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ELDERSBURG - The first thing you notice is his scar.
It starts as a small nick on Darnell Brockington's right ear lobe, extends down to his neck where it widens like a swollen river and then goes further down his skin, almost to his clavicle.
He said he got it when he was 13, during a fight in his former East Baltimore neighborhood. Someone stabbed him with a broken bottle. Holding his ear together, bleeding profusely, Brockington walked to a hospital and passed out when he got through the doors.
Doctors told him if he had been stabbed just a quarter of an inch away from the wound, he would have died.
"I was angry inside. I wanted revenge," said Brockington, now 30 and living in Randallstown. "But I also just felt thankful to be alive."
And after the altercation, Brockington's mother felt it was time to leave East Baltimore. She wanted to move to Carroll County, to a safer environment for her son. Brockington didn't want to go, despite the daily risks he faced "running the streets" with his friends in the city. It had been the only life he had known - a dangerous one, but the only one.
He called the 1989 move a culture shock and a big one at that. He got into fights at Liberty High School almost daily. Tormented by feeling abandoned by his father - he still recoils when mentioning him - and trying to adjust to an altogether different kind of life, Brockington fond solace in rapping.
His idols were the rappers Wu-Tang Clan. Hip-hop was his therapy, he said. Little did he know, more than 15 years later, he'd be rapping with Wu-Tang himself.
But after landing in jail just after high school graduation in 1996, Brockington was lost. He had never been in control of his life and, at that moment, locked away in a Baltimore cell, he realized he needed to be. He turned to God, studying both the Bible and the Quran and devised a plan for his life post lock-up.
- By Jordan Bartel, Times Staff Writer
Discography
THE BETTE LIFE MOVEMENT ALBUM RELEAST IN 2005, THE I-SELF-LORD-AND-MASTER MIX CD RELEAST IN 2006
THE MOST FEATURED ARTIST ON THE TRANSITION VOL. 1 RELEAST IN 2007 BY CAPPADONNA, AND MOST FEATURED ARTIST ON THE CAPPATILIZED PROJECT RELEAST IN 2008 BY CAPPADONNA. ALL SONGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE!!
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Bio
Born Divine, born as Darnell Brockington, AKA “Nell Vicious”, AKA “Rocwell”, a Baltimore native began his career in entertainment in 2001 for an audition with Tonya Blount. Blount Management that earned him a spot in a talent showcase. The showcase later lead Born Divine a chance to meet one of the owners of Prestige Entertainment.
Later in 2002, Born Divine was flown to Chicago where he recorded with some of Chi-Towns heavy hitters on the under ground. The song was produced by Uncrowned City Records. He then returned to Baltimore recording with local Artists. Then, he featured on the album of an R&B artist by the name of C.R.
Born Divine performed with this artist under the umbrella of his (C.R.) small production company, Beats of Nature, at the Latin Palace (Baltimore, MD). He even had the pleasure of doing some song writing for this artist and managed to establish a writing and production deal with the well-known R&B group, Profit Jones under Armor-Getting Entertainment.
Born Devine was still on the path of independence. Mr. Vicious featured on the album of another local, independent, R&B artist by the name of Genesis Daze the CEO of Alpha World Entertainment. It was then in 2004 that Born Divine increased his open-mic performances in order to help enhance his live performances, all the while, still working on his solo album. In the process, he also performed at the Belvedere Hotel (Baltimore, MD).
The year 2005 sparked another era in Mr. Vicious music career. His song concepts would now be portrayed as conscious hip-hop, which also meant a new and innovative identity Born Divine. Born Divine signified a conscience effort to take responsibility for the words that are relayed to the masses. Not only are they now going to hear the truths about life, but they are also going to be presented with their resolutions.
Also in 2005, Born Divine had the pleasure and privilege of meeting Cappadonna from the Wu-Tang Clan. Through positive building and a mutual respect for the music industry, Born Divine and Cappadonna were able to build a genuine rapport with each other. He was then asked to feature on Cappadonna’s next album, ‘The Transition Volume 1’.
Around the same time, Born Divine was invited by an artist called E the Poet Emcee and his company, Torchlight Entertainment, to be a part of and function as an artist with Torchlight Records.
After his feature with Cappadonna, Born performed with him at Club Sonar (Baltimore, MD), and then the pair performed at the Thunder Dome (Baltimore, MD). It was these performances that paved the way for Born Divine to go on tour with Cappadonna. The tour started in Phoenix, Arizona and ended in South Beach Miami, Florida (Clubs Teaser and Drink). Mr. Divine appeared again with Cappadonna on a 2nd tour called “The Clash of the Titans Tour” along with other reputable, underground emcees such as Killah Priest and RA the Rugged man.
The tour took them to places like Burlington, Vermont (Club Nectars), Portland, Maine, and Troy, New York. Born and Cappadonna was also seen performing with Prodigal Sunn at the Terrace Restaurant (Pasadena, CA) and at the Best End Café (Newark, DE).
Born Divine can currently be found finalizing his Mix CD, I-Self-Lord-And-Master, as well as his 2nd album release, Born Divine in the Game as a joint venture with Rizen Entertainment Group.
Born Divine is currently working with some heavy hitters from the Wu-Tang Clan such as Shyheim (The Man Child), Raekwon, Ratchet Rush, and a host of others. Born Divine is the most featured artist on Cappadonna newly released album The Capitalize Projects. Born Divine also hails as the most featured artist on Cappadonna album The Transition Vol. 1, having performed in 2007 in front of 70,000 people with GZA, Killah Priest, Dreddy Krueger and Cappadonna at Chicago pitch fork festival then in front of hundreds at the after party at the Funky Buddha Lounge. After which he attended the Rock The Bells Tour with Wu Tang and other music Legends
Born Divine has always wanted to give back in ways that no one seen coming. So he started The Better Life Movement .
WHAT IS THE BETTER LIFE MOVEMENT?
THE BETTER LIFE MOVEMENT IS A PLAN OF ACTION FOR ALL HU-MAN FAMILIES TO STRIVE FOR A BETTER WAY TO LIVE. AS MEMBERS OF THE BETTER LIFE MOVEMENT WE BELIEVE THAT THROUGH AWARENESS AND FIXING THE (SEEMINGLY) SMALL PROBLEMS (THAT MAKE UP OUR BIGGER PROBLEMS AS A WHOLE) WE WILL ULTIMATELY ACHIEVE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS. WHO IS THE B.L.M. FOR? THE B.L.M. IS FOR ALL HU-MAN FAMILIES OF THE PLANET EARTH. WE DO NOT TEACH HATRED AND WE STRIVE DAILY TO ERADICATE PREJUDICES AND PRECONCIEVED I
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