brother air
early years
Brother Air—known as Willie Smart Jr.—fostered a strong passion for music starting at the age of 4. Dedicating his life to his craft, he aspired for stardom in the jazz realm.
“I’m an artist. been playing since I was 4 years old, studying jazz music”
At 16, Brother Air would leave home, venturing off to New York and Chicago where he would immerse himself in the inspiring and destructive sides of the jazz scene.When he was 19-20 years old Brother Air was making a substantial income, attending celebrity parties, and enjoy a lavish lifestyle.Before long, he was collaborating with numerous renowned musicians, putting Brother Air on the path to make a significant name for himself.However, he started to feel the impact of this lifestyle.
“I was eating everything man!I was a practitioner of soul food.That whole piece and the drugs…”
Engaged in unending travel, performances, and drug use, Brother Air recognized that he could not live this way of life for much longer — it was killing him.Through a fortunate twist of fate, his mother took him and his sister to an event that would profoundly alter Brother Air's life path.
“I remember my mother took me and my sister to a lecture by Dick Gregory, that was the first time I heard about vegetarianism.”
Brother Air began studying and familiarizing himself with Dick Gregory's approach to vegetarianism in hopes of improving his health.