TGLR Interview – Dekory Rashad

Get to know Dekory Rashad in this exclusive TGLR Interview.  Dekory is talented, charismatic, smart, to say the least.  You’ll definitely be hearing his name more often in the music industry, and for sure at Tha Good Life Reviews.

TGLR: Could you please elaborate on the journey in which you began making music?

Dekory: I’ll give you the WHOLE story because it’s all important to me. My experience with music goes back as far as I can remember.  My life has always been me as the fish and music as the water around me; it was just everywhere. I grew up in a family filled with musically inclined individuals, most of which sung in church choirs or played instruments in church. So my first influence came from those experiences and being around the music my family and friends were making. My first performing experiences came while singing in a choir my cousin started, performing all over the east coast and making a few TV appearances on shows like BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel. But when I got older my voice changed and my singing career ended there lol! But of course my true passion lies in hip-hop and rap music which I have also been around since I can remember.  As a kid growing up, I lived in real bad neighborhoods and just as a defense mechanism or what have you my mother would always keep the radio playing in our house just bumping whatever was on the radio all day- 24/7. They do that in the hood so that nobody can tell when you are or aren’t at home so if they want to run up in your spot while you’re not home they don’t know when to make the move.  It’s crazy how something like that would change my life forever you know? I would be around the house rapping every song that came on the radio. Like, I knew the words to tons of songs before I could read! In elementary school my mom scraped up the money to get me a computer and I started writing and roughly recording my own rap songs with my cousins and performing them for my family in our living room. I would beg my mom to watch my “shows” and if she wouldn’t I would put my sister’s stuffed animals on the couch and perform for them. Through middle school I kept writing songs just for fun and even started making my own beats when I downloaded fruity loops for the first time. Fast forward to eighth grade when I was walking down the street one day and I swear I’ll never forget this day, but I saw a lime green piece of paper on the ground and it was a handbill from a local studio that said something like “we’ll record you a demo for just $50”. I called up the number and went in the studio one day. They liked what I was doing and I started recording for the first time in a real studio. I did shows at different places like talent showcases, teen clubs, adult clubs, carnivals and fairs, etc. I loved being on stage and I loved having people hear my music. I kept going all the way through high school when I started producing all of my own songs. I made a little makeshift studio in my room and it became the place where I spent all my time! Years later today, I’m at a top 5 public university pumping out my own hits from my dorm room!

TGLR: You’re a senior at the University of North Carolina.  What are you majoring in?

Dekory: I am a Communications Major with a concentration in Media Studies; audio production being my main focus. Pretty much the major that got me closest to the studio!

TGLR: Are you signed with a record label?  If no, what are your thoughts on doing so in the future?

Dekory: I am not currently signed to a record label. The current state of the music industry in respect to the business side is a little uncertain.  If the right kind of record deal comes around then I will definitely be on board. If not, or until then I am more than willing to go the independent route.

TGLR: Do you play any instruments?

Dekory: Yea I actually used to be real big on playing jazz trumpet. I even received a partial scholarship and admission to my school (UNC Chapel-Hill) to play. I was the lead trumpet player in the top jazz band my freshman year. It was fun. I just happen to be blessed with a really good ear for music so it was easy to excel in the more formal settings of music even though I never did the private lessons and stuff like the rich kids did.

TGLR: What type of equipment do you use to make music?

Dekory: I have my own set up in my dorm room. I invested in some entry-level equipment so I could spend as much time as possible working on my craft. I use the normal stuff; pro tools to record, reason 4 to make the beats. It’s a lot harder doing everything from the producing to the recording myself but I like being able to be in my own little zone with nobody else around.

TGLR: What t was your reason for naming your latest mixtape, “Who is Dekory Rashad?  The Leaky Faucet Mixtape V1?”

Dekory: As the first mixtape I put out, it served the purpose of being people’s first introduction to me.  Usually when an artist does this, however, they pour out their entire life story and experiences on wax but I never really agreed with that approach. With internet technology making artist-consumer interaction more personal than ever I wanted to approach my first project just like someone would approach building a new friendship. We never spill out our whole life stories and reveal all the adversity we’ve faced to people we just met in real life. On the contrary initial conversation remains on the surface and is much more frivolous.  As new friends we might kick a few funny stories with each other, hang out or go out to club together, and just have fun before we are close enough to get to know each other on deeper levels. So with the first volume of the mixtape I made a point to only cover those kinds of songs. On the next one, which will be coming out next semester, you will get a deeper and more personal look at “Who is Dekory Rashad?”  Also, the “leaky faucet” part comes from my approach to the release of the songs on the mixtape. Instead of following the traditional model of having one release date where all the tracks are available for download at the same time, I used more of a subscription based approach releasing the songs one at a time over a couple of months.  I got this idea from the way old newspapers used to release books like the Sherlock Holmes series in parts, chapter after chapter, in the local newspaper; the point being that people anticipate the next installment more and will mentally “subscribe” to the mixtape.  Further, when songs are put on the internet it is referred to as a “leak” so my mixtape was metaphorically like a “leaky faucet”.

