Nate Lothario

 “Do
it for the roses trying to break through the concrete” - Nate
Lothario.

Born
in Fort Worth, Texas with a love for music at an early age is what
led Nate Lothario to where he is today. Later he learned how to add
it together with his gift for words which became his entrance into
Hip Hop/Rap. He first got into creating music when he was a young
child given a toy piano. Lothario later got a keyboard in which he
taught himself how to play by ear. When he was twelve he was given
lessons and learned how to read and write musical notes which led him
to writing his first and only piano composition “The War Has Just
Begun”. Classical music was his first and favorite genre of music
until the first time he heard Hip Hop/Rap artists like Outkast and
Tupac Shakur. This is when he knew that what he calls “lyrical
poetry” was what he wanted to create and perform. He eventually
created his own album after many years of learning how to make his
own beats and record his own vocals. Lothario also created his own
album art and CD covers.

He
dropped out of school a couple of times but always knew that
education was the best way for him to make it out of his grave
situation. Once while at his school’s choir rehearsals he couldn’t
hold back the emotions of fear and sadness as left the room and went
into the hallway. Before he knew it tears began to fall down his
face and it was noticed by a parent named Patricia Wilson. She asked
him what was wrong and he could no longer hold it all in. He let her
know of everything that had happened and how he was staying at his
house with no electricity or water. He also let her know that he
just got an eviction/foreclosure letter in the mail and that he only
had days to get out. When she heard his story she began to shed
tears too and gave him a big hug. She told him that he could stay
with her and her family for a while until she could help him figure
out what to do. Eventually she got in touch with his mother who was
coming back to town to do her residency for school. She took
Lothario with her to stay at an apartment complex where their
relationship issues proved to be more than either one could handle,
so she moved away again and left him to stay at the apartment until
the lease ran out. He was back at square one and was trying to
figure out where he could stay now that he was on the other side of
town. He came across four local guys who claimed to be from the same
gang and they took him in and allowed him to stay with them. This
arrangement was great until they tried to slam the hood of his car on
his head. He was again fortunate to become aware soon enough to jump
back and escape. Later that night Lothario came back with a few
friends he just met, some from the New Black Panther Party, who took
sympathy on him and decided to help him get his car and other
belongings back. He not only got his things back, but the next day
the guys had packed up and moved to a totally different location.

In his last days in High School he
wrote a poem titled
Heaven Is Not Too Hard To Find and
read it in front of his entire school during a talent
show. He received an unexpected standing ovation by not just school
staff and teachers, but by all the students that attended. His only
intent was to get his point across to the world of the conditions of
himself and those he lived around. This reaction helped him realize
that his words were more powerful than he could have ever imagined.
He has been writing down his thoughts as poetry since his travels
down disparity in hopes it would one day be heard by those who are in
similar situations for their sake and his.

Lothario
is now working on his second album and his second book with a lot
more experience and a lot more understanding. He has worked with
great organizations like HOME Austin, Juice Consulting, and Austin
Community College to put together a great live virtual event called
HOME
Cookin’ For The Holidays
that included great artists like Ruthie Foster, John Mayall, Lucinda
Williams, and others. His goals and dreams have become more precise
with a more experienced view as they have become more obtainable. He
knows that he can help be the change in the world that he wants to
see.