Get all 35 3Wisemen Entertainment releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Know Purpose, The Yet Untitled Album, Time As A Broken Concept (Maxi-Single), Since When (Maxed Out Single), A Time That Was (Circa '94-'95), Sum Things Take X, The Poor-Traits of a Man, In Absence of Mere Force, and 27 more.
1. |
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I love taking long walks just to clear the mind
Feed the soul and try to find a way to retake control
Put on the headphones, step out in the sunshine
Sometimes I study rhymes, other times I write mine
This beat reminds me of 89, back then I had wild rhymes
Changing pattens every few lines, redefining the guidelines
My time is coming, I’m in the front of the line
But still feel like living proof that love is blind
I hope you get yours, and I get mine while I got time
And in the game of life I’m cleaning up with a spot shine
Spotlights? They don’t matter to me, or more accurately
I don't believe that is the path that’s for me
I passively seek a way to search my past for a piece
Of the puzzle I’m trying to solve to invoke inner peace
I’m hoping to EASE all tension mentioned previously
I appreciate the love that the listeners give
When listening to these lyrics of the this life that I live
If life is a gift, I guess I’ll give mine in due time
And I hope their surprised once they open up and look inside
I took ride on the wild side and I nearly died
And was teary-eyed once I realized it was foolish pride
I pried the doors open wide where self-doubt hides
And once sunshine HIT IT, it was in full stride
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2. |
One For The Ageless
02:57
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I’m so devoted to speaking coded that you might notice
My flow is a form of focus, informed by poets
Some may quote it, others may find it bogus
And question what my approach is...dully noted
But, I’m not truly insulted, this is my white lotus
I don’t follow no man, there is no modern Moses
I suppose if death lurks, there’s gon’ be vultures
And there’s a lot to pick over, these so called soldiers
And I’m speaking in general, I’ve been demoted
Perhaps I’ll reach my magnum opus while at my lowest
Will I be gasping for closure in my final moments
Or grasp a flask and drink the tears of my opponents
That’d be a bonus…to tell the truth, I don’t even won't it
Instead I’m focused on inner-peace, I’m not out going
I’m about…showing myself new routes to escape doubt
Will I ever make it out? I’m not knowing
Still I’m going and never slowing, I’m fueled by motive
I’m not here to fill quotas or rally voters
My style’s been wild since Madd Maxx in Kenosha
But my demeanor is mild…like Cali cold is
And, now, for my finale I’ll let my soul smile, then show it
Searched my mind to find the words, once I found em, I wrote it
I know emphasize a lot that I improvise the plots
Of the rhyme schemes and find things that fit into the spots
That are blinding, binding to the laws of nature
I’m mining my deepest crevices, layer by layer
There are no saviors…and hardly any favors…
Do we even know our neighbors?
Or alone, on the crux of the edge on top of razors
On top of RACISTS and covid cases
I’m over anxious….
No need for clarity, I covered all the bases
And, this is one for the ageless, it’s audacious
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3. |
Stream of Competence
03:06
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What’s the greatest moment you ever had in your life?
And what’s the possibility you could experience it twice?
And would that suffice? Fine line between passion and vice
I fight for what’s right, come with the compassion of christ
Ain’t asking the price, you can dim the lights, it’s a heist
And taking nearly everything that’s in sight, except advice
So roll the dice, or think twice, and heed a word from the wise
And while I’m speaking, I hope you realize
The length’s I’m willing to go’s about….as wide as the skies
That not a surprise, at least not to me, I’m self-aware
How could I read the room when there’s nobody here?
