Seany Records

In August 2006, only 7 months after arriving in Atlanta, Urbalist had to put his budding rap career on hold to fight for his life. He was 26 years-old when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the bone. Although he was determined to continue on his path to be a successful rapper, Urbalist was forced to give up what he'd worked so hard to achieve. He headed back to NYC to receive intense chemotherapy at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Little did Urbalist know, his battle with cancer and the physically and emotionally debilitating treatments that he would endure would elevate his rap game higher than he ever knew possible. In facing his own mortality, Urbalist gained insight and a deep understanding of the human condition, something a truly talented rapper must earn to own.

To keep his sanity and focus while undergoing treatment, Urbalist did what it seems he was born to do: He threw his head into it. Every day he pressed the pen to the paper and let his pain take shape into honest and witty rap lyrics. While other patients rested, Urbalist was restless. He was writing deft rhymes and setting them to fresh beats that he made on his computer. The result is a raw yet sharp grindstone album called Cancerous Flow: Lyrical Journal, which chronicles in candid detail the ups and downs Urbalist experienced while battling his cancer.

Back in NJ, Urbalist released his music on the label he began, Risk It All Records. In May 2010, Urbalist signed his first exclusive recording deal with Seany Records and entered the studio with producers 8th and Vertygo to begin recording his debut album. Through his music, Urbalist hopes to unleash his insight onto the world. Along with Seany Records and subsequently the Seany Foundation, Urbalist is also involved with I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation to help spread cancer awareness. He is one of four young adult cancer survivors featured in a documentary created by the foundation to create awareness about the obstacles faced by young adults who are battling or have survived cancer. Urbalist aims to push this issue into the spotlight through rap, a musical medium that is popular worldwide and continues to influence millions of people. He is tapping into his talent as a fierce lyricist and intuitive musician and turning his personal goal to be a renowned rapper into a way to expand public consciousness about cancer and the need for research and cures. In fact, Urbalist has become an icon in the young adult cancer community and cancer support groups and has preformed at several of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life events.

You don't have to have cancer or be a cancer survivor to appreciate Urbalist's music. You just have to be ready to have your mind twisted by a player with a fresh game, a game that exposes how fragile life can be, while proving that anything is possible.