1. A house-centric alter-ego of Praveen Sharma (of Sepalcure, Praveen & Ben… Read Full Bio ↴1. A house-centric alter-ego of Praveen Sharma (of Sepalcure, Praveen & Benoît)
2. MC from Portland, Oregon.
3. Hardcore band, probably active in the 90's.
4. A hardcore punk band from Philadelphia, PA that has been active since 2012. http://braillephiladelphia.bandcamp.com/

1) As the house-oriented solo project of Praveen Sharma (see Sepalcure, Praveen, and Praveen & Benoit), Braille combines classic chicago house vocals with deep, dubby melodic elements, all under the pulse of post-dubstep-influenced, sub-dominating bass. His debut EP, The Year 3000, is slated for a May, 2011 release on Rush Hour.

2) Always on a musical mission, BRAILLE has become one of rap’s best-kept secrets. He has released three solo albums, performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan with artists like the late James Brown, De La Soul and others, been named one of the “Next 100” by URB magazine and collaborated with rap heavyweights such as 9th Wonder, CunninLyguists, and Pigeon John. All of these accomplishments set the stage for Braille’s fourth album, the splendid The IV Edition (Syntax Records).

In addition to being his fourth album, the title represents three other things. Braille wants the album to serve as an IV to distribute musical medicine for social illnesses directly into the veins of the society. IV also stands for “International Vision” (becoming more aware of what's going on in the world around us) and “International Version” (the album is made for an international audience and features German, French, Finish and Australian producers like M-Phazes, Aetoms, Staffro, etc).

The album’s title song serves as an ode to Braille’s rap roots. Produced by Marco Polo and featuring scratches from Rob Swift, the energetic, drum-driven tune is a lyrical showcase that caters to rap’s tremendous subterranean following. “The underground hip-hop base is a lot bigger than people think it is,” Braille reveals. “Sometimes when people think of the word underground, they think of basement albums that just get dubbed on tape. So I’m sticking to my roots. I believe that the audience for lyricism and good hip-hop is much larger than most people assume. I wanted to start with the hip-hop base and take it from there.”

Elsewhere, Braille acknowledges his personal and artistic history on “Remember Your Path” and channels the energy of music icon James Brown on “Main Squeeze,” with whom Braille toured as an opening act during 2005 and 2006. Then on “Calculated Risk” Braille gets personal by examining his decision to pursue and create lyric and beat-drive rap music with spiritual overtones. It’s been a full time mission since 1999. “This could really end up being really detrimental to my career. I understand the risk of doing what I’ve done thus far. I understand the risk that I might not make it, that people might not buy my records. I understand those risks, but it’s still worth it to me to put everything into a making a record the way I want it to sound and not worry about what’s going on in the industry and on the radio.”

Braille was attracted to hip-hop at a young age. Hearing the variety of different styles and artists that existed during the early- to mid-‘90s, Braille was inspired by the idea that he could write songs based on his own personal experiences and that he didn't have to fit into any specific stereotypes. One group that was fundamental in Braille's development at the time was A Tribe Called Quest, who changed his outlook on music with its landmark 1993 album Midnight Marauders. Rap was in the midst of a gangster rap renaissance at the time and the album’s uplifting, positive vibe gave the then teen-aged Braille a boost. “Hearing people talk from different perspectives, I started to realize, ‘Hey, I could make music and still be myself,’” the Portland-raised rapper recalls today. “It was fine that I grew up where I grew up. My size, stature and my personality are all attributes. They’re not negatives. That’s just who I am, so I felt that if I embraced those things, then I could do whatever I wanted with it.”

Growing up, Braille had more to worry about than music. Born in Portland, he and his family relocated to New Jersey when he was in high school. During his stay on the east coast, his family went bankrupt and returned to Portland to live with Braille’s grandmother. However, Braille enjoyed being close to Philadelphia and New York and decided to stay by himself on the East Coast. In 1999, when he was 17, independent startup ESWP music released his first album, Lifefirst: Half The Battle.

The battle to survive proved too tough, so Braille moved back to Portland only to find out there was no room in the house for him. He took a bus to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in music. After a year in LA, he went back to Oregon and met the woman that would eventually become his wife. With music dreams, no high school diploma and newfound responsibility, Braille and his future wife started a business cleaning out repossessed homes.

