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.

Pour It Out
Braille Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out
I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out

I XXX on a soul train in downtown Philly
Sat back in my seat and soaked in the city
Fell asleep and then the train stopped running
So I walked the streets until the sun rose again
It was unfamiliar territory abandon and a few cars driving by

And people on the corner standing
They didn?t acknowledge me so I did the same back
Plus it was so dark I tried to stay on track
Following the street lights so I can see ahead of me
Avoiding the dark alleys and probably pass them plenty
Where situation could have been deadly
But I wasn't a treat to no one just moving alone steady

I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out
I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out

I had no clock so time was a guessing game
I want to go where? nobody knows my name
XXX XXX's fighting... I wonder who will win
I'll check the results tomorrow on channel 10
I saw this girl who looked like a supermodel
XXX on a runway she's running away
Standing in one place a car pulled beside her
We made eye contact, but neither of us smiled
It started raining
I've tried to block it out in my mind in the sky with some dark clouds
And then I recognize how I miss being home
But even there is no different than this
Surrounded by things that I can't change
Or maybe I could? if I wasn't searching for the next train

I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out
I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out

I was just walking talking to myself
Somebody asked for change? I didn't hesitate to help
Reached in my pocket... but there was nothing there
He looked at me as if I didn't really care
I just kept moving? the city seemed so alive, but I felt so dead inside
So I figured I was hungry? now I'm asking for change
Sometimes we?re so different then we become the same
The city moved faster as the sun started to rise
I wasn't tired or hungry... just wanted to catch a ride
But at this point I was lost and confused and I didn't wanted
To leave cuz that?s what I always do
Never around to do something significant
Just watching from the distance and soaking it in
And that?s why I'm always getting on a train
But this time I won't ever be the same...

I wish I could make your problems go away, but I can't even do that with my own
So that?s why I'm getting on a train... searching for a place called home
I wish I could make your problems go away, but I can't even do that with my own
I think this time I'm going to stay and pour out what I've soaked in.

I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out
I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out

I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out
I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out

Overall Meaning

In Braille's "Pour It Out," the singer reflects on a journey through an unfamiliar city, and the emotional turmoil that journey brought him. He recounts riding a soul train through downtown Philly and later walking the streets until the sun rose. He observes the people around him, but ultimately feels disconnected from them. He makes eye contact with a supermodel-like woman, but neither of them smiles, and he engages in conversation with a man who asks for change, only to find he has none to give. The singer muses on the idea of belonging and the search for a place to call home, admitting that he cannot solve his own problems, let alone anyone else's. The repeated refrain of "I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out" expresses the sense that he has absorbed and internalized his experiences in this foreign place, and now he wants to release them through expression or action. Ultimately, he decides to stay and "pour out" what he has soaked in.

The lyrics to "Pour It Out" suggest themes of displacement, isolation, and the search for connection. The singer feels like an outsider in the city, recognizing the liveliness of the people around him but unable to engage with them meaningfully. He hints at a desire for human connection, as evidenced by his brief interactions with the woman and the man, but seems either unable or unwilling to pursue it. Instead, he appears to seek solace in his own thoughts and in the scenery around him. The repeated refrain, "I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out," suggests a desire to express or release something that has built up inside of him during this journey. The final, hopeful line, "I think this time I'm going to stay and pour out what I've soaked in," implies that the singer has perhaps found what he was looking for: a place to belong, and a way to connect with his fellow human beings through artistic expression.

Line by Line Meaning

I've soaked it all in, now I want to pour it out
I have experienced a lot and now I want to share and express those experiences with others

I XXX on a soul train in downtown Philly
I rode on a train in Philly, where I observed the city around me

Sat back in my seat and soaked in the city
I took a moment to appreciate and observe my surroundings

Fell asleep and then the train stopped running
I was overcome by fatigue and the train stopped running

So I walked the streets until the sun rose again
I walked around the city until the sun rose

It was unfamiliar territory abandon and a few cars driving by
I found myself in an unfamiliar area with abandoned buildings and only a few cars driving by

And people on the corner standing
There were people standing on the street corners

They didn?t acknowledge me so I did the same back
Since they did not acknowledge me, I chose to not acknowledge them back

Plus it was so dark I tried to stay on track
It was dark and I tried to stay on the main streets to not get lost or fall into undesirable situations

Following the street lights so I can see ahead of me
I followed the streetlights as a guide so I could see ahead of me

Avoiding the dark alleys and probably pass them plenty
I avoided dark alleys and probably passed by many of them

Where situation could have been deadly
I avoided situations that could have been dangerous

But I wasn't a treat to no one just moving alone steady
I moved alone and was not a threat to anyone else

I had no clock so time was a guessing game
I did not have a clock, so I had to guess what time it was

I want to go where? nobody knows my name
I have a desire to go somewhere where I can be anonymous

XXX XXX's fighting... I wonder who will win
I saw a sign advertising a fight and was curious about who would win

I'll check the results tomorrow on channel 10
I planned to check the results of the fight the next day on television

I saw this girl who looked like a supermodel
I saw a woman who looked like a supermodel

XXX on a runway she's running away
I imagined her on a runway, running away from something

Standing in one place a car pulled beside her
While standing still, a car pulled up next to her

We made eye contact, but neither of us smiled
I made eye contact with her, but neither of us smiled

It started raining
It began to rain

I've tried to block it out in my mind in the sky with some dark clouds
I tried to not focus on the rain and instead looked at the dark clouds in the sky

And then I recognize how I miss being home
I realized that I missed being at home

But even there is no different than this
Being at home is not any different than being where I currently am

Surrounded by things that I can't change
I am surrounded by things that I cannot change

Or maybe I could? if I wasn't searching for the next train
Perhaps I could change things if I were not always looking for the next train or escape

I was just walking talking to myself
I was walking by myself and talking to myself

Somebody asked for change? I didn't hesitate to help
Someone asked me for change, and I helped them without hesitation

Reached in my pocket... but there was nothing there
I reached into my pocket but found that I had nothing there to give

He looked at me as if I didn't really care
The person I tried to help looked at me as if I did not really care

I just kept moving? the city seemed so alive, but I felt so dead inside
I continued to move, but while the city around me seemed alive, I felt lifeless inside

So I figured I was hungry? now I'm asking for change
I realized that I was hungry and had to ask someone for change

Sometimes we?re so different then we become the same
Even though we are all different, sometimes we end up in the same situation

The city moved faster as the sun started to rise
The city began to move faster as the sun started to rise

I wasn't tired or hungry... just wanted to catch a ride
I was not tired or hungry, I just wanted to get a ride somewhere

But at this point I was lost and confused and I didn't wanted
I was lost and confused and did not want to leave the city

To leave cuz that?s what I always do
I always leave when I feel uncomfortable or out of place

Never around to do something significant
I feel like I am never present to do something important or meaningful

Just watching from the distance and soaking it in
I often observe things from a distance and take it all in

And that?s why I'm always getting on a train
This is why I am constantly getting on trains to escape from situations

But this time I won't ever be the same...
This time, I will not be the same as I have an urge to express myself and share my experiences

I wish I could make your problems go away, but I can't even do that with my own
I wish I could solve other people's problems, but I struggle to even solve my own problems

So that?s why I'm getting on a train... searching for a place called home
This is why I am constantly getting on trains, I am searching for a place to call home

I think this time I'm going to stay and pour out what I've soaked in.
This time, I want to stay where I am and express my experiences and observations with others

Contributed by Grace T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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