Hello, it's your boy D-zel. The young man with a vision of becoming one of the best eMCees to ever do it. Something I believe will come through hard work, passion and improving your craft. Here's a deep look into how my early experiences shaped my creative view and drove me to the path of becoming an eMCee and creative.
I describe myself as a person who doesn't like to be read easily. An introvert to say the least. I like my space. It gives me the freedom to create which I did a lot of. I let my imagination run wild as a child. I was drawn to the world of cartoons and how worlds could be created by someone's imagination. I wanted that. I wanted my world. I wanted people to see that world and all its uniqueness and I planned on making that happen. Whatever it takes, right?
I was a visual artist first before anything else. I remembered when I actually drew something decent. On May 20th 2004, in class two, I decided to give my talent a try and drew a picture of my family. A representation of what I valued to this today. It was at that moment I realized I could create something. Something decent. Something from my own mind. And that's how my creative journey began. The rest of the story, you shall hear in due time.
As a young boy, I was not exposed to much of secular music in the household. The only song I can vividly remember liking the was R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly". (Ironic now since the man has taken the dark path). That song was it for me as a child in the 90s. This was the first time a song did something and meant something. I believed I could fly, literally (I was around three years, it's understandable). My parents remind me that I was constantly singing it at the top of my lungs, off-key and all. At that tender age, without knowing, it had registered in my mind that music had power. It had the ability to inspire, make you believe and give you hope. To this day, that has been the guiding light for all my songs.
It was around 2005-06 when I started getting real exposure to hip hop and the secular genre. Before that, it was during car drives to when I got to listen to these tracks. KISS 100 and Easy FM were on heavy rotation. That really got me liking RnB songs. The likes of Usher, Akon, Alicia Keys, Ciara, Beyonce were the first names I knew from that space. But when I started checking out 'The Beat' at 5 pm after cartoons, that's when it all began to click. Crunk, gangsta rap and Atlanta trap ruled the airwaves. Lil Jon was snapping his fingers. 50 Cent had a Candy Shop. Lil Wayne was Making it Rain. Chamillionaire was Riding Dirty. Kanye had Gold Diggers. Nelly had Grillz. Jim Jones made us fly high. Jay-Z showed us what he got and T.I. asked What You Knew About That. It was a new world, filled with bling, grills, baggy jeans, and I loved every second of it.
It was an on and off relationship with rap music till around 2008 when we got exposed to MTV Base. A music channel which played music 24/7. I frequented the channel every day. I memorised lyrics to A Milli, Live Your Life and Heartless. Knowing songs word for word gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the craft. I started visualising myself on the mic, rapping on a stage, entertaining and inspiring millions. This newfound vision got me to write my first track in 2009 called 'To the Street.' A G-funk trap fusion song. It had the simplest lyrics which I remember the hook till today.
To the street, to the club, to the hood, (we're gonna break it down)// feel the beat, move your feet, to the street, (we're gonna break it down) // like a choir, take it higher, straight up fire (we're gonna break it down)*3 yeah (we're gonna break it down)!
This was the beginning of my musical journey. I am glad to have shared this piece with you and I am happy that you're here for the ride. Stay tuned for more amazing stories and perspectives.