That wasn’t the work Braille wanted to do, so he and his wife moved out of their place, put their stuff in storage and lived out of their van while they toured around the United States doing concerts. They didn’t ask for payment at shows. With no bills, they sold merchandise to pay for gas and food. “I didn't have many career options because I spent most of my teenage years working on music,” Braille says. “That’s where I invested all of my time, so I was willing to make some sacrifices in order to continue pursuing it.”

Fortunately, the more Braille pursued his dream of making a living making music, the more real that dream became. He buckled down and in 2004 released his second album, Shades of Grey. The collection featured collaborations with 9th Wonder (Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child) and Rob Swift and laid the foundation for a successful career. Thanks to such powerful, politically minded songs as “Keep On,” it was easy for URB magazine to tap Braille one of their “Next 100.”

The following year, Braille’s newly formed label Hiphop IS Music released his third album, Box of Rhymes. Following the album’s release he would experience the joy of becoming a father as well as the pain of loosing one. The IV Edition deals with these issues and provides an outlook compromising of social change, spiritual beliefs, confidence and the ability to carry on.

Though he did not grow up in a spiritual household, Braille found the spiritual references he encountered in rap encouraging and decided to act upon them. “I believed there was something out there,” Braille says, “and I started out trying to be a positive person. I felt a gut on my heart and I eventually ended up meeting this other artist, Trust One, and when we got together, I thought we were going to talk about hip-hop. He told me more about God and I started on my path as a follower of Christ. That had a big impact on the direction I took in life and as an artist"

3) No info about them, released a demo tape.

4) Four Adult Males from Philadelphia. 90s-influenced hardcore punk with its own unique twist. Sean, Dustin, Andrew, and John.

Poison
Braille Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Poison
You eatin me alive with these lies

And I believed the lie before you lied to me
The irony that I would be to blind to see
Yeah saw it in my diary
I knew it all along but I'm human and I'm wrong
I just want to control

I'm such a liability moved by epiphanies
Made up my mind and I refuse to see it differently
Prophetic when I said it so the message was embedded
But I always make exceptions to the rule I don't regret it
Instead of walkin away with a hard heart
Lots of anger lots of frustration rage like danger danger
The opposite is true grace compassion and truth
After everything that happened bad habits and distractions
It's hard to imagine all the coulda woulda shoulda
But what would it be to this is not my [?]
So I repent for the events that have taken place
And I ate enough poison that I recognize the taste

In the last four years I shed more tears than I'd like to admit
But I also shed my skin that revealed that I'm a serpent
I hate snakes crawlin on they bellies
Don't tell me that I got that in my character trait
I see the scales on my face
And I'm fighten it no that's not me
It never has been but that's when it kicks me like a ton of bricks
Like I deserved the punishment the wrath of God
I tried to laugh it off
But I can neither stand in judgment or stand in awe
For moments when I couldn't stand at all
Collapsinin perhaps it was caused from trying to hold it in
When something is wrong but you don't know what it is
With a blind fold try to pin the tail on a donkey
Is it you or is it me?
Who's responsible for this?
it's impossible to guess
So I'm left in unrest for the moments I wept
Kept your dirty little secrets
Which only made it harder to put together the pieces

And know I see it
A clear picture
That this path was here for me to walk down
An instrument used to break me down
So I could be broken over my own sin
And not be subject to the lie
Spoken inward and out would the outcome is out of my hands

The thought that my plan could succeed on my own without God
What a total facade

Overall Meaning

The song "Poison" by Braille is about the lies that we tell ourselves and how they can consume us if we allow them to. Braille sings about the irony of believing a lie before it is even told to us, and how we can become blind to the truth that was right in front of us all along. He recognizes that he has a desire for control and how this can make him a liability. He has had epiphanies, but often makes exceptions to the rules that he sets for himself. After experiencing bad habits and distractions, he feels regret and recognizes the taste of the poison that he has consumed.

Throughout the song, Braille reflects on his past mistakes and how they have led him to where he is now. He has shed his old self and recognizes the parts of his character that he needs to overcome. He acknowledges that he has had moments of weakness and times when he couldn't stand at all. He has kept secrets that have made it harder for him to put together the pieces of his life. Finally, he sees that the path he has been walking down has been an instrument to break him down over his own sin so that he can be freed from the lie of his own plan succeeding without God.

