Princeton is full of such talented people across the artistic spectrum. Case in point: Denzel "Da'Lux Blaze" Cadet. Reppin the great class of 2010, Da'Lux has def earned the respect of me and all his peers by continuing to exercise his talent for emceeing in the name of God. I'll let him tell it:
Natural disasters. Broken families. Recession. Depression. Injustice. Abuse. Pain and suffering, both personal and global. These all add up to a dark situation indeed, and one doesn’t have to look far to be confronted by this darkness. The lines of many emcees clearly depict these circumstances in our world, but few offer us hope. However, in my debut mixtape, Turn the Lights On!, I add my voice to the mix, and aim to do just that.
Part autobiography, part journal, part social commentary, and part call to action, the project represents my heart in lyrical form. I hope to take the listener on an emotional and sonic journey back in time in my own life, through the darkness that currently engulfs our world, and finally towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
For the casual listener, it confronts problems of pain, suffering, injustice, and emptiness that anyone can easily recognize, and audaciously seeks to offer hope in midst of these dark circumstances.
For those who profess to be Christians, it encourages a second look at the brilliant, eye-opening grace of God as manifested through Jesus, and seeks to inspire a (re)new(ed) commitment to blaze brightly as lights for all who suffer physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Check out the mixtape. 17 tracks featuring production and vocals by other Princetonians including DJ D. Scott, Jeff Zhao, Maraiya Symone Hakeem, Aldwin Crooks, Tyrell Hall and Miriam Camara as well as other producers.
You can download the mixtape here: http://daluxblaze.bandcamp.com/