The
fertile ground of the third coast has erupted again: from the Gulf
town of Port Arthur, Texas, enters DJ DMD. This underground producer
turned artist has sold nearly 75,000 copies of his self-released
album Twenty-Two: P.A. World Wide -- with only limited regional
airplay -- through his own label, Inner Soul Records. He's also
on point at his own record store in Port Arthur where he spends
his days helping customers, running his label and spreading the
word about his growing arsenal of artists. "P.A. is going to
be an interesting city in a minute. I love P.A. I love everybody
in P.A and everybody loves me. I just want to represent." There's
no doubt DJ DMD's heart is tied to his hometown. Even his album
cover boasts the highway exit sign that leads to the place where
it all began... "My father had a huge vinyl collection that
had everything. I grew up with music in the background...always.
Stuff like Earth Wind and Fire. My dad would get so mad when I'd
touch his vinyl collection! I've always been a music lover and I
really do believe that some people are born with 'it.' Some people
are born to be lawyers. I guess I have the gift to make music. Everything
I've done in my life has been around music." DMD's early idols
were rap pioneers such as Run DMC. He was schooled on those early
masterpieces, spinning all the latest records at parties to earn
money. Soon after, he became inspired to make records. He went on
to land an indie label production deal, which eventually went sour.
"That's when I pulled together all my nine-to-five money and
started my own label. After that experience, I knew I wanted to
control my own destiny. You hear so many horror stories about artists
getting ignored and dropped by their labels. That wasn't going to
happen to me." His first release on Inner Soul Records, Eleven,
eventually financed Twenty-Two: P.A. World Wide. DJ DMD and his
staff of business partners currently have thirteen acts on their
label. The entire roster caters to the hometown scene. "We
have a big plan. We want to bring back originality in hip hop. I'm
trying to be a motivation and inspiration to my artists. I don't
want to make typical records. Our idea is to concentrate on the
music aspect...take care of the music and everything else will take
care of itself." DMD's capacity for southern-style funk beats,
is matched by a soulful, artistic delivery and a deft producer's
vision. He creates what he calls a musical "gumbo" melding
east coast, west coast and third coast flavors into one distinctive
sound. He earned his rep by mastering his surgically-precise flow
and delivering an infectious live performance. He's toured regularly
in Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Lafayette, Los Angeles, San Antonio,
Shreveport and Baton Rouge. He's also made his presence known as
a supporting act on the Jay-Z tour. DJ DMD says his ultimate hope
is that his records inspire his fans, motivating them to believe
in themselves. "If you put your mind to it you can do anything.
I want to be a role model for that." His work evokes that kind
of positive energy. "I do get mad and talk about those kinds
of emotions sometimes, but there's no gangster talk and no gun talk.
I try and project my view of reality. I don't like to disrespect
women either. There's a lot of that out there. My songs are the
audio version of what real life is like in my eyes, and I want to
show that I'm a real person... and represent the south." DMD
is also proud of the fact that he's bringing club-friendly beats
back to hip hop. "I'm a DJ, I like to make people dance. Nobody
is doing that anymore, its like if you make music people can move
to, they call you soft. I don't wanna be MC Hammer, but I like making
music that makes people move. For example, 25 Lighters is a song
you can dance to. That's a song that represents the third coast...
and it vibes. That's what I'm about." |
