THE INTERVIEW
Tru: What made you switch up from basketball to the Rap game?
Dot: I was doing both, but I lost my love for sports. Some events
that took place in my life caused me vto lose focus. Had my first
kid, was out of town for school… it was a different atmosphere.
Mentally I don’t know if I was prepared to raise a kid long distance
and be okay with it.
Tru: You told us that some of your influences are Notorious B.I.G.
and Jay Z. How do you feel your sound sets you aside from other
rappers?
Dot: ‘Sqaaaad’ ‘Hov’ and ‘Big’; two of the best to ever do it! They
took the music game to different heights. I catch a lot of flak for
being a Biggie fan, but that’s what I grew up on. I’m pretty sure
if my dad played a lot of Pac, I’d be a Pac fan, but he didn’t. Shit, I
went with what I knew man... The difference from me and other
rappers is all of my music is inspired by events that have actually
taken place in my life. It’s all the way black and white with me, no
grey areas. I take pride in being an artist, not just a rapper or an
entertainer. The difference between me and them is music is a part
of my everyday life, not just something I do for a few hours or a
hobby. Lock me in a studio with Protools and Photoshop and I’ll
give you a whole album.
Tru: O.K. So honestly, do you feel like the Hip Hop scene in Minneapolis will get you there, or do you have your sights set on N.Y. or
L.A. or what?
Dot: Not to throw shade on the Minnesota music scene, but we just
don’t have enough resources to capitalize-so it makes it difficult. I
do got my eye set on another place; Not NY or LA but closer to LA.
I wanna give myself and my team the best chance to be successful.
And if that calls for me to relocate to meet new contacts and new
resources then it is what it is. But I’ma always believe in Minnesota
though. A lot of people feel like moving can be a cop-out or if you
get enough to make it then you can do it from home. And I feel like
that has yet to be proven. There are a lot of artists that have been
close, and a lot of artists that are on a higher level than others, but
my sights are international. I’m ready for the world. I feel like doing that in Minnesota is like chasing a pipe dream.
Tru: What inspires you to write your songs?
Dot: My songs are inspired by my everyday life; the good, the evil
and the ugly. I use my past experiences as a tool for motivation,
drive and inspiration to never lose sight
of the task at hand. It’s easy to get sidetracked or discouraged, but that’s more
ammo for my arsenal. I take losses and
throw pain parties. I feel like listeners
are more accepting of an artist that they
can relate too. It’s like… somebody else
is out there going through what you’re
going through. If I can connect with
one person, I can connect with a million. My music is an extension of me,
so I want the music that I create to be
timeless instead of trendy.
Tru: So what’s up next for the man of
many talents?
Dot: What’s next is being CEO of my
own label, H.O.O.D.L.U.M. Society. I’ve
got a clothing line in the works and my
debut album Vanilla Sky. We’re goin’
international. I want to take my craft
from being city wide and statewide to
regional, and then national. I’m content but not satisfied. I feel like a larger
platform will create more opportunities
for me and my brand. The best is yet
to come. I can’t tell the future so I’m
unsure of what exactly will happen, but
I know what I’m workin’ towards. It’ll
happen, Lord willin’.
Keepin it Tru, Is Dot Ducati gonna be
the man who can put Minnesota hip
hop on the map? It’s sure lookin that
way!