Awon

Actual Proof. New album loading…. For now enjoying the days, the weather, and the blessings.

3.26 is for the culture! Shouts out to my bro .kwality for locking in with me on our new single Since 87 to celebrate our love of Air Max. I love sneakers in general, but the Air Max is the one that set it off for me. We have the single streaming everywhere, also on my bandcamp. Check out the video on YouTube! We did the damn thing for Air Max Day! Salute to all my comrades.

March 22nd 2021 and I dropped Nothing Less. I can’t believe it’s already been 5 years since we released this. It was recorded during the pandemic, it was our first offering since 2018’s The Actual Proof which is why those two albums seem connected. This was one of our biggest sellers on vinyl. We appreciate everyone who contributed to this album and who has supported us by listening to or purchasing this album. The pace on this one is slower, more subdued like we are pacing ourselves after a long hiatus from working out, there are some very potent and thoughtful tracks on this one, definitely a period piece. What is your favorite joint on this one?

Photos are by the community. I can’t remember whose is whose lol!

March 20th 2018 and I dropped The Actual Proof. This album helped to take our careers to another level. Ironically there was no real story behind making it, I had just moved to Northern VA and Phoniks was just sending beats. It was similar to how we made Return to the Golden Era, just pure inspiration. At this point we had both matured in the game, we already had toured Europe a couple times and we just wrapped shooting Underdogs. I guess we were feeling ourselves 🤣. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, who purchased a ticket or an album, and for those who hit us up from time to time just to say they enjoy what we do. I love yall. 🫡

Happy Anniversary it’s been 18 years of marriage and 22 years of an amazing journey. Together we have fulfilled our childhood dreams, built a beautiful family, and made amazing friends that are a strong village for us today. Yesterday you told me when you think of us it’s not anything romantic for our song 🤣 it’s more like Mobb Deep Survival of the Fittest, that’s why we are together and I couldn’t agree more! We have not only survived, but we have thrived creating a story that will be shared amongst our family for many years to come. Survival of the Fittest only the Strong Survive. Rest in Peace thank you for the soundtrack to our day.

Photo by either (Happy Birthday) or .diary (I’m getting old 🤣)

2016 Annecy, France

Rest in Power! ✊🏿💜 Jesse Jackson, thank you for everything you stood for.

I got the app just to see this because seeing is believing right, not so much these days 😂, but I guess for me I wasn’t keeping count. Then I realized that this year marks 18 years since my first album Beautiful Loser, and 13 years since my rebirth with Return to the Golden Era. It has been a journey and without bots, co-signs, or a puppet master, we have been able to do great things. So thank you to everyone who has been listening to me. Thank you to all the people around me who made all of this possible. I’m gonna celebrate the small wins and big wins because it’s all earned. is a staple in the underground period, has curated a sound that carries a jazzy, funky, nostalgic magic that makes us unique. Thank you to everyone who has collaborated with me to contribute heavily to these numbers Dephlow . Shouts to the behind the scenes crew, .diary .strehl . I appreciate all of you, again thank you to everyone for listening. It’s going to be a busy 2026, and I look forward to it.

I’m starting off 26 like 24 I’m about to flood your timeline with that work! If you have been seeing the stories you already know I’m in a zone based off the vibe.

The pack landed! This quarter we had a really dope run of 4 vinyl releases. We are still waiting on All Good Things, but It’s really dope to see everyone getting their wax. It’s been truly a pleasure to see the excitement for re issues that are a decade old. Even saying that is crazy to me! I sincerely appreciate you all for constantly supporting . When and I started with Return to The Golden Era in 2013 we never imagined it would lead to still being relevant over a decade later although failure has never been in our thought process. It takes guts and a little insanity to take on the risks of facilitating your own releases from top to bottom, but I guess that is what makes it work. I can only speak for myself, but I believe that Phoniks would agree that Don’t Sleep Records was also born out of our obsession with collecting. From vinyl to sneakers, I have always been meticulous about what I collect so we made a Hip Hop label for record collectors like ourselves. The general goal is that when you see the center label you already know what you are getting. When you read the label on the spine you know what to expect. Thank you to everyone who has a collection on their shelves. I received a dope image from my homie of his collection this morning and it inspired me to write this post. A lot of emcees have many accolades, but I’m also a business man with a responsibility of preserving a dope legacy created by myself and my friends over last decade. Once again thank you to everyone who has ever supported us. Thank you to every artist who has trusted us with their dreams. Happy New Year. More to come in 2026!