We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christian Leone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Preston below.

Christian Leone, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

What my parents did right was instill in me a hunger and desire for learning and knowledge. From as early as I can remember my parents set me up for excellence. Whether it was my mom reading to me, playing BrainQuest, or giving other educational games to my dad forcing me to memorize my time tables up to 12x (I still know them all) education was at the forefront. Their dedication to my development shows up in so many ways, and the music is just another testament. The most limiting and sad thing you can be in this world is an uninformed individual. We have so many options at our disposal to invoke thought and change. Do the world a favor and tap in, just like my parents made me do.

Christian Leone, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

What’s good lovely people? Hope all is well. Its your boy Preston Williams but the wider audiences know me as Christian Leone aka Dufflebag P aka Don Leone. LOL I know I’m alot! I was born to 1st generation immigrants from Sierra Leone who settled in Raleigh, NC (Where I’m From). Now you partially know how I got my rap name! Christian happens to be my middle name, put them together and you get Christian Leone! I started rapping in 6th grade with some of my homies. We had a teacher who was just a hater and so I made my first diss track. It was this little melodic tune making fun of her and it caught fire! From there I began to write and freestyle more and more. I released some tracks on Soundcloud and people noticed the talent, People were always begging me to freestyle and I teased dropping an album. Sorry to say I was the quintessential bullshitter. I wanted to release a project but for whatever reason just couldn’t . What would I rap about? What would my family say? Where do I find beats? Can I make a song? Can I keep making songs? All these thoughts consumed me. I switched my focus to corporate enslavement, I had to find a “real career”. I graduated Wakefield High School and then attended UNC Charlotte. During college, I flirted with rapping again but never really made it a focus. My main priority was getting this Finance degree in 4 years. I succeeded and in 2016 I started working at Wells Fargo in the Leadership Pipeline Program and have done that for the past 7 years (give or take) since graduation. Life hit me hard in March 2021 and I was separated from employment. To my amazement my first thought, release a project! Diamonds from Christian Leone dropped April 13, 2021 and I haven’t looked back since! I have dropped 5 additional projects since then and I am so happy I took the leap! My desire to make music , specifically rap, is to make it great again. I grew up on Nas, Jay- Z, Kanye, Biggie, Mase, Lil Wayne and so many more. To see the state of the game now with so much emphasis on killing and no homage paid to literary elements is concerning. How these new artists aren’t respecting the craft is so disrespectful to the movement. I felt like it was up to me save the day LOL! I think what sets me apart is I try to cover all bases with my music while staying authentic to myself. If beats are your thing, I’ve got that. Flow? That too! Play on words, Yup. Catchy melodies, mhmmm. I, of course, do not want to be arrogant but I am so focused on delivering a quality product that dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s is a part of me, and my brand. What I am proud of is my consistency. I am also proud of my desire to display versatility and push boundaries! What I want people to know is I am just like them. I get up and go to work everyday. I am just a regular dude just like y’all, I just happen to rap. You can definitely relate to me and what I rap about because you live it. If you haven’t yet, check me out! We’re just getting started!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As cliche as it may be, a lesson that I had to unlearn is not being authentic to myself. What that means to me is not letting public opinion guide my action or inaction more so than my intuition ie: God. I know it is easier said than done, even for me but you cannot fit a square peg in a circle. Formerly, I wasn’t pursing rap because I was consumed with what society may think, the lack of a stable paycheck, the success of colleagues around me and my desire for that. All those things took me into a deep spiral that affected me mentally and ultimately served as suppressors to what I was made to be. What I challenge anyone who is reading this article to do is, spend time learning yourself, what gives you joy? Pursue that wholeheartedly. Of course, I understand responsibilities. You may have to get a job to handle expenses, fund your desire, or both. DO THAT! I have to do it as well, but do not let it consume you. As comedian Aida Rodriguez disclosed, the universe agrees with a made up mind. What you put in, is what you get out. What you give your energy to becomes you. So give it to joy.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

There are multiple goals/missions driving my creative journey. The first, to defy stereotypes. Humans are inherently multi-faceted beings. We can and we should have a multitude of interests and pursuits. The same brain that I utilize to craft lyrics is the same one that can be a CEO of a company, any company. Do not try to box people in because of your limited understanding of what they can be. The next goal is to prove to myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to. If you know me, you know I think BIG. I can’t think of a loftier, more audacious goal than making it in rap. Additionally, I want to bring fun back to rap music. Now-a-days it seems that all we have to listen to is trap music, music about killing, overly sexualized music. Let’s bring writing back to its roots of creativity and imagination. I suppose God made me the man for the job LOL. Lastly, my goal is generational wealth. I know from music that is hard, but every person who has been monetarily successful exploited a skill they do well. I happen to think my skill is rapping, only time will tell if this comes to fruition but either way my drive to succeed is going to take me wherever I am meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dufflebagp/?igshid=MWQ1a2E1emhqZ3RiOQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/christian-leone/208962897 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ogdFrufkvKsZekaKdiPt6?si=x_dpKuYRSQuMMivgkCWt7g&nd=1