We recently connected with Dirty Deathwish and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dirty thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was 15 years old and rap music was basically my whole life. I would often times find myself skipping school to stay home and work on music. I was performing at every talent show, open mic, freestyle battle, you name it. I even made a demo tape that circulated throughout the whole city. Most of the feedback I received was positive so it motivated me to continue honing my craft. By the time I had finished High School, I was recognized as one of the top rappers in the city and from there it was like I knew I would be doing this forever.

Dirty, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a rap artist based in Tucson, AZ. I started writing lyrics at about 7 or 8 years old…..back then it was MC Hammer who inspired me to start writing my first rhymes. His energetic flow and dance moves had me pumped and was a big part of my beginnings as an artist. As I got a little older, I started gravitating towards music that was more a reflection of my reality. Artists like the Geto Boys, Spice 1 and Ice Cube were discussing topics in their music that was more relatable to what was going on in my city at the time (the early 90’s) so I began to study them and try to emulate them. High School is where I started to put it all together. I formed a rap group with a long time friend and we motivated each other to keep improving. After countless mixtapes and talent shows…..we finally recorded our first album under the moniker: Ressurrected Mob. It was originally meant to be a demo album but it was such a masterpiece that we decided to start burning them to CD and selling them around the neighborhood. It was a genius plan because it eventually caught on and we were selling very well……I knew it was really serious when I would hear cars riding by playing OUR music….that was such a fun time.
Today; several years later, I am still recording and releasing various projects including solo albums, compilations and group efforts. Alot of people say the 90’s were the golden era of hip hop and the 90’s is what created my style of music. I believe that my listeners appreciate my production and also my technical flow. I feel throughout the years that I have inspired and motivated alot of artist to dwelve into the music industry and have also made music that people love and appreciate. Im very proud that some of the more popular artists from my city have told me that I was a big inspiration for them. Im also proud to say that even 25 years after that first album, I am still making my best music. I just want my listeners to know that I’m still pushing the line and in all honestly still improving as a lyricist.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

A rewarding aspect of being an artist is knowing that all of your hard work is being appreciated by someone. It surprises me when I see that there are people in other countries that want to hear my music. That lets me now that I am doing something right and is part of the fuel that keeps me going. Sometimes when Im performing I look into the crowd and I can see that they are truly engaged and when you see that its just beautiful.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, my goal is to keep improving as long I have the opportunity. I hope to always strive to be on the cutting edge. Hopefully I will keep inspiring others and motivating them, not just in music but in all aspects of life. Aside from that, I would like to bring more recognition to my city (Tucson,AZ) we aren’t necessarily known for music but we have a slew of artists old and new making huge waves in the industry and I’m just glad to be a part of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.youtube.com/@FittyCalhoun
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtydeathwish/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FittyKaliba
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkaPrIgzeylRfSSot3VSyIQ
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2yGcSxcQR8J2kVXs0vse2M?si=YXCwKpacRZmHtyaetUSHHQ