The story of Ramblin’ Man (Longggg Form)

The idea for Ramblin’ Man stems from an early infatuation with two very different, yet equally important types of media — BET and National Geographic Magazine.

My life changed forever the day I saw black and brown skinned women with the roundest tuches’s you could imagine, bouncing hedonistically on my family’s living room television. The rappers they danced around expressed a wide range of emotions; aggression, supreme confidence, and sometimes deep sorrow, regret, and anger. They were intoxicatingly versatile - one minute they could be on a yacht in the middle of the Caribbean, and in the next they could be in a neighborhood that looked like a war zone. But no matter the setting, or the emotion - certain elements of their music stayed consistent. The drums always kicked, the lyrics rolled off the tongue like velvet, and the stories they told were about overcoming tremendous obstacles and hardships, sometimes to reach a better life. The images and sounds I watched and listened to jump started my love hip hop and all the good things that comes with it.

National Geographic was there to transport me around the world - mostly from a bathroom in my families home that I popped a daily squat or two in. I’d camp out in the deserts of Mongolia, machete my way through the jungles of the Amazon or would watch in horror as rocket propelled grenades rained down on unsuspecting civilians in violent regions of the world. Nat Geo showed me how ecosystems could vibrantly exist and then quickly erode and collapse from mankind’s encroachment. It showed me how science could save lives and heal us in magical ways, and it showed me what famine looked like for a young child abandoned by a failed state. It showed me the deepest stretches of the cosmos were made of colors unimaginable on earth. It took me to Mount Everest, The Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and let me meet the people that lived around or beneath these historic landmarks. I saw and learned what they ate, what they wore, what they believed in - how they lived, and also how they died. It was the entire world laid out in the palms of my hands. 

I didn’t know it then, but the visuals and sounds I was experiencing lit a fire somewhere deep inside me. They molded a desire to participate and live a life of adventure. So fast forward a couple decades now and here I am - I’ve chosen to voyage to the locations that I used to read about. The Taj Mahal, Mount Everest, The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu and Patagonia. Traveling the world to see and learn, but also to pay homage to rap music and spit bars in the places that I visited along the way, leaving a blaze of hot rhymes in my wake. I didn’t really have an objective when I started making rap songs & videos in these places. It just felt right and was thrilling for me. Ultimately it became a reminder that what I had grown up watching and visualizing was obtainable for myself in some form or fashion. The songs and visuals are my own unique travel souvenirs and they also inspire me to believe in myself. Maybe I’m not Jay-Z rapping on a yacht surrounded by dozens of rump shaking beauties, but I can still stand on a Grecian island cliff, reveling in the moment overlooking the Aegean Sea. 

The more I travel, the more simple, universal truths became illuminated in vivid ways. We all dream, we all have families and friends that we love, we all eat, sleep, breath, create, mourn and adapt a thousand times a day to millions of different situations - no matter where in the world we seem to call home. These are simple thoughts of course, nothing profound about them, but when you say them out loud they seem to provide clarity and context for the confusion we sometimes feel pondering the greatest question of them all; what are we doing here?

This thought is what has allowed me to question what I’ve learned throughout my life and has forced me to lean more into my innate sensibilities, not only for navigating my surroundings, but for navigating my mind. (wOAHHH, TRIppy, man).

Traveling and making music along the way has allowed me to develop a deep sense of gratitude and empathy for the hardships that most people on the planet endure. There is no doubt that I have been incredibly lucky to live a healthy life, to have a loving family, and an ability to pursue my passions. It’s my own personal belief that when you have the comfort of these things, then you should attempt in some form to use whatever power you have to place something positive back into the world. For me, I think the answer has come in the form of this idea that you’re now participating in at this very moment - Ramblin’ Man.

Ramblin’ Man isn’t really a brand, or a rap stage name, it’s an homage to the dreams I felt as a kid. It’s simply an idea to use creativity as a force for positivity by drawing people into circumstances or places outside of their everyday experience. I hope to develop Ramblin’ Man into something that creates positive, proactive opportunities for individuals, non-profits, and communities in the United States and around the world.

My goal is to assist people that need or want help. I want to be there for the world that I love in my own small way. Creating harmony, and cooperation - as best I can.  And I hope to take you along for the ride.

Thanks for reading,

Andrew Leshin