Diar Lansky: Daily Operation

First things first, these past ten months or so have been completely insane — How have you been holding up during this global pandemic?

To say the least, it has definitely been interesting. Honestly, I’ve really focused on myself and my family throughout this pandemic. The tragedy of Covid obviously has been horrible…I actually had Covid in August, and it was not fun. But I used the time to focus on the things that I love; my family, music…and I actually went back to school to learn graphic design. I mean, you really have to make the best out of any situation, and that’s exactly what I did. I also have been hosting our [Todd Davis & I] podcast, Whutz The Word Podcast, every Saturday at 5pm, which has been a blast!

On a less somber note, it is my understanding that you’re going to kick off 2021 with the “Operation: 365” campaign — Tell the people what all exactly this will entail?

Yes, I am very excited for January 1st and my 365 campaign. Starting on January 1st, I will be releasing a new song every day for the entire year. As crazy as that sounds, it’s actually quite simple. I mean, I’m a rapper, right? So all I’m going to do is rap…Lol! In this day and age and state of Hip Hop, you definitely have to do something to stand out. There is a ton of artists and music out there, and the game is definitely oversaturated. So I figured a good way for listeners to find what I’m releasing is to literally drop a new song every day for an entire year. I will be releasing the tracks on SoundCloud, and my website – diarlansky.com – so no one has to have a subscription or anything like that to be able to listen or follow the progress of my year. Although this task at hand is going to be a lot of hard work and determination, I’m incredibly excited for the challenge and to grow more as an artist while doing it. The brain is a memory muscle, and needs to be worked out just like any other muscle. So hopefully by the end of the year, my lyrical skills will be on a whole other level than when I started. Although I’m pretty dope already…Lol!

That being said, what actually prompted your decision to take on such a huge undertaking? A new song each and every day for a full calendar year is definitely a lofty goal…

It’s definitely a goal that’s going to take a lot of hard work, but, again, I feel it’s important to stand out from what other artists are doing. Mainstream Hip Hop unfortunately all sounds the same right now, which is a disadvantage when you want to be recognized and singled out as one of the better acts or artists. Another big key to success nowadays in this game is your following. And, honestly, I can’t see a better way to grab a good following, than to have them follow me and my progress for a full year. Plus, I’ll be giving away 365 songs this year that you won’t need a subscription to be able to listen to, which is something I wanted to do as well considering how many people are out of work because of the pandemic.

How then will this new material either differ and / or compare to previous Diar Lansky recordings?

My listeners know what they get from Diar Lansky music; substance, real Hip Hop, knowledge, bars! But obviously releasing 365 songs, I’m going to need to think outside the box to have a full spectrum of flavor to share with all the fans and listeners. So it’s not necessarily going to differ from other projects I’ve done, but is definitely going to rival anything I’ve released previously for the fact of I need to come up with new and fresh material everyday. I’m really going to need to channel my inner emcee, and focus on making the best song I can every day…then make an even better one the next day. Needless to say, I have my hands full in 2021 to make this project a success.

As a triple threat – rapper / producer / engineer – is there a personal preference when it comes to picking your favorite of these three different hats that you simulataneously wear?

You know it’s crazy, actually doing all 3 helps me stay motivated. When I don’t feel like writing, I can make a beat. When I don’t feel like writing or producing, I can start mixing. It really gives a nice balance of activity to keep me working towards my goals and projects that I have lined up. But I will say one thing, engineering definitely is better money and more consistent. A lot of people don’t understand the work to pay ratio as an independent artist. The term “Starving Artist” is as real as it gets. So, again, being able to do all 3 in this game gives me an advantage that a lot of independent artists don’t have.

As an emcee, where do you draw your lyrical inspiration from?

This is an interesting question because sometimes just being able to rap gives me inspiration. Not everyone can do it, and honestly not everyone should. There are definitely some horrible artists out there. I’m not here to shatter anyone’s dreams, but sometimes, some things should just be left alone…I’ll leave that there. But also, I’m an ‘80’s baby. I grew up through the “Golden Era” of Hip Hop. I’m a West Coast artist that didn’t box myself in to a certain sound. But I was blessed to be raised in the era I was in. I listened to everything from Above the Law to Boot Camp Clik to Geto Boys to New Edition. I absorbed everything I listened to and applied it to the way I do music still to this day. I love all genres of music and was raised with records that my parents had. To me, listening to other genres of music, especially from eras before mine, is like reading books. The more you read the more you know. I think that relates to music, especially because the more music you know the more you can apply to the music you do.

From a production standpoint, how would you describe and / or define the style of music that you create and perform?

