Bio

The Oak trees that line “The Block”, is what the residents and those familiar call the heart of the 4-block area of 42 nd to Military Ave and the 17-18-19 hundred blocks provide refuge from the sweltering heat this summer day. More importantly, they offer cover from the ever-watchful eye of the O.P.D. helicopter, but not the distinctive sound of chopper blades slicing the air. The trees are as familiar as the faces in the neighborhood. Like many of those faces, they grow older, but never leave. Jeric Nelson has lived on the block his entire life. His parents moved him and his older brother by three years, from Dallas , Texas , when Nelson was just 1 year old. After moving to a duplex near the Benson area then to a house in the 60 th and Ames area, Nelson's family moved to 4319 Decatur St. in 1983, he has become the most familiar face ever since. On this hot August day, Nelson sports a wife-beater and black Nike-Swishee-Pants, is looking for someone to braid his hair, which is currently squeezing under his patented, powder-white Panama hat. The rapper more commonly known as Unstable Records recording artist “Joker Vendetti” has to look good. That evening Nelson has a photo-shoot for his upcoming debut album, “Unstable Citizen IVDIII” set to be released before the end of this year. He isn't having any luck finding someone to braid his hair and is clearly showing agitation. After pacing for a minute or so, he finally secludes himself from the noise of company across the street on a small retaining wall in the neighbor's yard. Across the street, a few of his friend's faux-fight while Walter Rico, one of Nelsons oldest friends, beckons him to hit a freshly rolled blunt. Rico's 3-year old son Walter Jr. waddles around wearing only a diaper with a pallet of food framing his mouth within the group of adults making his presence known. Nelson is the child's godfather. Seeing the group's interaction with Nelson clearly signifies the respect he has gained from his long-time relationships with his people on The Block. Quinton Carl a friend of Nelson for well over 10 years is one of Nelsons closest confidants. “ If there something I can't tell anyone, I know I can talk with Q-tip about it”. Andrew Steinhilber, Nelson's rap prodigy and hype-man is also on the scene, along with Jeric's cousin, John Skipper “Skip”, and faces which are seen for a second and blend out of the scenery as quickly as they came. These same people nicknamed him “Joker” while growing up. “I was being constantly told I joked round too much while I was a kid, I guess the name kinda stuck”. “Vendetti, represents vendetta”, he adds, which offer a hint of the challenges he's had to face in his lifetime. Songs reflecting those challenges are clearly explained by song titles like, “Trialz ‘n' Trib's”, “Keep on Moviin”, “Still-DEADicated”, and “Heavenz-Gate”. “Jokerz Vendetta” and “Itz Rappin'” undoubtedly explain his controversial viewpoints with passion and precision. Despite all the adversity, Nelson maintains the “Loyalty is Luv” motto in which his friends serve as his support system. “The first thing I'm going to do is get my people established and independent from the system”, he adds, “If I got a million, we all got a million, I might just buy the whole fuckin' block and build a big-ass mansion.” It's a surprising attitude considering the near-death experiences Nelson has faced here, forced to roam The Block alone after the tragic death of his older brother Levoin Jr, under mysterious circumstances. Police reports state that Levoin accidentally shot himself in the head while unloading a gun that he copped for protection against a crack-dealer who was disputing with him over a girl that lived in the Hilltop Housing Projects. Nelson along with friends and family believe his brother was murdered and the Omaha Police Department failed to adequately investigate Levoin's death. “According to the pigs, my bro was just another hood-nigga in the projects getting' killed”. Levoin had a huge impact on his younger brother, as did his tragic death. “Every single friend I had, still had big brothers to talk to and I didn't anymore,” says Nelson with tears in his eyes. “I had to toughen up and learn to deal with it.” Two months after his brother died, Nelson, then barely 15 years old, was involved in an altercation at a local shopping mall where he was abandoned by two of his friends resulting in Nelson being overwhelmed and beaten by at least10 individuals, mostly adults. He explains that although his family did not share his feelings of understanding to what happened that day he made a choice. “We never acted like we could never be faded and were the hardest niggas around, because I knew them niggas…. it was my bro and his Reala's. So anytime I felt I needed to retreat