MADEMUSIC
MADE: Tell us how you connected with Lupe
Fiasco & Big K.R.I.T. to remix one of your songs.
Dee1: [With Lupe] We’re actually really good
friends. I was in Los Angeles in the studio
with him and he was playing his new album
for me before it came out and letting me hear
everything. At the end of the session, this was
before the original even came out for “Against
Us”, and I was like “Let me play you a couple
of my songs". I played “Against Us”, “Show on
the Road” and “My Student Got Murdered”.
"Against Us” ¬ he was really messing with that
one. I could just tell by the way he was moving
and reacting to it that he was feeling it. So I was
like “Man, I’d love to get you on that for real.
That’ll be pretty dope.” And he was like “Bet”. I
thought he meant he was going to email it to me
and get around to it when he got time. But he
went in the booth and literally 45 minutes later it
was done. So he recorded it right there.
God is the one
who gave me the
talent, so why
am I ignoring
God when it
comes to how I
need to go about
making music
or what I need
to do in certain
situations.”
[With Big K.R.I.T] I saw Big K.R.I.T. at the
BET Hip Hop Awards and I told Big K.R.I.T.
about the song. Saw Big K.R.I.T on the Green
carpet, told him about the song…and that’s my
boy as well…he told me to send it to him. With
Lupe being on it, that really made him be like
“Oh, that’s gon’ be fire on this, because it’s me,
D, and Lupe”. So yeah, that’s how that happened.
MADE: So it wasn’t like an industry hookup?
That is so refreshing. It was an organic
connection.
Dee1: Yeah, so that’s a great question. Although
you might look at them or even listen to the music
and be like “I don’t see it” or “I don’t get it,” with J.
¬Cole in particular, literally, I’ve been around him
enough. I was around him like two weeks ago. It’s so
crazy how similar we are. I know the vibes that I give
off, so when I’m around people with similar vibes
to me I just pick up on it. And that’s just something
that I picked up on when I heard J. ¬Cole’s first
mixtape back in 2009. With DMX, it’s just because
I do wear my emotions on my sleeve and he’s an
extreme version of me. With DMX, I respect him
because it’s the war that I know goes on in my spirit
and my body. This man has his happening externally
Dee1: Yeah and it’s so much better that way.
I didn’t have to tell them what to rap about.
They know. They’re naturally on the same type
of wavelength I’m on. We all have a different
approach to how we deliver our message but we
all are good¬hearted dudes that are in the game
to inspire and motivate our audience.
MADE: You’ve mentioned that your spirit is
similar to that of J. Cole and then later on in the
conversation you said that you feel like DMX and
you all are similar in a lot of ways. J. Cole and DMX
appear to be polar opposites, so we’re curious to find
out in what way you parallel the two?
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