Real Hip Hop, plain and simple. No gimmicks! 100% Pure Uncut Dope music. Some of what I do may sound a little “old school” to some of the younger listeners, which to me is okay. I’m not trying to be something I’m not, and definitely don’t follow trend when it comes to my music. I’m happy with the way my music is produced organically, and I always stick to what I know and am good at. No need to fix something that’s not broken.

Your most recent project is entitled Distortion — Conceptually, what does that title represent both to and for you?

Distortion is an interesting project. I did the record obviously while we were all dealing with this pandemic. But with everything that we watch on TV and hear on the news is very distorted and / or is viewed distorted. Not everything is how it appears, and sometimes is exactly how it appears. The way you visualize it is up to you. Facts can be distorted…lies can be distorted…sound can be distorted. It’s all on how you process it. So all In all, Distortion was a project that represents somewhat of the fuzziness that clouded 2020, and also how to adapt and move in a time that seems like it has no answers.

It is also my understanding that you will be dropping another new album, My Beautiful Burden, soon as well — Talk to me a little bit about this record…

My Beautiful Burden, which will be released in the first quarter of the year, is really like my music diary. This talent that was given to me sometimes can also be a enormous burden. This also alludes to (the) “Starving Artist” term. The odds of you making it in this game is like making it to the NBA or NFL. Your chances are slim to none, but to even get a shot you have to keep working. While your friends are clubbing and hanging out, you’re in the studio. When your friends are going on spring vacations, you’re in your room writing. It’s definitely a sacrifice. But what a beautiful thing that is. I create, I don’t duplicate. My beautiful burden [see: music] is something that 90% of this world will never understand, nor ever experience from an artist’s perspective. I guess you could also say it’s “a gift and a curse.” But by the time the listeners finish the album, they should have a good idea on what it feels like to be an independent artist and understand why there’s beauty in the burden I carry.

If all of this isn’t enough, you’ve recently been in the lab with Squeak Ru, formerly of Mack 10’s Hoo Bangin’ collective AllFrumtha I, working on a joint LP — What all can you reveal and / or divulge at this particular time about forthcoming said set?

Man, this album’s going to be crazy! First off, shout out to Squeak Ru and Binky Mack of Allfrumtha I. They’ve always held me down, and have been a part of my family for years. I’ve (also) worked a lot with Binky Mack with doing a joint album and multiple singles. But this was my first time working with Squeak Ru one on one, and it’s been an amazing project. This is a big record not only for me, but also for the West Coast. We are calling the project Ebony and Ivory. We don’t have a release date as of yet, but we are almost done with the album and getting ready to get into release mode. We also recruited some dope features for the album including MC Eiht, Mitchy Slick, Buckshot, KTOE, Boo Kapone, CMG [Conscious Daughters], ethemadassassin and many more. Again, this is going to be a big record for the West Coast and, honestly, just Hip Hop in general.

Of course all of these efforts come courtesy of your own indie venture, Die4 Productions — What are some of your future plans and / or goals for / with the company?

Really just to keep releasing music, which shouldn’t be too hard considering I’m dropping a new track every day for the next year…Lol! But in the not too long future, I would like to possibly sign a few artists and maybe take a management role and put some new talent out there for the masses. I also wouldn’t mind throwing a few shows when everything opens back up. With the connections and people I know and deal with, I could throw one hell of a Hip Hop concert! One thing at a time though. Right now, I have 365 songs to release.

In addition, and certainly last but not least, you currently host a weekly online show called Whutz The Word Podcast — For those who have yet to tune in, what all exactly would you tell those same individuals can be expected from watching? And, anything specific coming up soon that we, the masses, can look forward to?

Man, Whutz the Word Podcast has been a blessing throughout this pandemic. A lot of the artists that we have on the show literally would be on tour right now, so we were able to tap into a lot of them while they are home relaxing and, honestly, have made some really great and historic interviews. With guests such as Big Daddy Kane, Beanie Sigel, Mya, Ralph Tresvant, Kelly Price, Lisa Lisa, Fredro Starr, Faith Evans, Money B and plenty more. There really hasn’t been a dull moment on our show since we’ve started. We have plenty more to accomplish, so stayed tuned every Saturday at 5pm PST on IG Live, and see what superstar we have on the show next.

Is there anything I left out or completely forgot to mention?

Nope, that pretty much gets us caught up on new endeavors and goals that I pride myself in completing this coming year and beyond.

Any parting words for our readers?

Support independent artists. What we do is not all fun and games and can definitely be discouraging at times, and a little bit of support goes a long way. I’m humbled with the amount of support I get, and it really keeps me fired up. And once again, I’m dropping a new song every day for a full year. Log in everyday and see what’s new. Other than that, everyone stay safe and let’s think about the next person and be considerate so we can open up next year and start living normal life again. Salute to everyone that’s trying to do better than they did yesterday. Love y’all! #Die4