I just listen to the whispers in the winds, and begin
To write the words down, once they start making sense
And if that time never comes, I may have to relent
Or maybe still choose to write em down, then try to convince
The people to listen anyway, in my defense
Coded messages, I sneak em in, like toxins through vents
Undetected, that’s a method of a suspending suspense
If it’s a wash, then it’s he who repeats, who repents
I think a lot about the words that I use
Carefully choose, selecting each emotional hue
An ocean of choices…so, what I’m trying to do
is tap into my subconscious for responses to my thoughts and my views
Erase self-doubt, that the fodder of fools
Impossible to lose, cause I base my wins on my moves
Not reactions from the people, don’t got nothing to prove
Rather rugged or smooth or combination therein
I’ve been a rhyme barbarian since the days of the pen
And wide-ruled, eyes glued to the pages to think
Its alchemy, comparably, changing thoughts into ink
I’m often on the brink of how much I can take
So I use writing as a tool, to trace the steps that I make
There are no mistakes, just lessons to be learned to replace
The bad decisions in our rear view but, it’s not a race
Yet, in any case, time is of essence, so is our fate
I turn words into actions, turn a phrase to phase
Back in the days, AMC was simply trying to amaze
But 7-3-21 isn’t a slave to praise
Still I’m human, so I’m longing for a need to connect
With those like-mind but I find ‘em very hard to detect
When selfishness is soaked in bliss and weighs more respect
But I was told, ‘The world is yours’, so I’m just trying to collect.
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4. |
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Spending nights alone with a candle lit
Plotting mood swings in accordance with planet shifts
So when the hard times come, I can handle it
Still plan to get some sort of means to dismantle it
I’m speaking on the prison system of the mind
That seeks to hold me back and keep me confined…
I’m not a fan of it
I got a list of demands, I’m hanging on by the strands
Still I follow my plans, of that I’m adamant
As far as the catalyst for all the madness
Can’t say for certain, but lack of love is sure is a candidate
But I can’t quit….instead I’m seeking for answers
And let my emotions run rampant
This ain’t a free style, this is a free range
Where if even if dreams die we graze on the remains
…I take a deep breath just to re-gain
My focus, and choose not to speak for the refrain
Yet and still I will maintain
An appreciation for the english language of word games
Which I use to explain both my passions and pains
Trying to ascertain peace while blood still passing my veins
My path is a maze, yeah, sure in math I got As
And Bs, but I’m still trying to see through the haze
Defending my name against those so eager to blame
Anyone in arms reach, on a quest for fame
Effortless aim when it don’t matter what’s hit
and casually become a causality or catalyst
I’m an analyst, so imma handle this the way I know how
Pay ‘em no mind, I see em? No smile
But haven’t beef ain’t my style
Naw, my love goes long like a country mile
I can’t allow doubt to guide my life route
So I perceive negativity, plus cancel it out
Easy as that, right? Naw, that ain’t the way it goes
But I’m so patient I could watch a seed become a rose
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5. |
The PlacEGO Effect
04:25
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Back in the dasy when the phone was still rotary
A few years before The Joker said, “Get a load of me”
I was writing rhymes, with violent lines
By design, having battles, creating exciting times
And when I stepped on stage at a talent show
I always said, in the intro or the outro
‘YO, It don’t matter who wins 1st prize
Cause in a real battle, that'll be your demise'
I gotta say I’m surprised no one ever tried
I’d step off the stage, off into the night
Because I had reputation for verbal annihilation
And that’s just a factual statement
I’m into innovating- translating what my brain is thinking
It's a magical place, invigorating
I’m sick of waiting for better days
I feel I’ve been led astray
Following the path I laid
And that’s a hard pill to swallow
But I don’t wallow in self-pity, or hit the bottle
Terrain gets too rough, I adjust the throttle
And, It’s my motto to trust the average person
About a much as the cursing in this verse’n
Go back count ‘em, when all accounted for
I can assure you …it’s a zero score
Look in the mirror more, not for vanity
That was a metaphor, plea to humanity
To focus self-awareness, treat others with fairness
And don’t let your mouth run careless
Too many people like parrots speaking without merit
The opposite of Polaris, they should be embarrassed
I’m not perfect, I’m far from it, and I don’t love it
I’m always trying to improve, and…while on the subject
As for the start of the song and all that ego tripping
Well…that was just to grab your attention
And give a real live of example of how I learn to handle
My ego, my natural placebo, that I try to veto
But, the question remains, am I the haystack or the needle?
