After 20 years in the game as a producer and rhymer, Eric Wilson makes his solo debut with The Warm Up. Formerly of the gangsta-oriented Bar-Nun group in the late ’90s, Wilson has matured, more recently producing cuts for Midwest Mafia and Jay-Kool. His first disc charts his steps toward a more conscious style, relates some of the treacherous detours he’s taken, and points to the promise of a new direction. “This is a reminder to people of who I am,” says Wilson. “This is a warm-up of things to come.”

This article appears in Sep 21-27, 2005.