Everyone seems to have their own demons to face and inner struggles with which to contend.  This is all part of existence and being human.  If you believe that the universe or “God” gives you hints or signs to help you along your way, then it is our job to recognize these signs and act upon them for better or for worse.  If this is indeed the case then the universe or “God” is screaming at Joe Threat and sometimes punching him in the face!

I hear it in his music which is mostly a reflection of his inner battles of an artist torn between the righteousness of man and the demons that try and lure him into the realms of self-destruction.  He chooses the stage name Threat which could mean many things; however, it seems to me that if anything, he is a Threat to himself.

His verses are passageways to enlightenment and darkness and he’s constantly battling which direction to go.  Here is an artist who drops everything and spends a year wandering about emotionally trying to process the recent death of his father, locked up lyrically.  Spiritually, run down and burnt out.  Relying on drugs and alcohol to cope, and depressed.  Then he gets a call from a friend with an opportunity to open for Kool Keith at Toad’s Place with only one week’s notice!  He accepts the gig and kills it on stage giving him another opportunity to open up for Mos Def two weeks later.  Again, he accepts and delivers a stellar performance gaining honorable feedback from the fans, the club owner and even Mos Def himself.  The spark was back and Threat started to emerge from the dark corner he spent the last year and a half in. Ignited and inspired, Threat teams up with producer Josh Scolaro again and spends the winter recording his debut record Torch Lit Passages.  This explains why this record is so powerful lyrically and emotionally and in my opinion could easily be in the top 50 greatest Hip-Hop records of all time!

So, it looks like Threat has finally conquered his inner demons, made peace with the loss of his father and himself,  is back on track with his music and ready to launch his career with a groundbreaking debut record, so what next?  Build a website?  Book some shows?  Promote the new album?  These would be the next logical steps to help further anyone’s career, but for Threat, none of this was a possible scenario.  Again, he retreats back into himself and his spends the next year on yet another personal walk-about! Now from an industry standard, this is just insane!  From a fan’s perspective, a move like this is disappointing, but through the mind’s eye of Joe Threat, it was inevitable and necessary. You see, one has no idea nor should we ever judge the decisions made from others, especially an artist on the verge of total mental and emotional breakdown.

To give those who are interested in what is going on inside this tormented artist’s head, well … just listen to his music.  As Threat tells me in his interview, “I can’t really explain to people the way I think or feel through a normal conversation.  I am my own mystery and am trying to figure it all out the only way I know how, my music.”

Check out the upcoming “Part Three: The Promise”, the Threat interview.  To sum it up, Joe Threat has two sides.  On the surface is an outgoing, optimistic, positive attitude.  He is intelligent and very aware of not only everyday common social and political issues; but also the spiritual realm of existence in which he has waged a war on himself, hence the name of his label, Sin Righteous.  The symbols are all around him, and whether consciously or subconsciously, Threat embraces the battle head on.  His life is like a well thought-out, scripted movie with twists and turns, yet it's just his reality.  Everyone has their demons, their own challenges, inner turmoils, but not everyone expresses them poetically and skillfully and uses a microphone and beats as weapons.  It is deep to say the least.  And in Threat’s case, it makes him this brilliant unknown artist that is walking on the edge of the crossroads at which he now faces.  There is no wanna-be, pretend I'm this or that here ... Joe Threat is the real deal and has the skills to back up any claim.  His life has not been a glamorized spoon-fed fairy tale nor was he born in the ghetto.  There is a universal balance there and that is what has probably kept him alive to this point.  The last decade for JT has been a topographical map of ups and downs, high and lows, drugs, depression, jail, success, triumph and tribulation and he's just getting started!  He has upcoming plans for the release of his debut record Torch Lit Passages, recorded in 2009, followed shortly thereafter with a new mix tape dubbed The Promise of Threat.  I asked him what the promise was.  You will find his response  in the upcoming Part Three, along with the full interview and the fascinating timeline of the last decade that has led up to who Joe Threat is today.  In the meantime, visit the world of Threat at JoeThreat.com.

As we pulled back up to his house, he pointed out to me the two street names that intersect right where he lives. Battlefield/Harmony …

Torch Lit Passages is now available at CDBaby, click here to get yours!

By Director, Founding Partner and CEO: Chris Mullican

Chris is a Founding Partner of Magazine33 and is a visionary force that largely conceptualized the seed of what is now known as Magazine33.  He grew up in the small town of Reedville, Virginia.  Soon thereafter he spread his wings and traveled across the country, finding a guitar, friends that became family, and spiritual guidance along the way.  Since returning to Virginia, his life continues to be full of love, music, personal revelations, and success.  Look out world, Chris and VPs Ben and Helen have an expansion compulsion - so look for Magazine33 all around the country and the globe soon!!!