I’m black, and my people still gotta fight for the right to be treated equal
….against the forces of evil, and it’s a lotta people
And, since the government’s involved, well, I it’s also legal
...So, I’m setting my sights on the eagle
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6. |
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7X3=21 Verse:
You can’t front, ya know I gotcha open
And each moment’s just another loss for my opponents
You ever notice, how certain folk try to provoke us
Then change their whole tune, once we come into focus?
But Imma man of peace, I demand the release
Of all the grief trapped inside me, I try to believe
In endless possibilities and possible leads
How to achieve, greatest heights human eyes’s ever seen
Some have clever schemes, others just work hard for their dreams
And some let the time pass, hanging on by the strings
I go to extreme measures to further my means
I put in work, fully immersed since I was first in my teens
I’ve been a part of many scenes, they all had their benefits
They all had their differences, and each produced a nemesis
But I might add in parenthesis, it doesn’t really matter
Let me pause for some emphasis
...
OK..back to my biz-a-ness,
Like trying to figure out which snakes are venomous
They come in all shapes and sizes, full of surprises
And lies is one their favorite forms of disguises
Prey on our kindness, misalign us
…But those moments don’t define us
Dark times are upon us, so just take it all
Well, only, minus what mine us
Vyle Verse:
Stedy Serv Verse:
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7. |
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I met Ice-T at the Rainbo Roller Rink
5 years later, I was rhyming at Lower Links
And Alcatraz, Avalon, and the Double Door
I’d walk around and the ciphers I would explore
I got my start as a writer at the Fly Paper
Caught in the Middle, was created two years later
And I would go to dope shows thanks to Duro
Like Born Naked, O Type Star, All Natural
Sista Ang (Ang13) was one of my favorites
And Gramaphone is where I would pick up the latest hits
Ram and Spin, so smooth when they mix and blend
33 1/3, he was a linchpin
Kinetic Order, Mental Giants, The Molemen
East of the Rock, Rubberoom, Stony Island
Nuti Pack, No Home Training, Icon MCs
D 2 Tha S, Rhymefest, Verbally Diseased
Spalaney Macks, Immortal Griffen, Verb and Thawfor
There was an Avalanche coming around ‘94
Or 95, when I saw Primeridian live
And JP Chill had it locked on the southside
The first tape I ever bought on the streets
Was Rhyme Poets, ’89, it was proper release
George’s Music Room, First Lady, and Mary Thatcher
312 magazine, Statik, Mars and Casper
JPC, HPK, CRX, NUR
Triple X, Lit Ex, Project Roots, and The Yard
DA Smart, Jaquan Styler, Lo Tech, & Reese T
Aztec, Mary Jane, No ID, Peanut Gallery
Cee Rocks, G Most, THIG & Fully G
RIP Disco Dave, Pinkhouse and 3D
Verse 2:
Jesse De La Pena, Dos Ciferos, Mixx Massacre
Trixter, Queen Mother Productions, Fere & Zore
Decipher The Verbal Sniper, Vinyl Addicts, & Fuse
