A graduate of Harvard and the Columbia University School of Journalism, Skiz Fernando began his career as a music journalist for such publications as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin, and Vibe. He parlayed his knowledge and expertise in the field of hip-hop into the critically-acclaimed book, The New Beats: Exploring the Music, Culture & Attitudes of Hip-Hop (Anchor/Doubleday, 1994), which has become an important document of the culture behind rap music. The New Beats has since been published in England, France, and Japan. Not content to just write about music, Fernando started his own label, WordSound Recordings, in December 1994, and went onto release 64 albums spanning all genres. Skiz has also written, produced, and directed 3 feature films, 2 of which are music documentaries. An avid home chef, Skiz has long wanted to share the food of his homeland, Sri Lanka, with the world. Rice & Curry is his bid to make this spicy, exotic cuisine, the next big thing in food.