Refuge is an extended play featuring cloud rap instrumentals that loosely tell the story -- the terror, the strife, the longing, and (hopefully) the success -- of the current refugees across the globe from the perspective of a humble and privileged American.

On the artwork, you will notice a small boy -- Handala -- staring into the void of swirling, technicolor continents that I used previously as artwork for my single "I Am with You." Below is an excerpt taken from www.handala.org/handala/ that will offer clarity about the child.

'WHO IS HANDALA?
From approximately 1975 through 1987 Naji Al-Ali created cartoons that depict the complexities of the plight of Palestinian refugees. These cartoons are still relevant today and Handala, the refugee child who is present in every cartoon, remains a potent symbol of the struggle of the Palestinian people for justice and self-determination.

Naji Al-Ali wrote: “The child Handala is my signature [...]. I gave birth to this child in the Gulf and I presented him to the people. His name is Handala and he has promised the people that he will remain true to himself. I drew him as a child who is not beautiful; his hair is like the hair of a hedgehog who uses his thorns as a weapon. Handala is not a fat, happy, relaxed, or pampered child. He is barefooted like the refugee camp children, and he is an icon that protects me from making mistakes. Even though he is rough, he smells of amber. His hands are clasped behind his back as a sign of rejection at a time when solutions are presented to us the American way.

"Handala was born ten years old, and he will always be ten years old. [...] The laws of nature do not apply to him. He is unique. [...]

I presented him to the poor and named him Handala as a symbol of bitterness. At first, he was a Palestinian child, but his consciousness developed to have a national and then a global and human horizon. He is a simple yet tough child, and this is why people adopted him and felt that he represents their consciousness."'

"I Am with You" is available for free download, and it is accompanied by a poem that reflects my sentiments about the current tragedy that we are seeing unfold around the world. As always, thank you.