Welcome to the official site of My Block Recordz, the other side of music. Home of Daraja Hakizimana, That Boy Cayse, Kamakazae, Tha Bossplayz, Black Tha Moses, SK-Mac, Geno, Club 803, and Lyricidal tha Genius.

My Block originally rooted from an open-mic show done in the Cultural Center at The Shrine of The Black Madonna called Shades of Blackness. At the time, Shrine's own Cardinal Mbiyu was running the show and needed to pass it on to someone else in order to pursue other duties. Daraja Hakizimana, age 19, had recently joined the Shrine. In the process of change, he changed his name to Daraja Hakizimana, a bridge to salvation, for spiritual and artistic reasons. He became the host of Shades of Blackness and was quickly engulfed in the rapture of Houston's poetry scene. Countless poets, writers, musicians, bands, fans, and friends rolled through each month collectively, expressingly enjoying life.

By 2000 Daraja partnered with another new Shrine member Dakar and began advancing on the open-mic scene. Later that year the two partnered with a 3rd-friend, Harol Johnson aka Black Lotus. The trio expanded the vibe by adding a second show called My Block Speaks.

From that point, My Block Recordz was born. The scene, the shows, and the sessions produced a varied genre volume of music and an equally eclectically mixed group of fans. However, Daraja recalls, "I was in constant need of a label to release my music".

By 2003 Daraja had 7 albums that were ready to go in the stores, but wasn't signed. So instead of waiting for a label to discover him, he started My Block Recordz, in conjunction with my My Block Speaks, and started pressing the music on his own. With the help of Dakar and Janna Hurd of Optimum Career Management, Daraja would now have to play the artist, musician, producer, manager, and owner of the label. Although he relates that wearing so many different hats has been a ride, a slow ride, there has been an unintentional benefit. "I've learned to kill the middle man. By me doing most of the leg work, when the money comes I can break bread better with my artist than most labels can. Its definitely a better business move doing it yourself if you have the time and patience."

By 2005 Daraja took My Block Recordz to the forefront of the web when he teamed with CDBABY and has thrived living through the Internet. With shows still continuing every 1st Friday of the month, My Block Speaks is known as one of the longest open-mic venues in Houston, Texas. With my My Block Recordz along side, Daraja has been able to produce a multitude of albums in diversified genres including Poetry, Jazz, R&B, and Hip Hop. As we speak, the shows, the sessions, and the scene assures that there's more coming. Daraja Hakizimana and My Block Recordz will proved to be a force in the music industry to be reckoned with.