We were lucky to catch up with DEF Davyne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi DEF, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
Having been into Hip Hop since the late 90’s, I have witnessed a plethora of styles come and go. Throughout all of them, I have seen rap music go from a niche that represented a small demographic, to the most popular genre encompassing a wide variety of artists who all have their own story to tell. Unfortunately, Hip Hop hasn’t always been well received by the masses, and throughout my career, I have been discriminated against for different reasons. In the beginning I used music as an outlet. All the pain and angst of being a mixed race teenager raised in poverty was transferred to my notepad. I was able to cope through the drama of life by writing my feelings down in rhyme-form and making music. Naturally, people were often shocked when they heard my music, as it didn’t seem to match my personality. This is the beauty of art though, as we can express ourselves in ways that aren’t limited by societal formalities. Later in life, as I became more knowledgeable and journeyed down a spiritual path, I grew, and my music changed with me. The phrase “you can’t please everyone” became truer than ever for me, as I was now shunned for being too woke and intellectual. The truth is, I have a prolific catalog with 100’s of songs, and I refuse to limit myself based on who I might offend. It took me many years to come to this conclusion, and as with most artists, I have always been my biggest critic. But the biggest lesson I learned over the years, is that if you are given a voice, you must use it for those who don’t have one.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Well before I ever realized I had writers in my mom’s family, and musicians in my father’s family, I had always been captivated by music. As a fan, it was my refuge when I was at my lowest mentally and emotionally. It allowed me to explore new worlds, and educate myself, even before Google was invented. Like most kids, I just wanted to be accepted by my peers, but I did not feel like I brought value to the world. I tried many things that weren’t for me, like sports and school clubs. In my alone time, the one thing that I always gravitated towards was writing poetry, and eventually song lyrics. Before I even recorded my first song, or even understood the structure of a verse, I would always write rhymes. My friends, teachers, and family loved them, and encouraged me heavily to keep going. Over 10 years later, I wrote one of my most impactful bodies of work ‘Scales of a Broken Libra’ about my personal life, and the struggles I was still trying to overcome. Something I was not expecting, was how many people were able to relate to it. Looking back now, that album is still relevant, because we are all struggling in some way, and knowing we aren’t alone is a huge part of growth. Although I mostly rap from a healed place now, I still like to discuss real life issues, and have found that the more “human” I am, the more my fans appreciate my songs.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
It has been said pain can make great art, but I feel more specifically that suffering can lead to great transcendence. Adversity can indeed breed great character, and when connecting with people, speaking their language is key. But I also feel that once you acquire knowledge, sharing it with others is a must for the sake of humanity as a whole. In order to make better music encompassing timeless messages, I first had to better myself. When I went back to college for music business, I read a few books that helped me on both a personal and business level. The first was ’48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene, and the second was ‘Developing the Leader Within You’ by John C. Maxwell. Both of these books were very informative. The first was all about how to gain power, and use it to benefit your cause. The second was all about being the best leader possible in any capacity. Furthermore, in my personal time I realized that my spiritual journey was just as important as my education, so I read ‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael A. Singer. This book helped me deal with my personal problems, therefore making me a better version of myself, and ultimately a more well rounded artist. Lastly, ‘Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life’ by Larry Winget helped me to escape the victim mentality so many of us get caught in, by taking accountability for my journey.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Although I was raised in California, I didn’t start recording in a professional studio until I lived in Oregon. I performed with different groups and even became a solo artist releasing 100’s of songs over the past 2 decades. As Oregon is not a Hip Hop hub, I felt it was necessary to move back to California in order to grow and expand my connections. I was able to land a distribution deal with Universal Records, and work with a talented label while there. But life as a father came first and I was not able to complete my project. Working 52 hour weeks at my day job, and even sleeping in my car to save money on rent was still not enough to afford the cost of living near Los Angeles. But this major opportunity motivated me to keep going, knowing I was good enough by industry standards to continue my career. After coming back to Oregon, I was able to work together with a long time friend and fellow musician by the name of King Delane. He helped me advance my career even quicker than the record label in California had. Sometimes, in order to catch a big break, it’s all about having a small team of dedicated people who believe in you, and practicing quality over quantity.
Contact Info:
- Website: linktr.ee/defdavyne
- Instagram: instagram.com/defdavyne
- Facebook: facebook.com/DEFdavyne
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/defdavyne/
- Twitter: twitter.com/defdavyne
- Youtube: youtube.com/defdavyne
- Other: defdavyne.bandcamp.com reverbnation.com/defdavyne
Image Credits
Kalie Owcarz, Edna Ornelas, Keihona Rinker, Kelsey Adeniji, Sarah Crabtree, Shawn Delane, Stormy Rinerson