Sekkond Hand is a rap group comprised of three members who are currently bringing the struggles of addiction and overcoming substance abuse to the forefront of music. This week, they will be performing at two Recovery Unplugged locations: RU Fort Lauderdale and RU Encore in Austin, TX.
We are very excited and grateful that they will show our clients that music really does make the difference. Keep an eye on our social media sites for videos from the performances!
Prior to these visits, I was able to get an exclusive interview with one of the members, AV Murphy, about Sekkond Hand, music, recovery and life.
What exactly is Sekkond Hand?
Sekkond hand is many years of perseverance coming together at the exact moment – that’s the dramatic answer. The basic response is, we’re a rap group. Two emcees and one producer.
Is there any specific meaning behind the name and/or unique spelling?
The name is a result of a brainstorming session to brand ourselves with the perfect, unique moniker. We wanted something with many meanings to reflect our many styles and broadly diverse upbringings/experiences.
We chose Second Hand (eventually Sekkond Hand) because we felt like we’ve been used by the rap game and, at times, life in general. It’s like a thrift store though; some second-hand clothes end up being someone’s fresh new outfit – with the onlookers not knowing any difference. We wanted to emulate that feeling of a new beginning, without really starting over.
Although I think the first thought process was more related to time. The “second hand” on the clock. Time never stops, waits for no one, and isn’t promised. Yet, it’s all we really have. We refer to our music as “timeless.”
There’s no simple answer to this question. I think we kinda feed off of the depth of not having a concrete answer. The two Ks [in the spelling] are simple though. As teenagers, AV and Bliz were in a group called Kapital Korruption. It was in this group that they would develop and hone their skills. So they chose to pay respects to their beginnings.
How/when did you all get linked up and start the group?
It was early to mid-nineties when AV and Bliz started rapping together. Wasn’t until 2017 that AV’s longtime, childhood friend, Splif, would join the group as the in-house producer. Everything just fell perfectly into place from that moment on.
What do you all write music about?
LIFE: all the ups, downs, and in-betweens.
Hip-hop music tends to get a bad rep when it comes to glorification of drug use. It seems that the only way to be a successful hip-hop artist these days is to follow suit. Why have you all chosen to create music that seems to defy these “standards” of this genre that we’re seeing today?
I would say, first off, for myself, I’m speaking through experience. I’m well aware of what both sides of this life looks like. I lived it. Oxys [Oxycontin pills] and Xannys [Xanax pills] were a daily habit in my life for years. So when I hear songs about molly, Percocet, or lean [codeine cough syrup] it does rub me the wrong way. A lot of these artists, not all, but a lot, are rhyming about something they have never been addicted to.
They’re really just touching on a topic that’s trending at the moment. You have to ask yourself, “Would you really write a song about something that can kill you, make you homeless, or put you into severe withdrawals?” Then ask yourself, with having that knowledge, “Would you write a song about those same things and glorify it?”
The reality is there is nothing cool about shitting yourself or vomiting everywhere because you’re so dope sick from not getting your daily fix. Essentially this is the end result. A real addict will let you know that this type of life is nothing to play with. Death is around the corner. There is no way I can glorify this lifestyle.
With that said, I would much rather be talking about the truth of what full-blown addiction looks like as well as what sobriety looks like. Which, today, has me living a good life, supporting my wife and kids, and giving hope to our youth.
When we decided to record this album, we said we were going to come from a place of honesty. With that in mind, I thought of three things: Experience, Strength, and Hope.
How does music in general and making your own music help you with your recovery?
It allows me to see the growth. I use music as a timeline to my life. When I hear certain songs I can remember what was going on in my life at that time. So, in return, I can use it as comparisons to what’s happening currently.
Every song we have ever done as Sekkond Hand I was either in active addiction or sobriety. I enjoy hearing the clarity in my lyrics these days. So, basically, it allows me to see how far I’ve come in my sobriety.
Do you believe your music can/does help others in recovery? How?
Absolutely! My story is relative to the next addict. What you hear in these lyrics are no different or very similar to what you may hear in the rooms [12-step mutual support group meetings].
I purposefully wanted to be able to reach out. This whole thing is about helping those in the struggle or from it. I love the fact that I’m able to give back.
You gotta understand, there was a time when all [of] this wasn’t fathomable in my mind. So, to be here currently is not only mind blowing, it’s a blessing. So, yes, I know our music helps people in recovery because the truth is [that] I was the guy that was homeless and struggling, but now I’m here.
If I can do it, so can the next.