B-Boy Pioneer | 1982

In 1982, I founded Minnesota's first Hip-Hop B-Boy crew. This wasn't simply dancing—it was a discipline, a culture, a movement rooted in precision, artistry, and the commitment to mastery that would define every phase of my life thereafter.

The B-Boy philosophy of breaking—the breaking of one's ego, the breaking of boundaries, the building of community through battle and mutual elevation—became foundational to my understanding of discipline, innovation, and respect for the craft.

Martial Arts & Internal Disciplines

My path in the martial arts began in 1979 at ten years old, at the Inner Truth School of Ninjitsu in Saint Paul, Minnesota, under Sensei Clifford "Chick" Moody—himself a student of Grandmaster Ronald Duncan, founder of the Way of the Winds dojo in New York City and widely honored as the "Father of American Ninjutsu." Through this lineage I have inherited a lifetime of disciplined practice rooted in authentic tradition.

Across those decades I have pursued mastery in classical and internal disciplines—Japanese and Chinese arts, and the timeless principles of combat, focus, and the integration of body, breath, and spirit. These practices mirror and reinforce the disciplines of fasting, creative work, and infrastructure mastery.

The warrior's path is the path of sustained excellence. Every form, every movement, every breath is a meditation on presence and precision.

Musicianship & Artistic Expression

Beyond martial and intellectual disciplines, I am a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. Music is another language of mastery—a practice that demands precision, vulnerability, and the willingness to refine endlessly.

In the following recording, I perform Prince's "Crazy U"—an homage to an artist whose discipline, innovation, and refusal to compromise shaped generations.

Music has also kept me in company with artists who take the craft seriously.

Witness at Paisley Park

On April 21, 2016, I was at Paisley Park when Prince Rogers Nelson passed. I was present to witness the final hours of one of the most prolific, disciplined, and innovative artists in modern history.

This was not a moment of sadness alone—it was a moment of profound clarity about the nature of legacy, commitment, and the sacred responsibility of those who carry the torch of excellence. Prince embodied every principle I have spent my life pursuing: mastery without compromise, innovation rooted in discipline, and the relentless pursuit of spiritual and artistic truth.

Service & Community

Much of my life has been spent in service alongside men whose commitment shaped a movement. In 1995, in the run-up to the Million Man March, I served on security detail for Reverend Benjamin Chavis. Over the years I have stood with ministers, elders, and artists whose work carried the discipline of faith into public life.

Morocco

What I later wrote about in The International Lover, I first lived. I traveled to Morocco prepared—the culture, the language, the family structure, the process—and was paraded through the streets of Rabat on my way to meet my fiancée, in the tradition of her people.

The Unified Path

From the concrete breaks of a Minneapolis B-Boy circle in 1982, through decades of martial discipline and musical practice, to the infrastructure engineering that stabilizes mission-critical systems, to the visionary development of Paradise Gardens—every phase of my life has been rooted in the same philosophy:

Mastery is sustained discipline. Excellence is a practice, not a destination. The body, the mind, the spirit, and the work are one.

This is the story of a life lived in service to that principle.