This project started over two years ago while I was archiving my music catalog on SoundCloud. A producer out of Italy reached out after hearing some of my work, and we began collaborating. Around that same time, my grandmother passed away. It was a heartbreaking loss, not only for me, but for my whole family.

I wanted to honor her with a song, so I took one of the beats I copped from Globeats and wrote a track with two of my brothers. One of the first sessions for this project took place in the cottage my folks had built for her to live in, out in Placerville. I recorded two tracks there, and from that weekend the entire Heyoka concept started to take shape.

During my stay, I had a jolted awakening, one of those moments that shakes you out of yourself. Out of nowhere, in the middle of summer, it rained. That mystical, unexpected storm was the spark that pushed me deeper into this project.

My grandmother was a Puerto Rican woman who spent much of her retirement in Arizona. She surrounded herself with Native American art and aesthetics, which probably explains my own fascination with those cultural forms and why they echo through my music. Still, in the midst of creating, I felt both sadness and a resurfacing disconnect from my own culture.

The rest of the songs were written and recorded back in San Francisco. But then life shifted. I put the project on hold to release my first LP and tour across the United States. Shortly after I returned, my other grandmother, the one I had cared for over 15 years, passed away. It was like reliving grief all over again. The project went on the back burner while I sorted through family affairs.

Then, at the start of this summer, inspiration struck again. I revisited the music, remixed and mastered all nine tracks, created the artwork, and finalized the project. Now, I am releasing it not only for others to listen to, but also as a dedication to my grandmothers and as a piece of cathartic closure to a large part of my life.

Are We There Yet? (feat. Swoll Cat Matt & DP) [prod. by Globeats]

Taste Nate is a multi-talented artist from San Francisco. His unique sound melds abstract lyrics with a soulful flow. He runs his own label, Yellow Cake Radio and production company, Khapri Star.