Stryfe Dafantam

Artist Information

Biography

The movie 8 Mile told us two things about Motor City Hip Hop: One, Detroit rappers are a dime a dozen. Two, a gift for raw lyricism will gain you moderate success on the scene, but to stay in the game, an uncompromising grind is essential. While Stryfe DaFantam appears to embody the typical lyricist of D-Town, complete with rugged street storytelling, coming of age tales and your expected ego trippin’, his honest flow and atypical rearing makes him your favorite anti-run-of-the-mill emcee.

Krystyan Deron Anderson, in true Detroit fashion, is no stranger to hood life, break-ins, sleeping in the company of rats and roaches, and realizing at a young age that a life of crime isn’t reserved for the tough guys in the movies. He’s seen how perpetual hopelessness can transform blocks into bombshells, and even after witnessing murder with only a decade of life under his belt, Stryfe managed to beat the consequential “odds” of a ghetto upbringing. At 12, Stryfe went beyond the expectations of a kid who’s experienced it all and entered one of Detroit’s top-rated schools, Renaissance High.

After graduating from a school where only the best survive, Stryfe went on to attend Michigan State University. It was at MSU where he recorded his first attempts with LaKaz from Mask Musik Entertainment, writing under the influence of Ras Kass, Nas, and Talib Kweli. The new aspiring emcee passed the tracks along to a group of school friends who were cultivating a record label of their own, The Illiance. The group had already planted one seed in the Hip Hop game and was working on toiling the soil for their second album, Under the Bridge, when Stryfe joined the budding squad of rhymers.

While recording with The Illiance and working on his debut effort, Stryfe gained ground as an emcee by battle rapping, using his skills on the mic to build anticipation for his growing body of work and creating a network of support. With his quick wit and ability to ride a beat on cue, Stryfe was a champion battle rapper at the Kodiak Bar and Grille, took first place at a BlackPlanet battle at Detroit’s Hart Plaza and a handful of others where the new rapper swept both amateurs and vets off the stage.

Stryfe released his debut album, Great Expectations, in 2005. While the album didn’t do well in numbers, it garnered the attention of Detroit Hip Hop fans and began the momentum for the rising lyricist. Being an emcee who’s gone from living with rodents and fleas to dining with CEO's of Fortune 500 companies, Stryfe has a story that begs to be told in the form of rhyme with a gritty, yet refined lyricism. The artist transforms his emotions that used to be the source of his schoolyard fights to lyrics on top of dope beats. In the face of all the hardships, Stryfe maintains that his blessing has always been having a place to record and having beats to flow over.

After a short, musical hiatus, Stryfe picked up where he left off in ’05. He regained his recording mojo in late 2006 and utilized social networking to connect with fellow artists in the states and overseas. After recording City of God, Stryfe decided that he’d proven himself enough and had substantial material to make a strong run at a career in music. Although he knew his talent was worth the difficult pursuit in an industry riddled with exploitation, it was the lay off from his steel mill job in January of 2009 that pushed Stryfe to sacrifice for his dream.

Even after playing hundreds of shows in Windsor, Detroit, and Chicago, Stryfe remains humble. The fans he’s gained due to sheer appreciation of his work has not jaded the artist or knocked him out of reality. Stryfe is consistently grinding, performing in various stage and video productions, and making good music with the likes of Detroit CYDI, Fokis and others.

Currently, Stryfe is wrapping up a project with producer Marc Byrd titled The Last Resort, reminiscent of Gangstarr, where Byrd drops the beats and Stryfe writes the lyrics

Instrumentation

Krystyan Anderson - Lyricist, Producer

Discography

Illiance (Detroit; 2002) - Az Is
Illiance (Detroit; 2003) - Under the Bridge
Stryfe (Detroit; 2005)- Great Expectations
Stryfe, Jihazed (Detroit, France; 2008) - Detroit Rap City
Stryfe (Detroit; 2009) - City of God
Detroit CYDI & Stryfe - Ringtone Rap (2011)
Illingsworth & Stryfe present The Opening Act EP (2012)
Marc Byrd and Stryfe are The Last Resorts - The Last Resort (2012)

Featured on:

