This is a mixtape that me and one of my all time best friends, Byrdie, recorded in my studio. We were very close but due to life and different directions, we fell out of contact for many years. Many people did not know, but one of the reasons why he seemed to just vanish from the local music scene, was because he was battling cancer. Near the end of 2009 he gave me a call and explained all that he had went through when we were out of contact and all that he was still going through dealing with his health. He decided that he wanted to do music again, but wanted to start with a mixtape first. I was honored, because Byrdie could have gone to any studio and could have gotten an engineer with more experience, but he chose me. He said that he felt comfortable dealing with me because of our close history and he trusted me; plus, it would give us time to catch up.

We started recording this project at the very end of 2009 around October or November. This was good because not only were we creating a foundation for him to work off of, after many years of taking a break, but I started seeing Byrdie on a frequent basis at least once a week. We recorded all of 2010 as well and didn't finish until the spring of 2011. During the final process of putting this mixtape together in 2011 a very amazing thing took place, the cancer that was in his stomach started shrinking. The doctors didn't know what to think about it and didn't know why it was shrinking, but it shrunk small enough for him to have a surgery and get it removed. This surgery put a major delay on the project, but more importantly it gave Byrdie the confidence that he needed to actually finish the album; because before the good news of the cancer shrinking, he started having a lot of doubts about the project. Life can be kind of funny in that way. I can't say for sure that he would have had the confidence he needed to finish what he had started without this serious surgery that took place. One thing is for certain though, he attributed the reversal of his cancer to positive thought. Both me and Byrd believed that this was a solid answer since the doctors didn't have a reason why the cancer started shrinking in size. During our friendship we had hundreds of very deep conversations about everything from government conspiracies & The Illuminati, to God, Biblical prophesy and the Bible. Byrdie was a very deep dude and it was through my dad's teachings and similar spiritual beliefs, that we really bonded and became brothers. Needless to say, during this process of recording his project, we picked up right where we had left off years before, but this time our focus had more to do with our own personal effect on our realities as humans. We had many discussions about the effects of positive thinking on the outcomes of our lives; and it was during this time I started talking to him about what I had learned over the years due to my research in Quantum Physics, and what it had to say about human thought effecting our reality. There were days that me and Byrd didn't record anything....We just sat there and discussed these things in great detail.

This mixtape represents a very important period in Byrd's life. It reflects a time when he made a decision to put his doubts, fears, struggles and his health behind him and come back to something he loved with all his heart. It also represents a time in his life that he, for a brief period, triumphed over something that stood in his way; and it was our belief that he did so, by all of our positive talks & deep discussions, accompanied by his dreams, aspirations and time in the studio, getting back to what he loved to do most. This album also represents a final installment of his works as an artist and showcases all aspects of who he was as a human being.

I just found out that he died today and as sad as I am right now as I write this, I'm also happy for him that he was able to finally complete the final stage of human evolution and move forward into the next stage of consciousness. Byrdie wasn't conquered by death, he overcame it, like thousands of our brothers and sister before him. The "Bird" or "Byrdie" is a symbolic representation of The Phoenix. The Phoenix is a mythical bird of fire that lives for 500 years and burns into ashes, but then like Christ, rises three days later to be re-born and live again....Forever More! This is BYRDIE! He is not dead, but will live on forever in the hearts and minds of every person he touched along the way. He also lives on through captured moments such as these and many other projects he either envisioned and manifested, or was apart of. It is the cycle of life and one of the great mysteries of GOD and the universe. Like the Phoenix we will all live and die, but rise again. Seen from this perspective, life on Earth is then likened unto the life of a caterpillar in a cocoon; and once we "die" we go through a metamorphosis and are reborn as a beautiful butterfly, with colorful wings. Byrdie has his wings now! He is now officially, "N FLIGHT!" REST IN PARADISE J-BYRDIE! You will be missed, but I'm proud that you found your way back home.

Jewels Hunter - November 30th 2013