistic on the long list of those walking the path before him, L-Swift had an epiphany of sorts -- he needed to leave the streets alone for the beats and the microphone. He began frequenting the studio with his friend and mentor, Charle Magne. Soon after, he was introduced to fellow rhymesmiths, Mr. Voodoo and A-Butta. The chemistry between them was so great that they decided to form a group and Natural Elements was born. The trio released several singles, gained heavy rotation and even inked a deal with Tommy Boy Records. They went overseas and toured with megastar acts such as The Fugees and The Roots.
Things would take a turn for the worst, as he went back to the same blocks he had thought he had left never to experience again. Having no money, he would turn to petty crimes just to eat that day. Depression set in, and eventually it came to the point where young L-Swift saw only one way out: suicide. Waking up three days after ingesting a mixture of 40 prescription pills, the rapper came to realize that he was meant for more. So, he started up Agatha Music in remembrance of the inspiration that changed his life -- his mother. He had decided to exit the life of crime once and for all, and to leave everything negative in his life along with it.
After his changed outlook on life L-Swift needed a new moniker that would embody the growth and transformation that was happening within him. Like a phoenix rising from the ash and flames where he once lay, he was too reborn in the fires of trial and tribulation. He was Swigga Da Don forevermore.
After hooking up with Eddie Brock, they formed the Northeast Wildcats, a cerebral one-two punch that shook the environment around them. With connections to J. Armz and production from Scram Jones, it seems like Swigga was on a rapid ascent to a greater, more glorious destiny. With Agatha firmly behind him, Swigga began grinding heavily and dropped the nation-spanning Cross Country mixtape series.
Reinvent Myself was the 22 track ode to just that -- coming different than before and showing that he was much more than just a mixtape rhyme-ripper. The hook to the title track from Reinvent Myself set the tone with "When I first got a buzz, it was so much love/ but these n----s had me all f---ed up/ so I had to reinvent myself/ I went from L-Swift to L-Swigga to Swigga Da Don." With solid production from Scram Jones, Swigga dropped a hood-nominated classic.
When you find a formula that works, next comes the issue of supply and demand. The buzz and demand for his music was there, so he delivered his next tape, Cross Country 2, with his Northeast Wildcat affiliates. This one sees the inclusion of guests such as Al Giddy and Eddie Brock with monster production credits going to Joey & Bravo, Haydn and Thundertrax's Twinz. Cross Country 2 holds true to its name with a song Chopped & Screwed (a la DJ Screw) by Kool-Aid.
Scouting Report
Armed with an octane-influenced style that easily adapts to the track he's on, Swigga has a great chance of reaching those from other markets with little difficulty. The East Coast has many anti-heroes and pseudo villains, but few that can step outside the box that they set themselves in and take to the country with a true sense of what each region likes and the even greater ability to cater to it. The question isn't if Swigga Da Don is going to be a force to be reckoned with, but rather if the game is going to be able to handle the Northeast Wildcat's veracity and unquenchable appetite for victory.
Contact
MySpace - Myspace.com/SwiggaDaDon Site - AgathaMusic.com
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