Okay. I’ll confess. I’ve never smoked crack.

But the rush of being onstage… When I’ve got the mic in my hand, and the band is killing it, I am high. At that very moment I am completely myself. Not acting or posing for the crowd, but telling my story, singing from the depths of my soul. There’s nothing like it except…

…The high of creating in the studio. When the song is strong, and the rhythm track is hot, I catch a buzz. All of a sudden I start dancing uncontrollably in the middle of the control room. I feel like I’m stoned.

I’ve had some success with the work I’ve produced for myself and other artists – awards, radio play, international tours, licensing for movies and advertising, scoring indie films and more. Each accomplishment brings new validation.

But if you’re really passionate about your music as I am, you don’t do it for the money or the acclaim. You do it because you’re addicted to the rhythm.

In his bestselling book, This is Your Brain On Music, music producer/neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explains that the neurotransmitter dopamine is released into the pleasure centers of the brain when we listen to music we enjoy. Dopamine is most famous for its role in the brain’s pleasure and reward system. It is involved in mood regulation and coordination of movement.

According to Levitin, “When drug addicts get their drug of choice, or when compulsive gamblers win a bet – even when chocoholics get cocoa – this is the neurotransmitter that is released.”

On top of that hit of “dope”, when I’m playing music that I like, on an instrument I enjoy, with a tone that is pleasing, I begin to care, and I pay more attention. Levitin’s studies show that dopamine is released again, enhancing emotions, alertness and mood. My brain creates a neurochemical tag for every aspect of the experience to make sure I remember what this buzz feels like.

So if I’m really excited about this 16 bar verse I’m spitting, and the hook is hot, and the beat is knocking, my brain could be infused with enough dopamine to pack a Phillie blunt.  If I’m truly passionate about my music, if I’m feeding on the energy of a crowded club or a packed arena, and I’m on, the high can be like taking a hit of freebase cocaine.

Okay, the science isn’t perfect, but I do know that the more I get that feeling of playing great music, the more I want to feel it. I’ve gotta have it… every day, all day, all night, if possible.  I keep chasing that high, hoping for the same feeling or a better, more intense high.

And that’s why I will never quit. It’s not because the pay is great, that’s for sure. Even major label artists struggle to make ends meet. The rest of us make due with day jobs or odd jobs or, if we’re lucky, jobs playing music for a living.

Those artists who are most successful are driven like crack heads. The difference is they know how to balance the business with the buzz. They create a lifestyle that allows them to get high by playing as much music as possible, while keeping the bills paid, and (puff, puff) passing the feeling on to others who get a dopamine infusion when they hear music they enjoy.

So yes, I’m a professional musician and producer. I’m in control. But the first step to control is admitting that I’m an addict, and music is a drug that I will never quit.

Are you an addict? Do you have your high under control? Hit me up and tell me your story…

Originally Published at GetSigned.com
January 11, 2010

The awards show will be held Friday, April 15 at The Fillmore Theatre Detroit, 2115 Woodward Avenue. Cast your vote Today at DetroitMusicAwards.net.

On Thursday, April 14, join Nadir and fellow nominee Eliza Neals for at celebratory toast a Detroit’s Hard Rock Cafe. Nadir kicks of the night with a solo funk set that you won’t want to miss.

Thursday, April 14, 2011 – 8pm
Pre-DMA Rock & Soul Showcase with Eliza Neals & Nadir
Hard Rock Cafe Detroit
45 Monroe Street, Detroit, Michigan
For more info visit HardRockCafe.com

Located at 32293 Ford Road (between Venoy and Merriman) in Garden City, Michigan, M’s Gathering Place delivers a unique menu highlighting tasty, family recipes, made with the freshest fixings at surprisingly affordable prices. “I felt the community needed a place where we could come and listen to great music, and enjoy a good meal in a nice, clean, family atmosphere,” says owner Mary Hauk, a lifelong Michigander.

Check out this live performance video of “Workin’ For The Man” by Nadir from the 2010 St. Michael’s We Care Telethon in Monroe, Michigan. The video was produced by WUPW – Fox Toledo.

St. Michael’s We Care offers monetary and other assistance to individuals residing in Monroe County, Michigan with a life-threatening illness to be paid after the use of insurance (if any), other organizations, and/or money derived from other sources is exhausted.

This performance happened at the height of the US health care reform debate. We felt it was important to do this benefit in support of a great organization that offers aid to families and individuals in their time of greatest need.

The band is Alesha Brown (keyboards & vocals), Mia Treadwell (drums & vocals), Chris Spooner (bass & vocals), Nadir Omowale (vocals, guitar). “Workin’ For The Man” was written by Daniel Lee (aka The Invisible Kid) and Nadir Omowale. It’s the title track of the Workin’ For The Man album.

This urban theater project is a collaboration between 4TheatrSake, the 1440 Collective, the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center, the Cedi Collection, Detroit film-maker Ryan Myers and Plowshares Theater Company. Directed by Wyldchild L. Chemist, the soundtrack for this staging features original music by EAPro’s Nadir Omowale.

Written like final round slam poetry, In the Blood keeps it real in the “here and now.” Hester is a homeless single mother who is devoted to her five children, and struggles to find ways to feed them. Five actors play her five young treasures. The same actors also play the adults who help or hinder Hester in her quest to “get a leg up”. Lovingly comical moments are juxtaposed by the harsh world of poverty in this modern masterpiece.

The idea for the Detroit staging is to provide an all-inclusive social theater experience where audiences will witness compelling performances by 4Theatrsake’s actors as they illustrate the challenges faced by Hester, and the characters that surround her. Following the performance, the actors will remain on-stage (in character) to allow the audience a chance to react to and ask questions about the story they’ve just witnessed. Moderated by Oneita Jackson of O Street, this after-drama forum will focus on poverty, disease, human trafficking, race in a post-racial society, and what we can do to bring change.

The cast and crew of In The Blood represent Detroit artists from diverse backgrounds. Actor, director, writer Wyldchild L. Chemist was recently invited to join Plowshares Theatre Company’s new ensemble as an artistic associate. He will be participating in The Kennedy Center’s fellowship program for Theater Capacity Building in Culturally-Specific Organizations.

Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most exciting and acclaimed playwrights in American drama today. She is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for the Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog and is a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, among her many other honors.

In The Blood by Suzan Lori-Parks
Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center
311. E. Grand River
Detroit, Michigan

Performance Times:
Friday, January 8, 2010 – 8pm
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 4pm & 8pm
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 4pm
$40 admission
BUY TICKETS NOW

(Your treat for reading the post all the way through: Use promo code “A” to save $15 off the ticket price!)