As children, we dreamed of what is our destiny. An astronaut. An Olympic sprinter. A race car driver. The cliché of hearing, “You can be anything you want” always was taken as an option of singularity. However, it was never clarified the choice of pursuit does not have to be of a respected caliber such as a doctor or lawyer? Feeling forced to confine ourselves to a box of societal expectations while lacking enlightenment to understand the box we place ourselves in is imaginary. Did we know we could simply create whatever we wanted to be instead of just accepting a career template?
The action or process of bringing something into existence is called creation. Lets take music as a prime example. Its melodious tones send out vibrations to the recipient whom hears it and responds emotionally. These emotions are able to influence individuals to perform actions one would not in docile state of mind. Actions akin to procreation. On April 25th, 1994, in Amityville, Long Island, New York, Kevin Jackman was the creation of descent. Better known by the self-given handle “Keats”, Kevin has always had an unyielding passion to make something out of nothing. Legos. Model airplanes. Music.
To better understand Kevin’s musical influence, a flashback jutsu must be performed. Kev had an epiphanic moment to be called to play the trumpet. Around the age of 9, the trumpet became an extension of his being and musical prowess. He would actively play in his church accompanied by his Mother, whom was very involved. Attendees gave a standing ovation while he played the “When The Saints Go Marching In” which compelled guests to invite Kevin to their church to perform. A door was created and opened to allow Kevin to tour various churches, showcasing a preview of his musical genius.
Other styles of musical interests would become ignited by Kevin’s Dad, whom used to play bass for Jaco Pastorius and Crown Heights Affair. His Pops created his own album on 8-Track tapes and a beatboxing CD. He was even a graffiti artist in his younger years. As the saying goes, “Like father, like son.”, Keats absorbed his father’s techniques and recreated them with his own flair (unlike Majin Buu). His Grandmother would later gift a Macintosh computer which allowed him to flow creatively like an ever-flowing fountain. Inspired by Missy Elliott, he crafted beats that resonated within him. This was only just the beginning for him.
Kevin attended Amityville Memorial High School. The same school the old-school hip-hop singing group De La Soul attended. Proof to show the chi of music carried and was absorbed within Kev’s identity. His love for hip-hop music allowed him to become a drum major in the school’s band. As for Amityville, the town was small which provided a sense of unity amongst its residents. The gym teacher was a part-time DJ at the local bar during the night. Growing up with an older sister, Kevin and she had positive interactions with friends in their neighborhood. She was a guide for him. Similar to how Botan was for Yusuke. His peers could also see the grand potential within him. He was voted as “Best Dancer”, “Best Musician”, and Prom King.
But lets not assume Kevin’s life had plot-armor to protect him from unforeseen circumstances. Up until the age of 15, Kevin had a habitual issue of peeing the bed. Yes, you read that correctly. He would deny sleepovers from his friends as a way to hide his embarrassment. As a Boy Scout in his adolescent years, he would smuggle diapers to conceal this inconvenience. It never seemed to have an end in sight. It was one thing to own a fake pair of Jordan shoes, especially in New York. You would have to face the repercussions of a roast session if found out. But to be known as the kid who still pisses the bed while in high school?! He ran the risk of not only the entire school finding out but the entire town of Amityville! Kevin felt his world could not expand outside of graduating high school. The possibility of not having a girlfriend, getting married and attending college: pointless. However, one day of not peeing the bed turned to two days. Then two days turned into a week, then a month, then a year. A light could be seen at the end of the tunnel as did the expansion of possibilities for the future.
After graduating high school in a class of eight-seven students, Kevin pursued higher education at a private college called Florida Institute of Technology. His belief in the process of creation steered him to major in Mechanical Engineering. He believed learning math plus science while having a lab equated to being able to create ANYTHING. His form of equivalent exchange. After realizing his ditzy way of creating was not as simple as a concoction of “just add water”, he evaluated his choice of major. At this point, he never felt the need to abide by the boundaries of his ambition. Standing at a precipice, Kevin switched his major to Business Administration and Marketing. Balance was starting to come into fruition unbeknownst to him. After graduating college in 2016, Kevin moved to Atlanta, Georgia to begin work at a private IT company. For three years he managed the infrastructure of 35 law firms writing proposals for desktops, servers, data migrations, and also operating system upgrades.
Music was the fuel to take Kevin’s creative abilities to the top. But it takes more than a fast car to win a race. His love for proficiency impelled him to pursue methods to increase his self-value. Starting with graphic design to produce his own artwork, was in actuality a gateway to doors that would be effectuated for his benefit. Learning various software such as Adobe Illustrator and Premiere were just a drop in the bucket of the techniques he learned. Creating from scratch gave him a great sense of pride. It wasn’t until he realized Donald Glover and Childish Gambino were the same person is when he came to a revelation: “Why only focus on one aspect about myself?” Donald Glover displayed the ability to share multiple personas to show he could do stand-up comedy, act and sing. Kevin saw a reflection of himself in Donald and understood he could fully express himself in multiple ways as well. Combine all the aspects of his different personas to share with the world: Writer. Director. Producer. Artist. Gamer. Actor. Singer. Comedian. Rapper. Geek. Musician. His TRUTH. No shadows clones needed.
Kevin emerged from the shadow realm with knowledge of self. Now equipped with a new level of understanding, he would now create using the full spectrum of his life experiences. Astronomy, anime, and school life were all factors into what was to come. Infatuated with the planets in the solar system allowed him to create a mini-series called, “If The Planets Had A Meeting”. Implementing personas for each planet in relation to their scientific research produced witty dialogue. The Sun overseeing the meetings was a parallel to how the planets revolve around it. Pluto being the last to arrive to the meetings due to its far location into the depths of space is another reference. Anime inspired skits and freestyles induced by his earlier childhood of watching Toonami at his Grandmother’s house. Daily jokes and roasts sessions at lunch in the cafeteria during high school also provided the foundation for the scripts Kevin produced to create videos. All which can be found on his Instagram, TikTok, Twitch and YouTube.
Growing up with no cable allowed Jackman substantial time for self-discovery. His love for step-by-step processes was the spark to evolve making music in the studio of his room in New York to creating music videos, movies, clothing, his own personal eye shadow palette, and attending his first ever convention, Dream Con. A display of the lengths Keats would go to sacrifice his ego for the world. Formerly known as the small kid who needed a step-stool to be seen while playing the trumpet, his energy is felt through the ingenuity of his craft. His gift of insight to unveil what many fail to see as opportunities or rather they choose to ignore. To take from the unknown and make it known. A power we all have but is shrouded in the delusions of serving ourselves. If one was to let go and be true to themselves, how can one cause harm to them? Would that not make one, superhuman?
Website: www.keatsdidit.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/keatsdidit
Twitter: www.twitter.com/keatsdidit
YouTube: www.youtube.com/keatsdidit
Twitch: www.twitch.tv/keatsdidit
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/keatsdidit
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