Under the Influence

You are an android. Okay, well maybe you’re not really an android, but you have been programmed. Hiphop artist, GaKnew Roxwel, dives into psychology and brings back a bounty of gems. Under the Influence, paired with the Sound of Silence album, creatively shares the science of automatization and how habits reign over more than we realize. This dynamic dual of book and CD tells the universal tale of Calvin Lloyd, and his triumph from being tangled in a web of perpetuated abuse to unraveling his past for mental freedom. Written like a film, Sound of Silence gives a first person narrative of Calvin’s journey, while Under the Influence analyzes his psychology with a host of behavioral theories. This project maps out a path to balanced emotional health and inner peace by breaking down the complexities of influence and our innate dependency on automatized functions. Dissecting a variety of relationships and the subconscious nature of learning, it’s your practical step-by-step model for breaking cycles. Under the Influence is knowledge from psychoanalytic circles packaged for everyday people. Do you work or frequently come in contact with at-risk youth? Do you struggle in a relationship with your spouse, parent, or child? Do you seek to better understand your life and why you feel stuck in a cycle? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, this book is for you. If you answered no to all of the above, it’s for a close friend of yours. Slim Kid Tre of the world-renowned hiphop group known as The Pharcyde calls GaKnew Roxwel “one of the top five emcees of all time”. GaKnew is a National Poetry Slam Champion with artistic accomplishments that range from appearing on Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam to spray painting the backdrop for Chris Brown’s 2012 Billboard Music Awards performance. Yet, being creative isn’t GaKnew’s only job. He is also a Senior Social Work investigator for a non-profit law firm in Los Angeles, Ca, and has worked daily with the county’s foster youth for approximately seven years. For a decade prior to that GaKnew volunteered with various community organizations as a mentor, and worked closely with Leila Steinberg, mentor of Tupac Shakur, in developing an after school arts program. The combination of GaKnew’s careers is what birthed this socially therapeutic project, Under the Influence.