Most people consider this to be my second album because my mixtape (Stay True) was like an album. "While I'm Still Young" Is my first studio album. The "Stay True" release was a mixtape that had all original lyrics and no samples in the music (BEAT) and I didn't use popular instrumentals. I actually started out recording it as an album in the winter of 2005. However I had a lot of draw backs. By the time 2006 summer came around it was looking more like my album will never come out. The production was not where I wanted it to be at the time. Mind you (Stay True) was my first step in the music business. Anyway, eventually, when fall of 2006 came around I ceased the opportunity to put it out as a mixtape through Qryptonik Records and Fred E. Fame.
   

Soon after my mixtape was released, the most unfortunate thing happened; one of the producers (who was also an artist on my former label) left the label and pulled all the beats he made for me on the mixtape. That threw a monkey ranch into my movement because here I was trying to push my mixtape and now I had to re-record songs to keep it from falling apart.

 
I decided to record a whole new mixtape entitled "P. O. S" (Product of Society) in January of 07 to make up for the ‘Stay True’ mixtape being hampered. It seemed at the time that every rapper was coming out with a mixtape or a song bearing a similar title. I had to drop that idea.

That winter a movie producer by the name of Duke Panache’ emerged and started showing interest in the remaining songs on the 'Stay True' mixtape. He put a really good deal on the table which I liked. The plan was simple, we’ll re-record the entire mixtape at our (me and my former label) expense and he (the movie producer) would put them on the soundtrack for his upcoming movie. That plan failed in 2007 because he (the movie producer) fell out with all the producers I worked with and even some artists who were suppose to be on my hooks.

I even fell out with my former label over that deal because I wasn't signed to them and we were having disagreements over percentages of the royalties that were suppose to come from the movie producer. He (the movie producer) brought his own producer to record me and he bought some new beats from one of my other producers who had produced a few songs on the "Stay True" mixtape. When he fell out with that guy I began to question his (the movie producer) judgement. I sensed that he might not have been truthful about the real nature of the deal because things were not going according to plan. I opted out.

 
That soundtrack deal came with a lot of drama which distracted me from my original goal which was to record my album but it allowed me to see the nature of the music business first hand as well as the true colors of the people I did business with. It was definitely an eye opening experience that I learned a lot from. I decided to do my own thing after that.

                     

I established my own Record label and publishing company. It was late spring of 2007 when I went back into the studio and started to record "While I’m Still Young - the talking drums". As I recorded, the new producers whom I'd employed started to complain because they wanted more money. Eventually I decided to pay a more experienced producer to record me. That was when I wrote a bunch of new songs. I also took a couple of songs from the "Stay True" and "P.O.S" Mixtapes, rewrote the lyrics and revamped the production for the album. That was because some of those songs were special to me since I had written them when I was living in West Africa. I wanted those songs to be heard and remembered.

The concept I went with was survival and triumph. I didn’t use any samples but I did crossovers with calypso, reggae, rock n roll and dance music formats to bring a different vibe to my usual sound.