Jay and Dj Wizz (Detroit; 2004) - The Arrival
Emir Lye (Detroit; 2004) - And Now for Something Completely Different
DJ Keor (France; 2007-2009) - Melodies Meteorites 1, 2, 3, and 4
Erik L (Sweden; 2008) - Loose Control EP
Drag One & Dj Keor (France; 2008) - Beatume Paysagiste
Detroit CYDI (Detroit; 2008) - The Rhyming Dictionary
Marc Byrd (Detroit; 2009) - The Calling
Identical Variant - We Should Be Famous Mixtape (2009)
2dopeboyz.com & datpiff.com - The Big Break Mixtape (2009)
Erik L & Illingsworth - Northern Connection (2010)
Aptemal presents Detroit Hustles Harder Vol. 1 (2010)
Loyalty Digital Corp & Smoke the World Present The Network (2011)
Louie Gonz - Extras 3 (2012)
RenCen CoolBeanz - Inspiration: My Last Album (2012)
Off-Rip - Meet Off-Rip(2012)
Laughin Buddha - International Affairs


Off-Rip - Cocky & Arrogant Super Sweet 16 Remix (2010)
JayDun - MC's 4 Hire (2010)
Kool E - Clear The Way


Stryfe - Long Walk Video Series (2010-2012)
The Last Resort - Saturday Morning CarTunes (2010-2011)

Official Website

http://www.stryfed.com

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Last.fm
• Youtube Channel
• Bandcamp Discography
• Tumblr

Audio

• Stay Focused
  Listen   Download
• Stryfe and Illingsworth - Shells
  Listen   Download
• Home Town Hero
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• The Last Resort ft. DJ Elite- Go Hard
  Listen   Download
• Dyin ft Melanie Rutherford
  Listen   Download
• Call Me Stryfe
  Listen   Download
• How We Grew Up
  Listen   Download
• WAR
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• How We Grew Up

Video

Call Me Stryfe

Organ Donor OFFICIAL.mp4

Photo Gallery

Press

• Word Is Bond [+ Show ]
  

  "very Ill work from Detroit natives Stryfe and Illingsworth....released a couple days back, " Shell..."very Ill work from Detroit natives Stryfe and Illingsworth....released a couple days back, " Shells” is taken from the upcoming EP titled Opening Act. Make sure you keep an eye out for these brothers."

• Indie On 65 [+ Show ]
  

  Ok, so first of all I love the beat on this track…and I gotta say that I’m just being introduced to ...Ok, so first of all I love the beat on this track…and I gotta say that I’m just being introduced to Stryfe, but I like the grittiness that he adds to accompany the production.

• Big Break Mixtape [+ Show ]
  

  Stryfe can definitely command a beat and you can’t help but notice his powerful voice....His song st...Stryfe can definitely command a beat and you can’t help but notice his powerful voice....His song stood out instantly when we heard his submission.

• Foley Entertainment [+ Show ]
  

  "Stryfe's lyrics and rapping skills are outstanding, He raps with confidence and has a flow as sm... "Stryfe's lyrics and rapping skills are outstanding, He raps with confidence and has a flow as smooth as butter. This is clearly an artist on the rise."
  
  --- Eugene Foley, Foley Entertainment
  

• Toronto’s best Hip Hop show. Mon’s 11-1AM Flow 93.5FM [+ Show ]
  

  We get a lot of music over here at the Real Freqs, I have to admit theres a ton of stuff that doesn’...We get a lot of music over here at the Real Freqs, I have to admit theres a ton of stuff that doesn’t make it on the blog much less the show. We tend to be very selective. No offense to any artists but, there has to be standards.
  
  This one has met our approval. Out the D we introduce Stryfe Dafantam. Dude’s been puttin’ in work State-side to Europe buildin’.
  
  

• Smoking Section [+ Show ]
  

  "With brimming confidence, Stryfe takes on the mantle of leading the city out of its funk into bette..."With brimming confidence, Stryfe takes on the mantle of leading the city out of its funk into better times. "

• WHUTUPDOE.com
  

  "One of the illest emcees that I’ve ever heard…" -Dub

• Stryfe Da Fantom takes you on a “Long Walk”
  

  "Hands down, Stryfe is one of the best out here." -Tasherre D'Enajetic

• He Is Stryfe! [+ Show ]
  

  "The mere mention of Stryfe's name amongst Hip-Hop heads everywhere brings about tales not only of h..."The mere mention of Stryfe's name amongst Hip-Hop heads everywhere brings about tales not only of his talent, but also praises of his character"
  
  -Moe Nitty

• Grizzmine Fan Review
  

  4.75/5 stars Detroit Rap City

Setlist

Possible set lasts 15-90 minutes

No minimum stage requirement.
Typically require 2 vocal mics.
Stage monitors and sound man preferred, but not necessary.

Basic Requirements

Calendar