Total Eclipse of CT

It was just past midnight on the evening of Saturday, April 4th. The lights were low, many of the women’s dresses were short, and the music provided by DJ Gruv was thumping out of the speakers at Lady Luck in Bridgeport. None of the above, however, concerned the Nervous System trio of Polarity Plus, SolStorm and Eclipse, who were huddled together in a corner of the bar having a private conversation. The topic was Eclipse’s departure to California.

“We had a family moment,” explains Plus. “We have been through so much it’s ridiculous. We've dealt with shady indie labels. We almost inked deals at Warner Bros. and Universal. We went to number four on the CMJ charts and had one of the most requested songs on CMJ. We tore up a huge CMJ showcase and opened for artists from John Legend to Talib Kweli. Of course we fought, but that only made our trio stronger. Usually I’m a real private guy but I’ll let ya’ll in on what was said in the pow wow. I basically grabbed the both of them and just made it very clear that Nervous System was not a failure. So if those thoughts have come to your minds you should drop them. We have done more then a lot of artists have dreamed of doing and we should be proud. Yes, we got screwed and cheated by the indie label we were with. Yes, we couldn't secure two major label deals. And things got tough after we left our management company. But we should still keep our heads high because people will always remember how great Nervous System was.” Eclipse corrected Plus on just one thing, the idea that Nervous System should be talked about in the past tense.

“This will just be a pause button on Nervous System” says the Cali bound emcee, “We’re just venturing off as Wu-Tang did to see whoever gets picked up to do their solo work and we’ll come back together every some years and put together a Nervous System album.”

Eclipse, a lifelong resident of Bridgeport, officially made the move to California, where he now lives about 20 minutes from North Hollywood, only a few days after that get together. As an emcee he was considered one of the best, if not the best, freestyle lyricists in the state’s history. Plus beams with pride when he says “to this day people are trying to take it to Eclipse because they know when he’s in the club he’s the top freestyler in the room.” With the move to LA Eclipse knows he’s going to have to prove himself all over again, but it’s a challenge he’s looking forward to taking on. “The whole Hip-Hop scene is so different from over here and I know once they hear my east coast lyrics over some west coast beats I’m bound to get picked up by somebody major.”

While Eclipse is preparing for LA, SolStorm says LA should be preparing for what Eclipse is about to bring their way. “The LA battle scene better be ready,” she says with a smile, “Eclipse has always been full of never ending energy, life, and yo momma jokes. I know he will be easily accepted and equally hated, but more importantly he will bring a piece of the east to the quiet west and will livin things up a bit.”

Eclipse will definitely be bringing a piece of the east with him, but at the same time he says there are plenty of things he will be missing about Connecticut, from the friends and family he has here to the state’s close proximity to New York City. “There’s definitely some stuff I’m gonna miss,” he says with a heavy heart, “but you know what, sometimes you have to get rid of your emotional baggage in order to succeed.” According to WKSS Kiss 95.7FM on-air personality Prolifik, Eclipse is on the right path.

As someone who’s seen the scene from the inside for a number of years, both as a radio host and an emcee, Prolifik feels that in order for Connecticut Hip-Hop artists to find real success they eventually have to leave the state. “Eclipse leaving is really just a result of how underdeveloped CT is when it comes to Hip-Hop,” he explains, “I think the key to success when you hail from CT is getting out of the damned state! Clearly Eclipse isn’t afraid to go outside of his comfort zone and I know once it’s ‘all eyes on Eclipse’ he’ll bring the attention back to CT.”

SolStorm agrees that Eclipse’s taking up residence in Cali will “create a networking bridge across the country.” She jokes that there are a few things she hopes don’t come back across that bridge, though. “I just hope he doesn’t come back to visit in tube socks and talking lingo I don’t get.”

Eclipse changing his entire style isn’t very likely. Eclipse taking over LA, however, is a distinct possibility. In fact, he might just be the right artist to kick open the door for Connecticut emcees on a national level.

Story originally ran in the FairfieldWeekly.