D1C3 Talks Rise, Best Advice, Collaborations & More
What first got you into music?
I first got into music after my step-father passed away. He was a musician himself and inspired me to learn more about instruments and how to play them. If he was still around today, he would probably tell you that he wished I was still playing instruments, especially the piano. He was very into jazz, and I’m not sure if he would have been thrilled that I slowly drifted away from solely playing instruments, but his death is what catapulted me into hip hop. The ability to write and talk about what was constantly bothering me was what drew me in, especially when I knew I didn’t have to filter it.
Who inspired you to make music?
It isn’t really ‘who’ inspired me as much as ‘what’ inspired me, and that inspiration came from pain; it still does. Losing my step-father, who helped raise me from a very young age, and many losses following that. It all fueled me, and since it’s a part of life that none of us can control, it will be fueling me forever.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
All of my music is very honest. I do some of it for the fun, of course, as I experiment with different sounds, topics, genres and ideas. I love being able to vent my emotions out however they decide to show themselves on a record, it’s very therapeutic. I put honesty and passion into it regardless of whether it’s a happy, sad or angry record; I’m always passionate and direct with my messages and that is something people can always expect from my music; a determination to get my point across.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
That’s too hard to bring down to one person. There are a few producers I would love to collaborate with. For example, DJ Premier, Just Blaze, The Justice League, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, I could go on forever. Artist-wise, I would really like to collaborate with Method Man, Royce Da 5’9”, Redman, J.Cole, Busta Rhymes, Rakim, Nas, AZ, Lloyd Banks, Fabolous, the list goes on.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
I would choose to open for artists that would have the largest crowds so I have the biggest ability to spread my music. Artists like Jay-Z and Eminem bring in massive audiences and sell out every place they’re scheduled to perform. So anybody that will generate the largest audience possible for me to reach.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
Thank you for supporting me even when I struggled to support and believe in myself.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
For many artists who have grown in their careers at earlier times, it may have been difficult to adjust to the way music is spread and how it’s promoted and handled today with the internet. I’m proud to have grown up in a time where selling records wasn’t a difficult task, and that really wasn’t long ago at all. We’re talking around a decade, and that was because you had to hit the street and sell your music to people. That wasn’t a dead sport yet at the time. You had to hustle and be a salesman if you were going to get heard. Things change that fast because time goes quick. Now, the internet is an ocean of artists, so many get lost in the waves. Not too long ago, it took leg work. You had to get out there and hustle to sell records. Even when social media started to take off it wasn’t the only option, and a lot of us still hustled to get heard. Now, it’s solely based on internet presence, ads, promo, etc. so it helped some and made other music careers struggle. It depends who you ask.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
I admire many famous musicians and their determination that led them to where they are. Success does not come easy and it takes hard work and patience so it’s hard to list all of the musicians I admire, but a few would definitely be DJ Kool Herc, The Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, J.Cole, Royce Da 5’9”, Timbaland, DJ Premier, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Black Thought, Nas, Andre3000, AZ, Eminem, Just Blaze, Mike Shinoda, I can go on forever.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
To stop caring about what people think and to do this music for me. When I started, it was therapy for me. After a while, I got caught up with who supported me and who didn’t; it would weigh on me when I received negative feedback and that’s where I lost myself a little. Once I began ignoring that and fully invested myself into the music, things changed and people started connecting to it more than ever before. So that was the best advice I’ve ever been given.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I would change how much music became such a small part of the music industry. For the last few years, especially, artists have gotten more attention over gimmicks and being more of a personality rather than a music artist. Lyricism in hip-hop developed from poetry, and a lot of that has been stripped away because people put more focus on how ‘interesting’ or wild a person acts; keyword being “acts.” A lot of people would rather see and follow a person based on how wild they act rather than focus on their actual lyrical content which some of them don’t even possess or showcase. That’s not rap. Hip-hop is a culture consisting of multiple elements, but the emcee element isn’t about how crazy you can act, it’s about how lyrically talented and how intelligent you are. It’s about how you control a crowd with your words, passion and delivery. It’s a culture, not a circus. So I would change the industry to make music be about the music again, and I would leave all of the theatrics for the actual theaters.
What’s next for you?
My music video/short film for ‘Love Lies’ with Prophetnyc has been officially selected by The New York City Independent Film Festival and The IndieFEST Film Awards. It’s also starring Janelle Yull and Anna Mayo. It will be screened in theaters during the week of June 5th, 2023, for The New York City Independent Film Festival, and it will be shown at the Producers Club in NYC near Times Square. I also have a project on the way titled ‘D1C3 & Friends: The Feature Collection’ featuring many talented artists, and I have a couple more projects on the way too. Prophetnyc and I are also working on the music video for ‘Mask On,’ and we’re very excited to be working with our extremely talented friend Anna Mayo for it.
About the Author
Bryson "Boom" Paul Bryson "Boom" Paul is a well-known journalist and media correspondent. He has written for OC Weekly, LA Weekly, Dallas Observer, Hip Hop DX, The Source and more. Throughout 13-plus years, he has interviewed the biggest names in music, like Tyler the Creator, 50 Cent and Sean Paul.