Blase Blase, Garden Music, J-Bird, & Chrewd
The Ultimate Weapon SWAN, Qwel, Devine & Dug Infinite
Underground Solution, AHX, & Crucial Conflict
The Grass Is.., Children of Reality
Stedy Serv, Ten Tray, the 40 Thievz
Alltruisms and the Monkey Wrench Factory
Monastic Cipher, Psychodrama, and TSP
Outerlimitz, Twista, Mr. Greenweedz
The Nacrobats, Vakill, Cayex and CMB
Off Da Wall, Nappy Heads to Whatnoxic
And when it came to freestyles rhymes, J.U.I.C.E had no losses
Black AG, Tha Chamba and Krashman
Rhyme with the ‘Warriors Ink’, and Atomic Ants
Larry Milla with ‘A Man, My Brother & Me’
Chi Rock, Booney Flawless, Mack Thorne, LA.Z
Sharing Needles, Unknown Elements, & Judas Breed
Family Jewels, Scam Artists- Ill MC’s
JP Schmedrick, Alterboysterious, & Cyanide
3 Stones from the Sun, 90 Proof, and Slaughter House 5
Titan Clash and Powerful Juvenile
And Iomos played drums while he freestyled
Go peep the flow of Dirty (MF) and SPO at the ELBO
No Pity Committee, M.A.T.S and Qualo
Universe, Discover, Grav, & Mind Space
I used to love when the Brickheadz were in the place
Tribe X, Dem Dare, Chicago Tribe
Boogie Boy, Jackboy, White Boy Mike
The Platter Pirates, 101 Crew, Quick Silver Cooley
Sudden Def wrote a rhyme like a crime movie
Third Rail & Intel dropping Mixtapes
The Pacifics, Bag People, MC Zulu, & F.A.T.E
Earatik Statik, Kingdom Rock, Mass Hysteria
At least one Ill State Assassin is in the area
Prodigy & EQ…G-Q…Smooth Lou
OCU and the Sauce Crew
Chicago Rocks, Artistic and Upski
Dzine, Slang, the Knomadz, & Pumpin Pete…
…and DJ Heather, Costume, Highruallahaz PCP Twilight Tone, and of course, the man, EC
More Love:
Ramonski Love, Risky Bizness, IFO, Rob Benavides, Abstract Essentials, Sean Doe, Them Badd Apples, Pugzlee Atomz, Brother El, Galapagos 4, Villain, Presence, Single Minded Pros, Manifest Destiny, Frontline, Organic Mind Unit, Hourglass, Sidewalk Skolaz, Time Travel Radio, Rage Hotline, He Who Walks Three Ways, Larry Mondragon, Luke of Law, DR Groove, Diamond Kut, Black Fist, Unorthodox Rhyme Pattern, Euphonics, Hip House, Red Dog, Beat Parlor, Metro, It’s Yours Magazine, Long Shot, Erica 312, Shazam Bangles, Longshot, Diverse, Seven, Psalm One, Chips Pentium, Rift Napalm, Meaty Ogre, Offwhyte, Centric I.E., Record Playas, the great DJ PNS, and on and on...
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8. |
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7X3=21 Verse:
If you like rapping, let’s make it happen
I’ll make the music, you listen to it; law of attraction
Just a fraction of a second, that’s all I’m asking
I reckon when time beacons I’ll be cashing my final rations
What a time to be alive, What a time ta die
What a time to give up…What a time to try
Sometimes the obvious is the only way to find
A way around the metaphors of another kind
A different breed, a mystery, lost history
And if you find this wrong, we agree to disagree
Distantly is where I wish my wish to be
Like the caterpillar looking up so wistfully
This is me, so take me as I am or leave
I claim this land to lay my plans and plant my seeds...
