blackinkflow

Internal Gaze Hip-hop music, once renowned for being a platform for creative expression, lyrical battles and the voice of the people, has, sadly, become a playground for any half talented artist with a gimmick and/or a criminal record to validate their street credit. In this new age popularity contest nonsensical lyrics, a catchy hook and a few local radio spins is all an artist need to be thrust into the limelight. As Hip-hop becomes more and more watered down and ringtone sales rise, u...

Internal Gaze Hip-hop music, once renowned for being a platform for creative expression, lyrical battles and the voice of the people, has, sadly, become a playground for any half talented artist with a gimmick and/or a criminal record to validate their street credit. In this new age popularity contest nonsensical lyrics, a catchy hook and a few local radio spins is all an artist need to be thrust into the limelight. As Hip-hop becomes more and more watered down and ringtone sales rise, underground artist searching for that big break seem to all conform to the cookie cutter music industry standard. Today’s emcees have fallen to the depths of dance-instructing, alleged drug dealing, pistol whip ya mama, shoot ya baby in its crib “rappers” more concerned with being promiscuous and popping champagne than writing real Hip-hop music. As the Hip-hop life support machines pump out new artist after new artist with more bells and whistles than talent. Black Ink Flow is waiting in the wings poised to bring Hip-hop out of its stupor. Refusing to “dumb it down” and conform, Flow (born Jamel White) has pioneered his own conduit to the masses. With witty wordplay and a topical catalog that intermingles underground with mainstream (party/ fun hip-hop), Black Ink Flow has proven that you don’t have to conform to shake up the rap game. 
Born and raised in Harlem, New York. Black Ink Flow found himself growing up amid the confrontational street wars between rival gangs. Shots fired, police searches and blood on the concrete was a normal part of Black Ink’s day as a teen on the East side of Harlem, New York City, Black Ink Flow grew up under some of the most harsh living conditions which made him more resilient than the average urban survivor. Black Ink Flow wasn't by far your common inner city youth. He knew he was different from an early age and developed a habit of doing the opposite of his friends and relatives. While all of his friends were dropping out of high school to get an education in street pharmaceuticals, Flow immersed himself in literature, drawing pads and drum sticks. Influenced by steel pan instruments at an early age Black Ink Flow found his gift for music. He soon traded in his Six Bass drum sticks for a pen and a pad. In the middle of the East Coast, West Coast beef, Flow penned his hardest rap lyrics but soon became apprehensive after the death of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. He in turn studied the song concepts, rhyme cadences and lyricism of Nas, Outkast, Black Star and Jay-Z. 

In 2005, Flow dropped his first solo mixtape, No Name in the Streets. The title of which he took from James Baldwin’s (one of Harlem’s most brilliant literary minds) No Name in the Street book Flow read while growing up. The buzz gained by his first solo mixtape pushed him further into the who’s who of underground Hip-hop artist. Without being signed to a major recording deal, being heavily promoted or having big name production, Black Ink Flow is gearing up to transition from nameless to being celebrated for his unique take on Hip-hop. 
Now, realizing his full potential and finally being in position to capitalize on such aptitude, Flow has returned with his first solo full length album, Internal Gaze. A largely existent tour-de-force, the album's title is inspired by Black Ink Flow’s nonconformist view of Hip-hop. This time around, Flow introduces his fans to Jamel White. As he looks inside himself he finds what is real to him as well as talent that can not be forged. With exhaustively written tracks like “Do All the Work Pt. 2”, “Good Music” and “I Must be Getting Older” Flow boasters his distinctive stamp on the rap game. 
The potent sense of thematic execution comes across perfectly on “Epitome of Catching’ Wreck” a highlight of Black Ink Flow’s Internal Gaze serves as a warning to his fans and fellow Hip-hop artists, that only you can stop yourself from obtaining your goals and with the power of obtaining your goals comes responsibility. Flow utilizes his metaphoric style of messaging: “They say the ceiling stop ya momentum / that’s a mental block / you just became ya own victim.” 
Elsewhere, Flow strays away from his thematic wordplay to feed the party animal in all of us with tracks like “Walking In New Steps,” “Turn It Up” and “The Good Old Days.” Black Ink Flow aim is to provide is fans with quality music, so if your looking for that prototypical club banger, look no further than the first single, "We Can Get Down," produced by Flow's closest collaborator, Gemstars, and radiating with imagery: "I know ya’ll tired of waiting / Like pedestrians crossing / I came to throw the old game / right in the coffin / ya’ll goin’ hear Black Ink Flow on ya radio often / Keep fans tweetin’ like a school full of dolphins / son rappers, daddy War-bucks of the orphans / know I’m on my J.O. cuz the haters keep talking.” 
Produced by an array of underground producers and featuring lyrical contributions from a diverse ensemble of unsigned hop-hop artist and poets, Internal Gaze is evidence that talent can still make waves in the rap game and also that Black Ink Flow is everything but an average MC. Internal Gaze is a full out effort to further captivate the minds of Hip-hop fans looking for something fresh and ferocious. Internal Gaze will forever change the opinion of what people consider to be “Hot” ultimately changing their taste buds to filet minion, and Black Ink Flow is fully aware of this. With a crossover appeal, this young wordsmith is gearing up for a "Breakout Year," and while everyone else conform to the auto-tune state of Hip-hop, Black Ink Flow a conscience and observant MC will hold steadfast reminding us all to take an Internal Gaze.