D SHEP
MIAMI, FL
M
iami can be a tough market for independent artists, especially when it comes to radio play. This doesn’t seem to be an issue for D-Shep. His new single “Stay Real” is picking up speed and gaining some spins along the way. Are you originally from Miami? Born and raised. How did you come up with the concept for “Stay Real”? When Rick Ross had come out with “Hustlin’,” a lot of people was biting off him. They had the same sound. So I just took the word “nigga” and just started describing this type of nigga. Everything’s based on the n word. How have you been building your buzz? I put out a mixtape called Rent Money and off of that I ended up having two singles, that weren’t planned to be singles, spinning on the radio. My single “Stay Real” is getting a lot of play in Miami. It’s getting played in other cities, but it’s strongly supported here. Right now as we speak, I’m on a promo tour. I’m going to twelve cities promoting the single. Are you doing shows on your tour? I’ve been doing shows in the Miami area and a couple out of town. My next show is in Tallahassee at TJ’s DJ’s Music Conference. What do you like most about performing? Getting love from the fans. When you perform a song and people know it and feel it, you really get a chance to express to them how you feel about the song. It ain’t nothing like getting on stage and people vibing with you. Have you done any collaborations recently? I did a song with Brisco and one with B.O.B. I got the remix of my single “Stay Real” coming out with Trick Daddy. The song with me and B.O.B. is a different type of song. You know, it’s a song that you probably wouldn’t expect to come from me. B.O.B.’s on some crazy, good shit. We got together and blended our styles and came up with the sound for “If You a Baller.” And Brisco, he’s from Dade County and so am I so we linked up. The song with Brisco is called “Get Off My Dick.” It’s real groovy. What other producers are you working with?
I’ve worked with DJ Toomp and Akon. I’ve got an in-house producer named O-Horn. Have you ever been compared to any artists in the game? I don’t think my style is really similar to nobody. I think the streets are the streets. It’s just street stories being told through different words and through different mouths. It’s just your perspective and the streets that you came from. I rap about everything. I rap about life issues. What do you get out of making music? To me, my music is a release. It’s therapeutic. I think a lot of people should be able to relate to my music. What type of team is behind you? My management is in-house. We do everything. We put up everything to go on this promo tour. Basically, everything is in-house. Are you trying to take your music to a major level or keep it independent? I got a couple of majors looking at me and I got a couple of offers on the table but I mean, if I can, if everything goes right, I would love to stay independent. What’s your biggest accomplishment? Just getting the buzz I’ve got so far coming out of one of the toughest cities for rappers. Miami is starstruck. If you ain’t nobody yet, it’s hard to get on the radio. I accomplished that and I’m real proud of myself. How would you describe yourself personally? I’m just real. The type of person I am, I’m not going to change who I am or my attitude. I’m me one hundred percent, regardless of who I’m around. What made you decide to rap? I was seeing other people make music. I was never really interested in rapping, but hearing other people’s music made me think if people like that song, I know they’ll like me. That’s what motivated me. I tried something and it just happened to work. Words: Ms. Rivercity Photo: Joe Wesley
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