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9. |
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7X3=21 Verse (as the voice of stress)
Not sense in lyin, I’ve been scheming on a means to conduct
A musical experiment, this is science, not luck
Appearances can be deceiving as the nonsense we believe in
So I’m constantly relieving my stress, for just that reason
Unsheathing the sword of truth, cutting through all the lies
Cutting ties, with the liars and their prior disguise
SURPRISE..I didn’t forget about the study I mentioned
THIS IS IT, you’re the subject, so just keep on existing
As far as getting my data, well, I have methods
Mask my message in colorful language, for maximum efforts
Math and symmetric(s), my past and my present
That’s the essence of every rhyme written, and it’s effective
My life's riddle, at times I think I’m destined for Ritalin
But maybe stress will get me first and just cut out the middlemen
And if I die, DON’T cry, naw, start celebrating
And say, ‘His final moments they were, they breath-taking’
And for that space left vacant, I bare my soul, naked
This is the purest form of me, you take that how you take that…
Buk verse (as the voice of reason):
THEY SAY
LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT
QUITE AN UGLY STATEMENT
THINGS GET A LITTLE BIT
RIOTOUS IN THE MIND
FOR THE RIGHTEOUS AND
THE DIVINE TOO
NOTHING IS SACRED
QUIET A LIMITED TIME
WE SWING ON THE VINE
OF VIOLENCE
ABOVE THE HATRED
ADJACENT TO THE
ANSWER TO IT ALL
DO SOMETHING OR
NOTHING CHANGES
INTERNALIZE MY TURMOIL
ITS ONGOING
WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE
I SNEAK INSIDE
I SEEK INSIDE THYSELF
FOR HELP
BUT NO ONES HERE
CLOUDY MENTAL REGIONS
A THOUSAND DIFFERENT REASONS
TO BE ALIVE
I FOUND SPECIFIC DEFENSE
TO LOCK UP MY DEMONS
WITH THE KEY TO SURVIVE
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10. |
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The fine line of what I’m trying to define
Is hard to describe, it’s one of kind, it’s solely mine
It’s just a matter of time, that’s not a sign, NEIN
I got a mathematically mind
I crunched the numbers ‘bout a thousand times
The bottom line, them numbers ain’t lying
Still, the path that you choose is hard to find
But since I trust the process, I keep on trying
It’s not like I’m on the firing line, but still I’m stressed
If it’s a test, then, that’s fine
I plan to ace it, past the basics, my saving grace is
Is that it pays to master patience
Take all my pain and place it in glass encasements
Then put it on display for passing faces
People’s misery is SO fascinating
At least so it seems, from the way the world’s behaving
There are no safe havens, some deeds don’t need praising
Even SOME dreams aren’t worth saving
Choose the right ones, you only life live once
I got all my needs, and now I’m working on my wants
That’s what life does, but even with light funds
I learned to live life fun, and dance to my own drum…
I’m trying to dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
I’m trying to dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
I’m trying to dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
I wanna dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
My dad grew up in Motown, on Rangoon
‘Ball of Confusion’ one of his favorite tunes
He loved the Temptations, Spinners, and 4 Tops
The Staple Singers, Rose Royce, Johnny Guitar Wats(on)
The Jackson Five, Tammy Terrel, and Marvin Gaye
Glady’s Knight, Brass Construction, and The O'jays
We had the Kenwood wood grain stereo
Creating a vibe I would describe as ethereal
Flip through his records, reading the artist’s names
Tower of Power, Parliament, and Rick James
I used to love ‘Dream Maker’, the Slow Jams
And Gil Scott Heron was deeper than I could understand
But 1980 was an album I loved
The title track, ‘Shut Em Down’and ‘Push Comes To Shove’
Earth Wind Fire taking trips to the great beyond
‘Jupiter’, creative writing made my brain respond
BT Express, Ohio Players, T-Connection and Bar-Kays
Then, Millie Jackson and Lou Rawls playing on Saturdays
Clean house while tunes played or dub tapes
Put it in my Walkman, and walk to the arcade
My dad played Centipede, I play Robotron
Then off to the record store, dig for some new songs
There weren’t many concerts, or a music scene
But still I got to see James Brown as a pre-teen
Kool & the Gang, AND Peaches & Herb
Or coming from the movies, singing ‘Grease Is the Word’
And though always I loved the music I was never inspired
To choose an instrument and implement to my desires
I was always a writer, trying to write a future that’s brighter
But dark themes seeped in, creeping up like a spider…
HOMEMADE DRUM…
But if I got a second chance, I think I’d bond with the drum
The foundation of the sound, the breath for my lungs
The light to my soul, the rhythm that I use to control
My emotions and I’m hoping that the drummer has soul
And throughout the multiverse I bet there’s version of me
Making homemade drums from my own birch tree
I would hollow out the middle and perfect its shape
Meticulous to a tee about the sound it makes
And, when the drumsticks hit, I guess their bound to break
I value passion in my playing, over small mistakes
That’s all it takes, I’mma learn all the breaks
And bang ‘em out with hands just to raise the stakes
Pain and aches erased by the bliss it makes
The mylar gets scarred, how much can it take?
