“Never be something that you not, but everything you can.” – Mustard Seeds
A few powerful words from the poetic voice of L. Joevon, whose determination proves whether you bloom from soil or you blossom from concrete, you still flourish. This analogy is the basis for Joevon’s Seeds in the Concrete (SITC) initiative.
“You would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. So why is it that when you see some ghetto kid grow out all of the dirtiest circumstances and he can talk and sit across of from you, make you smile, make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is that dirty rose,” L says during promo video to SITC’s website.
L. Joevon
Joevon is no stranger to ‘dirty circumstances’ as his childhood was plagued by the horrors of parental abandonment and foster care abuse. At the ripe age of 12, L was consumed by the gangs of Brooklyn. The life dealt him a slew of misdemeanors and even greater, enemies that did not abide by legal warfare. After taking two bullet wounds to the chest, L was rushed to the hospital where his pursuers soon followed.
It wasn’t until after a three-year stint in a maximum security prison did Joevon finally decide to change his ways. Still grounded in the bullet-ridden seeds of his past, L learned to grow in spite of the concrete that cemented his path.
Which brings us to the most recent release of Joevon’s ‘Mustard Seeds’ lyric video. The solitary of L’s prison sentence brought forth his yearn to write. There in his cell, Joevon began to create his 12-song album for his Seeds in the Concrete project. The song ‘Mustard Seeds’ maps the progression of his expression as Joevon raps, “I was locked in the cell, but my mind was set free.”
More than a rapper, more than a writer, Joevon is an artist with unending fuel for his expression. Joevon has also released the first 33 pages of his novel, Seeds in the Concrete: Change Your Perception to Change Your Reality. The book is filled with the raw emotion of an uncensored dialogue. As Lance’s friend in the novel tries to right his wayward path, he admits to only himself, “I was in so deep that if I looked up, I would have only seen a speck of light from where I’d begun.” On the topic of his writing’s unedited dialogue, Joevon tells Rush Hour Daily, “I wrote in this style so people would understand the circumstances to where I’m from.”
Joevon is a visionary who sees passed literature’s conventions and the stagnant society that deemed them the norm. His voice is authentic and relatable. It cuts the formalities. It’s raw, while both heart wrenching and hopeful. L’s past grounds the validity of his words and inspires a wealth of others who share a similar history.
Whether L is rapping the verse, putting the words to his novel’s storyline or compiling both methods in film, he is a man who is no longer allowing his past to define his future. Rather, Joevon is inspiring those with the same concrete past to see beyond the cinder block walls. He’s inspired a change in perspective, for a rose is still a rose regardless of where it sprouted.
You can find excerpts of Joevon’s novel, as well as clips of his songs and films on Seeds of the Concrete’s website. Make sure to follow the project on Facebook to get up-to-the-minute information on the novel’s release. And for more lyrics videos, stay tuned on Joevon’s YouTube channel!
Featured Image via Facbook/ Seeds in the Concrete
