There’s always a battle beyond the art.....Sometimes the battle is what drives you to do the art in the first place.

Just like that context has been added to Chadwick’s contribution. He purposely played important Black roles to inspire a generation and uplift.

This morning giving people another moment to reflect on what you are doing here....

The brother was principled AND disciplined. Combination of the two are some of the most powerful attributes of human character.

It feels a lot real for me as I was going back and forth to hospital four years ago for my own Cancer checks. The weight loss everyone saw in me. Wearing a coat at my bookings because I was so cold and couldn’t generate body heat. My Liver biopsy at hospital and Trim turned up.

To lift my spirits. It’s the confusion that was killing me man. I thought I WAS living a healthy life so for the doctors to say we think you might have Cancer I was like what?! Then after the liver biopsy, 4 months later I have a pulmonary embolism in both lungs.

Lying on that damn bed everything changes. When hospital staff know you by first name. Across two hospital sites. When you have 8 scans in a year. MRI after MRI. That scan you do when you have to drink the solution which makes your veins feel like they’re on fire.

Your perspective changes immediately. When they did the liver biopsy on me with no anaesthetic just a steady hand and ultrasound to guide the needle. You think differently about life. I don’t think anyone should have to go through this to “get the message!”

But there is one.

First thing that changed for me was my parenting style. I felt I had to get things off my chest from a black man to black boys who would be men soon. I had to tell them what’s coming up. I was petrified of leaving WITHOUT letting them know what they’re in store for.

Not even the dying part that bothered me. I was 9 stone at my lowest. I had no answers from doctors. Just was more concerned about raising boys with the anxiety of growing up in this mad world.

But I learned to function through it. Didn’t miss a radio show. Didn’t miss a DJ set. I would just laugh off any questions about my weight loss. You get good at that in music and I kept my coat on to make sure I kept warm.
But mentally you take a battering.

And your pocket does too having to pay for hospital parking on a Friday to check the viscosity of my blood at the anti-coag clinic. I’m the youngest person in there at the time. In 5 months I’ve gone from hearing the words Cancer to regularly taking Warfarin.

Everyone does this thing saying “you don’t know what someone else is going through” but sometimes they do and they just don’t care. I knew that. I’m more concerned about use this time you have here efficiently and to help others. Because when it comes, there’s nothing you can do

First thing you feel is self pity. But you get stronger and you understand if everyone does have their own battles that’s what they’re doing taking care of them. But we have to just learn how to get the lesson BEFORE a good person dies.

The human body is so complex I’ll never blame a doctor for not understanding how it works. Better spent using our energy on making sure our contributions up until that time are on point and rather for the collective good than the individual.

Lots of allegory to unravel in the film of Black Panther but it’s a fictional character which exaggerates the power of human sacrifice. He was invested in the ALL. If he wins we all win. Pretty simple.

Functioning when you’re sick doesn’t afford you the perspective that people use to gauge whether you need help or not. Change in behaviour normally is the first indication. If nothing changes people don’t usually intervene.

You definitely can not help everyone. That’s impossible. I knew that. But if you’re close to people you can study their movements and identify changes. Even on here the way people speak. You can tell if somethings not right. IF YOU’RE PAYING ATTENTION.

Just for a moment think beyond the art and look at the message and the example being set. That’s what art was designed to do. Provide a pathway for societies to operate better. It’s never JUST escapism. The lesson is not just Black Panther now it’s also Chadwick too