Line by Line Meaning

You eatin me alive with these lies
Your lies are destroying me from the inside out

And I believed the lie before you lied to me
I was so blinded by what I wanted to believe that I didn't see the truth

The irony that I would be too blind to see
It's ironic that I couldn't see the truth in front of me, even though I'm blind

Yeah saw it in my diary
I saw the truth in what I had written before, but chose to ignore it

I knew it all along but I'm human and I'm wrong
I knew the truth deep down but I was too stubborn to admit it

I just want to control
I have a hard time letting go of control and accepting things for what they are

I'm such a liability moved by epiphanies
I'm easily swayed by sudden realizations and often make reckless decisions as a result

Made up my mind and I refuse to see it differently
Once I've made a decision, it's hard for me to see things from a different perspective

Prophetic when I said it so the message was embedded
I had a feeling that something was wrong and it turned out to be true

But I always make exceptions to the rule I don't regret it
I often break the rules I set for myself and while I don't regret it, it leads to negative consequences

Instead of walkin away with a hard heart
Rather than becoming bitter and resentful, I choose to forgive and move on

Lots of anger lots of frustration rage like danger danger
I feel a lot of anger and frustration, which can be dangerous if not managed properly

The opposite is true grace compassion and truth
Instead of anger and bitterness, I choose to show grace, compassion, and truth

After everything that happened bad habits and distractions
Despite dealing with bad habits and distractions, I'm still able to move forward

It's hard to imagine all the coulda woulda shoulda
It's difficult to think about all the things that could have been different

But what would it be to this is not my [?]
But dwelling on the past won't change anything, so I have to focus on the present

So I repent for the events that have taken place
I acknowledge my mistakes and ask for forgiveness

And I ate enough poison that I recognize the taste
I've made so many bad decisions that I recognize the negative consequences of my actions

In the last four years I shed more tears than I'd like to admit
I've gone through a lot of emotional pain in the past few years

But I also shed my skin that revealed that I'm a serpent
I've changed and grown as a person, shedding my old ways of thinking and behaving

I hate snakes crawlin on they bellies
I hate feeling like a snake, someone who is deceitful and untrustworthy

Don't tell me that I got that in my character trait
Don't tell me that being deceitful is just part of who I am

I see the scales on my face
I see the evidence of my deceitfulness on my own face

And I'm fighten it no that's not me
I'm trying to resist my own negative tendencies, because that's not who I want to be

It never has been but that's when it kicks me like a ton of bricks
I've never wanted to be deceitful, but sometimes the temptation is overwhelming

Like I deserved the punishment the wrath of God
I feel like I deserve to be punished for my mistakes, even though I know that's not how God works

For moments when I couldn't stand at all
There were times when my mistakes and negative tendencies left me feeling helpless

Collapsin in perhaps it was caused from trying to hold it in
My emotional pain became overwhelming because I tried to keep it all inside

When something is wrong but you don't know what it is
It's hard to deal with problems when you don't even know what they are

With a blind fold try to pin the tail on a donkey
Trying to find a solution to a problem when you can't see the whole picture is like trying to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Is it you or is it me?
It's hard to know who's at fault when things go wrong

Who's responsible for this? it's impossible to guess
Sometimes, it's impossible to know who or what caused a problem

So I'm left in unrest for the moments I wept
I'm still dealing with emotional turmoil over past mistakes

Kept your dirty little secrets
I held on to someone else's secrets, which only added to my emotional burden

Which only made it harder to put together the pieces
The burden of holding on to someone's secrets made it harder for me to deal with my own problems

And know I see it
Now I understand

A clear picture
I see things clearly now

That this path was here for me to walk down
My mistakes and struggles were part of my journey

An instrument used to break me down
My struggles were used to break me down and make me see the truth

So I could be broken over my own sin
My struggles were meant to make me see the error of my ways and repent

And not be subject to the lie
Now, I am no longer blinded by lies

Spoken inward and out would the outcome is out of my hands
No matter what I say or do, the outcome is out of my control