Last week, I lost one of my all-time heroes, artists, and inspirations in what I can only explain as an absolute tragedy. Evan Sewell Wallace, E-Dubble, E-Dubs, or Two Tone Rebel as his fans called him, passed away on February 13, 2017. He was 34 years old.
E-Dubble was a very large, tall rapper who looked as intimidating as any other rapper, and spat bars just as well if not better than all of them, but there's one very major difference between E-Dubs and Chance, the Rapper; E-Dubble used music to not only entertain but to inspire and teach his listeners every wise word he had in him.
A while back, I wrote an article on my 2nd tattoo, featuring lyrics from a song of E-Dubs, and what those lyrics and his music means to me, especially in my past. I went through a very dark part of my life where I was depressed and lonely, and in hindsight, music was the only consistent escape, especially E-Dub's. I must've listened through every track possible at least a dozen time over the course of a year. Every time I would listen to one of his songs, I couldn't help but feel a little bit better about myself and my life.
In 2012, E-Dub released his 2nd full-length album, Reset. The album surrounded the theme of overcoming melancholy, depression and helplessness in every track from the very start to the closing lines. He spits on when life gets down, you down give up, you hit the Reset and start again, what it's like to let go a life "Living through a Cycle of Nightmares," what it's like to have to self-motivate because nothing else will and what it felt like to take back control of his life by "Talking in some Code Words." He gave lessons and insight on how to be your own strong, independent person with ambition and desire in your heart, and he didn't even mean to.
E-Dub said he never wanted to be someone's hero, just a great artist, but he ended up the hero of many people's lives and issues, just like mine. He knew he would be a great artist some day, he figured he might be a hero too, but he was always a king, just like his mamma told him. I love E-Dub, he taught me how to have ambition, and how every issue or every fork in the road is not just one way or another; He refused to be Two-Toned. With his death, however, his legacy lives on forever in the hearts of his family, friends, fans and of course, his music.
Thank you for everything, Evan. You are already heavily missed, but you will never be forgotten. You were a king in this life, and we KNOW you will Be A King in the next one.