And if I ever get a chance to meet that version of me
Personally, I probably let the style flow free
It’s like Kang and Immortus, dimensional borders
Time Travel to do battle with those who ignored us
The warning signs are borderline too easy to find
Still the people seem to miss em, nearly all of the time
But, my sight’s fine,, I’m wide eyed, and I’m way past young
Soul searching for my purpose like a homemade drum
I’m trying to dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
I’m trying to dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
I’m trying to dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
I trying dance to my own drum
Looking forward to my future, glancing back where I came from
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11. |
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I moved to Illinois in 1985
For a short time went to Highland Park High
I was the only one there with the gift of rhyme
I would kick a verse on the bus or at lunch time
There was Larry, Damen, LOD, & Dominique
Chuck G, SPO, Art, Shabonna, Graffiti Pete
That was my peeps, we walked the streets
Blasting beats, on the search for the newest Hip Hop release
One day SPO gave me a tape, and said I had it peep it
He had found radio’s best kept secret
Larry Larry, Sweet MD, Tshab Lee
Cash Money Jerome and Kelly G
That first tape’s how I heard about Mikey D
We’re Treacherous, trading rhymes with the Symbolic 3
That was the start of many new discoveries
Castle D, Tony D, & Harmony
‘I’m Nitro’, T La Rock, with QD III
Kaos, ‘Court is Session’, & Derek B
Silver Bullet, 'Bring the Forth Guillotine'
And locally, Legion of Doom, Mad Phace and EC
Cutmaster DC, IRM Crew
A preview to where I would I eventually move to (MPLS)
MC Chill, Ultimate Choice, and King Tee
King Sun, Vandy C, BDP, Tragedy
Ultramagnetic MCs, Spectrum City
Rakim ask me to check out his melody
In ’87, they hipped me to Kings of Pressure,
‘You Know How To Reach Us’, I was speechless, their style was extra
P-lee hit you with the knowledge and the history
A New York native so Hip Hop was his pedigree
The All Rap Party, I listened religiously
Throughout my school days, like Busy Bee
Then in 88, that was my graduation
The same year I heard ‘Poison’ on that same station
Years later, specifically '92
Driving home from work, can you guess where I’m tuned to?
They played a song with several rappers, all were strong
Mind control through the ear like the Wrath of Kahn
Because the hosts didn’t say what the record was
I had to know right then…just because
I drove straight to the station, knocked on the door
Asked about the record that they played an hour before
They let me in, found the record and let me inspect it
It was ‘Protect Your Neck’, it was unexpected
Speaking of which, in 95 something strange happened
Not just a phone call, particular call to action
It was Shawn Boogie Boyd, he wanted to know
If I’d be willing to do my own radio show
On the Sound Experiment, are you kidding me?
I’ll be there every week from now until infinity
That was the birth of Time Travel, on April 20
I gave my all to that I show, I mean that truly
I’m AMC, since then I’ve come so far
So I gotta give some of the props to NUR
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12. |
Props...Guaranteed
02:17
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13. |
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3Wisemen Entertainment Minneapolis, Minnesota
3Wisemen Entertainment is the brainchild of Kevin Beacham, and is the over-arching brand for his various ventures of the past and present; Stories About Songs Podcast (Coming Soon!), Time Travel Radio, RedefineHipHop, Redefinition Radio, Caught In The Middle Magazine, etc... ... more
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