Will "Intrinzik" Glass made 32-years-old without knowing who his biological parents were, and had accepted the fact that he probably never would.
The local hip-hop artist lead a happy childhood, thanks to his adoptive parents that took care of him from the moment he was born in Long Island, New York. But there was always an innate drive to sing and get behind a drum set. It wasn't an option; it was a compulsion. He had to perform.
It eventually lead him to write a song about the pain of not knowing the two high school sweethearts that contributed to his DNA.. It was a lifelong mystery that needed to be solved, his girlfriend Jennifer Norftil decided. Glass took a stab at what he thought to be his biological mother's name. He was one letter off. A quick Facebook search turned up the profile of a woman who, three decades earlier, brought Glass into the world as a teen.
Jennifer asked Glass' permission to send her a message. Subject line: His birthday.
Weeks of talking with his biological mother eventually revealed the other half of Glass' mysterious past - a guy named Guy - his biological father. A musician.
"I was both stunned, yet not surprised that he was a musician," Glass says. "It kind of shocked me, yet made sense at the same time."
His search for Guy lead him right back home to the Valley. After a stint in the 90s hair metal circuit in Los Angeles, Guy Abbey settled down near his family right here in the desert. It wasn't long after contacting Guy that the two decided to meet. April 30, 2010 was the day that Intrinzik met his biological father and a future collaborator. That same day, the two went to a studio to jam and see exactly how close their musical DNA aligned.
"We jammed out for hours and videotaped the whole thing," Glass says. "That part of the night was incredible -- just rocking out with this guy who gave me life 32 years ago."
They're both drummers. They're both vocalists. They both "dance like idiots." They both wear black shirts, blue jeans and black sneakers as their go-to outfit. It was easy to see that they came from the same blood. Still, Glass will always consider his adoptive father his father.
"I think it would be fairly impossible to transplant anyone into someone's life 33 years later and expect it to feel like a parent," Glass says.
Guy is more like a fatherly kind of brother. He's also one-half their appropriately named musical project, DNA.
"I have a special 'shrine' in my drum room consisting of the pair of drum sticks we both used the first time we met, an Indian drum his mom gave me, a record LP of his rap project he made with his brother in the 80s (and now super producer Mike Lattanzi) and the DVD we made of the first night we met," the hip-hop artist says. "[Guy is] a straight shooter. He is a man of his word. He is dedicated to his photography/video business and is a workaholic. He loves to goof around, play music, party. Guy is responsible yet very young at heart. He is a free spirit and has a magnetic personality. Everyone loves Guy and Guy loves everyone."
When Intrinzik opens the Tech N9ne show at Marquee Theatre on October 10, Guy will join him for a few 80s remake tracks to close the set. Tickets are available via Lucky Man, or through Intrinzik at 480-326-4426.