from something too big for me to handle, I felt I could always retaliate and hit ‘em twice as hard. When I felt the situation get out of my hands, I knew muthafuckas started retreatin', so when I got less than 20 feet away, somethin' said, fuck runnin' from these pussy ass muthafuckin'white boys. I had to stand alone and get down by them fools. I turned around and threw the hardest punch I ever threw in my life knockin' one them suckas out-cold!!! ...and then I got my ass stomped”! Nelson received a mild concussion, a shattered nose, two black eyes, and severe swelling on the right side of his head. “On the real though I don't feel like I lost at all, cuz it was at least 10 of them fools and I took one of ‘em out, if it was me and just 4 or 5 my Reala's puttin' it down like that, we'll kill a muthafucka within less than a minutes time, PERIOD-Bare Hands Black Dragon Style like that. We learned fighting techniques not common to most kids growin' up like we did. At 5 or 6 years old my Uncle Wyatt on my moms side used to baby -sit me, my brother, and little sister, and each time would show me and bro some type of martial arts technique. A few years later, I studied tae-kwon-do, after school up in Benson, for a year and got kicked out because me and my best friend at the time, Brian, became a discipline problem to our sensei. So we just self-taught ourselves with Karate and self-defense from books my Uncle used to train from, implemented with our own personal styles. Then awhile after that I gained 4 belts in Judo, stopped and wrestled the beginning of my 6th grade year, sometimes I wish I never made that decision, but I made my mind up already to train for a year or two in China once I'm able to. I believe it made me more disciplined, based on the fact that since I knew how to fight, I held complete control of when to fight”. It's clear Nelson has not lost himself in the knowledge gained most people in his position would abuse. He recalls times and instances when he's, “over-reacted”, “Which is the understatement of all understatements”, according to Nelson, now a 26 year old veteran of the game, and father to “Josiah Sean”, still feels impacted by elements of his dark past reflecting on his future. It is mainly the reason Josiah's mother who is adamant on controlling Nelson's influence on Josiah and basically keeping him away from Nelson. “She's one of those types of people who swallow all the bullshit that the gov't and media present to us, types of. People who will vote for Bush in November after seeing' Fahrenheit 911, moreover, I sincerely believe these muthafuckas care about and us our son's future...Yea Right... When we first got together, shit was cool, it was damn near perfect, and then it turned into a fuckin' nightmare. It's all good as it will be though, cuz I don't regret none of it based on the simple fact that we created something so beautiful. And Josiah's already starting' school and he's not even 4 yet, so he's learning at an accelerated level. He's already pursuing his role as a King and Wiseman, it's his fate”. To that end Nelson has been meticulously crafting his debut album, which he has been working on recording for almost two years. “If it wasn't one thing it was another” Nelson explains. In February '99 Nelson was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and was facing 6-50 years if convicted. “I was really lucky because I had no priors so they offered me a 2-5 plea bargain, if I didn't take it to trial, and I figured I had got away with so much shit, I really wasn't sweatin it. At my sentencing I was ready to put it down, the judge looked me in the eye and gave me the minimum 2 yr sentence, then after a short silence, he changes his mind and gives me 2 yrs felony probation. I was happy as hell. But then there was way more bull-shit after that episode. But I never quit dreamin'”. There is no doubt “Unstable Citizen”IVDIII, reflect Nelson's personal experiences and those close to him. “It's Citizen Muzik” and hopes his music sends a powerful and positive message. “There is something definitely wrong with the way the world is turning out , I just try to work through music to make a change. The sad truth , Nelson adds, is something he learned on “the Block”, where the only truth, which is for every tree that grows and matures, another is chopped down during its prime before its time. Jeric Nelson knows that his time could end any moment. But he's not worried, not anymore. Based on the fact that he now sees himself accomplishing his goals. “If it happened today, I wouldn't feel like I felt a year ago. And The Trees On The Block Inch Closer Towards The Sky... CHECK OUT MYSPACE.COM/JOKERVENDETTI CHECK OUT MYSPACE.COM/VSOPMEGA[color="red"][/co lor][color="darkred"][/color][link="URL"][/link]