We Speak Indie Artist
Asetta Ramey’s The Bindings in the Bondage
Severely depressed, emotionally tired, and physically drained from fighting the struggles of living and surviving in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Bronx, Asetta feeling limited, helpless, and hopeless of a way out, plans to commit suicide after dropping her classes at community college one-week shy of her twenty-fifth birthday. It is there her advisor suggests she speak to the school counselor where she reveals her motives and is sent the same day to the Zucker hill Behavioral center. There in the confinements of the walls in her room Asetta experiences a spiritual epiphany that ignites her true love passion for writing again. finding faith, strength, and forgiveness within self, Asetta regains the will to live purposely and passionately again by following her forgotten dreams of becoming a great writer. Asetta instills positive words of encouragement, motivation, and self-awareness to wake up, give back negative thoughts and ideas that have hindered you, and fight for your goals, dreams, and aspirations.
EXCERPT:
“Hello.” The specialist said as she pulled out her paper work.
I searched the floor again, that overwhelming feeling returning as I twirled my fingers and crossed my feet.
I am being judged, were the thoughts that were filling up the hallways in my mind. Clipboards and paper work meant trapping and tracking my thoughts, emotions, behaviors in her certified files. I was leaving paper trails, and paper trails meant I signed a binding contract to names and conditions that labeled and categorized me into bondage I could never escape from. Into bondage that I did not want to define me. This experience would stick and follow me no matter where I went. – The Bindings in the Bondage
Get to know Asetta:
WHO ARE YOU?
I am a 27-year-old black woman who refuses to accept that because of the limitations of my upbringing, my environment, life circumstances or because of any struggles mentally, physically, and emotionally I will fail at achieving happiness. I will not settle and I will not give up on myself. I will not compromise my dreams, my happiness, the woman I want to be in the future because of the place or position I am in right now. I was once searching for my definition of happiness. God showed me that all I had to do to be free to happiness, was to free my heart by following what I had been hiding in it despite who it pleased, satisfied, or displeased.
I no longer am afraid to embrace the real me. I dream big, far, wide, and outrageous. I will keep my head in the clouds and my eyes to the sky. I was born to shine, to be great, and to enjoy the success that comes with pursuing my happiness. I was born to be more than my situations, hardships, and circumstances. I repeat, I was born to shine lol. I knew from 8-years-old that I was destined for greatness. I am smart, courageous, and beautiful. I am a fighter, a pusher, I persevere. I am diligent, funny, serious, messy, and I like order all at the same time. I am a boss in the making. I am a daughter, a princess to the highest. I am authentic, unapologetically me and I could not have been made any more perfect than who I am today.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?
The Bindings in the Bondage is a true story about me and my experience with death and life. It’s a story about a Bronx girl who planned to commit suicide because I was feeling bound to a lifestyle mentally, physically, emotionally, that I did not want. I could not come to grips with my life amounting to nothing, to just existing in a world that I once thought I could fly in. I was searching for freedom in happiness, but my surroundings, my circumstances, the thoughts in my mind were enslaving me. I ended up being admitted to a mental institution for college students. In there I realized that what I thought about myself in there and what I actually saw didn’t 100% add up to me. I thought according to race Indian and Asians were the smartest kids, and they are brilliant to me still, don’t get me wrong, but I was now amongst these brilliant people. There were no barriers. I questioned what that meant about who I was and the third day of my stay I ended up getting saved in there. God reunited me with him and my passion. Writing saved my life. God taught me a lesson and that was to give back labels, thoughts, ideas, and negative names because they did not belong to me. Anything that spoke against my character, God told me to give it back because I was not born crazy, not good enough, a failure, ugly, immature, depressed, etc. Those things were taught to me by people I either feared, loved, or respected. I was also an enabler of my own self-sabotage. God helped me realize that anything worth fighting for that is good for me, is worth unlearning what is bad for me. The moment I declared to change my perspective and take back power over my life, was the day that I decided to pursue a writing career. When I got out God was like
“Okay beloved what do you want to do now that your free?” I was like
“Lord I don’t want anyone to go through what I just went through and since you out here showing me the real you, I want to teach and help people and be the real me, so I’m going to write a book.” Two years later we are here!!!!
Find the author:
Every once in a while, a debut comes along that doesn’t just introduce an artist – it reveals a soul. Marz Starlife’s first EP, Healing, is exactly that. It’s raw, it’s heartfelt, and it doesn’t pretend to have everything figured out. Instead, it leans into the messiness of real life – the mistakes, the heartbreak, the isolation – and tries to make sense of it all through music. Born in Jamaica, raised in the UK, and now back on the island, Marz brings a cross-cultural perspective to his storytelling, but at the heart of Healing is something deeply human: the need to reckon with the past in order to move forward.
Across the project’s standout tracks, Marz doesn’t hold back. In Bad Memories, he opens up about years lost to incarceration, fractured relationships, and the weight of regret. “Spent four birthdays locked up, baby remember me please,” he raps, in a tone that’s both matter-of-fact and aching. The production stays subdued and moody, letting the lyrics breathe. There’s no glorification of the streets here, only reflection. He admits to being young and caught up in the chase for fast money, but he also shows growth, making it clear that he’s not the same person he once was. It’s a track that lingers, not because it tries to be flashy, but because it feels real.
The title track, Healing, is where everything clicks. Marz taps into something almost spiritual as he raps, “I turn pain into power, darkness to light.” The song is layered with poetic lines and subtle emotional shifts, balancing toughness with tenderness. There’s a determination to rise above, even when the scars still sting. He reflects on his upbringing, his time in the streets, and the inner battles he continues to fight. “No shrink can understand how I’m feeling,” he says, and honestly, it’s hard not to believe him. The pain here is too specific, too lived-in. But instead of letting it swallow him, he uses it to fuel something greater.
What’s refreshing about Healing is that it doesn’t try to fit neatly into any one genre or narrative. Marz blends elements of UK hip-hop, Jamaican rhythm, and emotional rap into something that feels uniquely his own. He’s not here to be the loudest or the flashiest; he’s here to be honest. And in a world full of over-produced, over-polished music, that honesty stands out.
With Healing, Marz Starlife has given us more than a debut; he’s given us a mirror into his journey, and maybe even our own. Whether you’ve lived through similar struggles or are just someone who appreciates music with depth and heart, this EP is worth your time. It’s a reminder that healing isn’t linear, but it’s possible, and that sometimes telling your story is the most powerful thing you can do.
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