TGLR: In your opinion, what makes a song a, “classic?”  What songs do you consider to be “classics?”

Dekory: I feel like classic songs aren’t as mystical as people make them seem. I just see them as songs that did incredible jobs of capturing the emotions and experiences of people within a given time period or generation. For that reason I consider songs like Tupac’s “Dear Mama” or Biggie’s “Juicy” to be great examples of true classics. When I can do this an artist I will definitely know I have made it.

TGLR: What’s a typical day in the life of Dekory Rashad?

Dekory: A typical day for me starts really early in the morning. I am member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and if you know anything about us we are all about achievement and usually that means not getting much sleep!  I wake up and read music business news first thing every day and then I’m off to class. After classes are over I usually try to get my homework knocked out and any business I need to attend to for my frat or for my party promotion company (Shout out to Chris Neal and Cartel Ent.). When all that business is handled I’m working on music nonstop, literally until my body performs a forced shut down and I pass out (usually at my desk lol). If I’m lucky, about 4 hours later the alarm goes off and I am at it again.

TGLR: Where have you performed?  What type of venues?

Dekory: I have been performing since a young age so I’ve done just about every kind of venue. It’s a little harder to find gigs where I go to school because Chapel Hill is a small town but the one’s I have done have been crazy! I love performing. My favorite event to perform at has to be UNC’s annual Fall Fest celebration where the school shuts down an entire street with a big stage at the end of it and thousands of people just get crazy. There’s nothing better than that kind of atmosphere.

TGLR: Who are your top 5 up-and-coming musicians to look out for in the near future?  (You can include yourself.)

Dekory: I don’t really know much about other new artists. I’m a lab rat- always in the studio working on my own material. But of course Mike Posner from my school’s rival Duke is definitely someone to look out for. North Carolina’s own J. Cole of RocNation is doing it big and hopefully I am the next college kid to go pro in the music biz.

TGLR: What’s your favorite song to make your way to the dance floor at a college party?

Dekory: Well the irony is that I make dance and club songs but I don’t really dance myself. I throw a lot of club parties so if I am in one chances are it’s mine and I’m all about my business then. But down here people get down to all the big club hits. Everybody goes crazy when Gucci Mane drops of course.

TGLR: Could you describe your sound and overall message?

Dekory: My sound definitely varies from song to song. I have a strong music foundation so my beats are going to cover a large spectrum of styles and sounds. One song will be straight pop and the next could be a down south style beat.  I just do whatever I feel at the time. That freedom is what I love most about producing my own music. As far as my message goes I absolutely do not buy into the idea that a rapper has to be either conscious or commercial. I don’t believe conscious artists are hip hop saviors and I don’t believe commercial rappers are all ignorant. I do me. I make whatever song I want and say whatever I want whenever and however I want to. I feel like my music should be an open reflection of my thoughts and experiences.  I see and do good things. I see and do bad things. Why not talk about it all? I admire artists like 2Pac who were like this and I want to be the same way. Most of all I know I am an intelligent and talented person so the argument that I’m stupid or untalented for making simple, catchy songs or less conscious songs is invalid. I attend a very prestigious university where I write 15 page or more scholarly essays all the time lol I think I deserve to let loose and just have fun on a song every now and then.

TGLR: As you build an audience what do want your interaction with your fans to be like?

Dekory: I don’t really like the word “fan”. The connotations are a bit much. I see people who enjoy my music as supporters, friends, and members of my team. As I build my music career I really want them to see every step of my growth and maturation.  Because of this I really am active on websites like YouTube and Twitter where I can get their feedback on my songs and they can talk to me about anything they might want to. I want us to interact as much as possible and have fun together through my music and performance. Most of all, overtime I want to share my story and experiences with them to serve any purpose it may; whether it be strictly entertainment or whether they identify with something in my life and are in turn inspired to action or just simply thought.

TGLR: What are your plans for 2010?

Dekory: I plan on going harder than ever in 2010! I have one more semester of college left so I am going to work tirelessly to provide the best foundation for a music career that I can moving forward from graduation. After graduation I would like to work in the music industry on the business side while still pursuing my music career. If everything goes right, however, I will be able to make a living off of just my music sooner and I will finally be able to focus strictly on my music. Getting me into that position is truly my main goal right now.

TGLR: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Dekory: Music has forever been my passion and I consider myself extremely blessed to have musical talent. It helped to bring me out of an impoverished neighborhood and lifestyle to one of the top universities in the country and in the future I hope it brings me further success. Five years from now I hope to be in the midst of a successful mainstream career. My goal is simply to capture the ears of the masses and enjoy every moment spent on the journey towards doing so. I make a lot of fun songs and I am a very sporadic person but at the end of the day I study the business of music extensively and understand the unyielding opportunities a strong music career can bring. It can make a world of difference in the lives of my family and I and nothing to me is more important than that.

Join “Dekory Rashad” – the official facebook group team!

Check the event “Who Is Dekory Rashad? The Leaky Faucet Mixtape V1” – Mixtape Download Link Here!

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