We were lucky to catch up with Grayson Rebustes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Grayson, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always loved creating and entertaining. Whether it be music or videos, creating/entertaining is my passion. I’ve loved hip-hop music since I was a kid and have always been intrigued by the lyricism, flow and rhyme schemes. I started rapping when I was 7 years old as a hobby but I first knew I wanted to take it seriously at 14 years old after performing at school and gaining some attention through that. At the same time, I was creating videos and posting them on YouTube and really developed a passion for that as well.

Grayson, 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?

I was born and raised in Juneau which is a small town in Alaska. Both my parents came from the same region in the Philippines but met in Juneau and I’m the oldest of 3. Hip-Hop wasn’t in my household and still isn’t very big in my hometown.

I got into hip-hop after watching Nelly’s music video for “Country Grammar” on tv when I was a kid. I was instantly hooked and I started watching both MTV & BET to watch music videos. I soon found other rappers such as Eminem, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, etc. I started writing my own raps for fun in elementary school and have always been into the craft of rhyming and using double entendres to get a message across in a song. When I got into middle school, I decided that I really wanted to rap for a living. I saved up my lunch money for months to buy some simple music equipment and started recording music in my bedroom. I also decided to vlog everything I did in hip-hop whether it be studio sessions, performances or travels.

I got into making YouTube videos as well in middle school after watching content creators such as Ryan Higa, JonTron, GameGrumps & StephenVlog. I taught myself how to edit on Final Cut Pro and bought a Sony camera. After a brief stint in creating gaming videos, I decided to start vlogging my hip-hop related activities. I wanted to combine both my passions and knew I could use one to help the other.

After graduating high school, I started my own record label/entertainment company Diamond Dollar Entertainment where we create music, various types of videos, clothing & perform across the country. Current artists on the label include myself, RRAINS, Strange Raelity, NoSaint, GODDACIG, A.W.R. & AGAME365. We’ve done various shows & battle rap events including opening for acts such as Afroman and Wu-Tang Clan’s Killah Priest. We will also be going on our first official tour summer 2024.

What I’m most proud of is our tenaciousness and our ability to adapt. No matter how difficult it is to reach certain goals and how many roadblocks get in our way, we’ve been able to adapt and achieve. No matter what people think, do or say, never give up on what you want to achieve. Always fight for what you believe in and never back down.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to just do what I love for a living. I love to create and being able to eat and feed my loved ones through creating would be the ultimate dream. Hip-Hop isn’t very big in my hometown so popularizing the genre there while representing the town/state in the genre is another dream of mine. Performing all over the world and experiencing other cultures are also up there.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about all of this is being able to travel and meet so many different types of artists and people. Having people listen to your music, watch you perform then telling you they felt inspired and thanking you for entertaining them is one of the most rewarding things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordplaydaflyestmc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wordplaydaflyestmc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WORDPLAYDaFlyestMC