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Bars × The Bar

✦ Issue No. 01

Welcome to Bars + Bureau — the insider newsletter for those who crave community beyond the music highlight reel.

Bars + Bureau is the space between the studio and the C-suite — where real hip-hop lives seamlessly with the legal world, and where the Bespoke317 community gets transparency into the thinking, the process, and the moves made behind the scenes.

If you're here, you're getting more familiar with Bespoke317. The music. The brand. The vision. But this is where you can start to see behind the curtain. Each issue is specially tailored; stitched with gratitude, love, and abundance. For those who want more than what's on the feed.

Let's get it 💯

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§ 01

The Motion

In the physical realm, we exist in time and space - where change is the only constant and nothing stands still. Stagnation is death. Motion is life.

Hip hop culture continues to shape behaviors, set trends, and create vibes on a global scale. Bespoke317 lives amidst - and contributes to - that motion. This section of the issue is where we bask in what's happening right now — the convergence of creativity in two different worlds. Every issue checks the pulse of where Bespoke317 is right now.

  • ✦   Unseen Hands is out on all major platforms. This project is the culmination of 20+ years of development, work, resetting, networking, and persistence. Underneath it all, the universe continues to conspire to push me toward my highest calling - to create with love, gratitude, and abundance.
  • ✦   While we celebrate releasing Unseen Hands, Bespoke317 continues to create. I've been in the studio with the same producers who graced the EP (baleboygeechie and bowlbaytheproducer). The themes are relevant and timely - power struggles, community, relationship growth, self care, and hustle/grind remain top of mind.
  • ✦   The law practice is here to stay - and it's still how I pay the bills. Every day I wake up and help clients with complex environmental law and sustainability matters. As a partner at the firm, I operate in a high performance dynamic measured by rigorous metrics and sophisticated client expectations. Firm life is time intensive but still provides a level of flexibility to pursue my passion. The bar is high - let's go and get it.
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§ 02

The Docket

In this section of the issue, subscribers get first access to what's next for Bespoke317 — upcoming releases, drops, appearances, projects, and exclusives before they hit the public domain. If it's on "The Docket", it's already in motion.

  • ✦   Unseen Hands is barely the tip of the iceberg for the music catalog we've created and continue to grow. Bespoke317 has deep unreleased cuts. Might be time to drop a few singles as a preview to the next project…
  • ✦   Would love to hear from the community about the vibe you want to hear next. Navigating fear and love? Inspirational god talk? Classic golden era hip hop? Afro beat fusion? Let me know!
  • ✦   AI is transforming how we absorb and share information. It has already impacted my law practice by making tools available to increase efficiency. We're also seeing rapid adoption of AI by artists - especially with visual and audio enhancements. I've experimented with Suno to create new sounds while still maintaining 100% lyrical authorship and authenticity (I'm not letting AI write for me ever). What's your take on AI in either industry?
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§ 03

Off the Record

This is an unfiltered conversation. Every issue shares a personal insight from the only perspective that sees both sides of the table — artist and attorney, studio and courtroom. The lessons, the tensions, the wins, and the wisdom that aren't always captured in social media snapshots.

Don't quote me. It's off the record.

  • ✦   I just finished a three day "partner retreat" our law firm hosted in Austin, TX. I've been super slow with client work lately and the retreat was the perfect place to connect with colleagues and strategize on how to develop new work. It was also physically demanding - each day started at 7 am and stretched until 2 or 3 am the following morning. But I also leaned in to the music and made some fascinating connections for parallel tools in both spaces (legal and music). Onward!
  • ✦   I'd be remiss not to mention the heightened tension and political climate in the US. This is an encouraging note to remember that evil is a temporary teacher. It arises to force us to meet the challenge and test whether we've learned from past mistakes. When the lesson learned is applied, the evil passes. Keep organizing, supporting, and holding each other up in the face of hate. The only way to lose is to do nothing.