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The best kept secret in music
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It?fs time for another free download. Instead of a new Hip-Hop Disciples (coming soon), check out Dashah, hailing from Strong Island. Featuring original tracks from Jake One, Lokken Load, and Chris Warrior, Rap Burglar shows why Dashah could take the game like a Parker Brother?fs thief.
- HipHopGame.com
Coming from Long Island, one got to love Wu Tang. Dashah does.
One thing he doesn't like is Record Labels. ILLHILL.com spoke
with Dashah about his love for Hip-Hop and the benefits of
going independent amongst other things...
ILLHILL.com
So, Dashah, which part of New York did you come up in
and how did you get involved in Hip-Hop?
Dashah
Strong island, New York. I got involved with hip hop at
a young age. I would say at 6 or 7 I started writin and
around 12 I started actually rapping,
My brother gave me a copy of Wu tang's "36 chambers"
and it was a wrap!
ILLHILL.com
So, aside from the Wu, who else inspired you?
Dashah
At that time, definitely Nas, Biggie, Pac, Krs one
and Rakim, that's the God!!! But I get inspirations
from all types of music. Kurt Cobain, Prince,
LL Cool J, Madonna, ya know, artists that have
resilience and who can stand the test of time!
ILLHILL.com
I feel you on that. Why do you think so many
Hip-Hop artists have such short careers,
while artists from other genres stay in their game
for 10-20 years without a problem?
Dashah
I blame the labels, man! The game has changed so much
in the past 10 years and Hip-Hop music can only venture
so far without being corny, ya dig? As opposed to Rock
or Alternative music. If they make a song about Drugs
then it's ok, but if a rapper makes a song about weed
or something you get lashed for it.
But ultimately, we as artists need to take more responsibity
for our music. LL Cool J is an icon, man. That's the epitome
of having a career. He came in the game 22 years ago and he's
still relevant to today's bubble gum, pop audience,
that's because he keeps reinventing himself and he's staying
original..so as long as we stay creative we can have long
runs, like those other genres, and build a legacy.
ILLHILL.com
What do you think is or are the things that still seem
to hold back Hip-Hop and make it so hated by people who
are not into it? While they might also not be into other
genres but probably have less problems with those.
Dashah
It all deals with perception! Man fears what he doesn't
understand and some people simply resent the Hip-Hop
culture. When I'm in the streets puttin it down and I
approach a person and they say they only listens to
Christian or Gospel and Rap music is the Devil's music,
that bothers me cause how could you say that I do devils
music and half of the people that go to church are
hypocrits? But that's another story.
I'mma speak for myself, my music speaks for the youth
and people that don't have a voice, so is that wrong?
Is that being Evil? Is that Satanic?
ILLHILL.com
So, how do you feel you as an artist will prevent
those pitfalls and what do you feel you add to the game?
Dashah
I really believe in stayin true to yourself.
That's how you can avoid losing! Cause, eventually all
clones will be exposed. That's what's wrong with a lot
of rappers right now, they're F.A.N.S., Following Ass n*ggas,
trying to be like everybody else and not themselves.
Rapping about things they don't do, limiting their Craft!
As far as what I can bring to the Game....STRONG ISLAND!
We so underated and slept on, and the sick part of it is,
we gave birth to legends like Rakim, LL Cool J.
Method man's from Hempstead, De la soul, Busta Rhymes,
EPMD. All those people I just named are from Strong island,
but no one has really stepped up and Repped it like that...
no disrespect, I mean they pay homage but I'm really tryin
to put us on the map and get us the respect we deserve!
And, of course, I'm bringing back that real Hip-Hop and
show people Hip Hop is not dead....you can still be
creative and be successful!
ILLHILL.com
That's definitely what we need right now!
So, what can we expect for you musically?
Mixtapes? Albums?
Dashah
All the above! I've already dropped two albums that did
extremely well, I have a mixtape comin' out called
"f*ck da Majors" Hosted by my dudes Dj L-NYCE and Bigg
Premiere! It's gonna be Bananas. Got a lot of substance
on there. It's really gone cause a storm, especially with
the mixtape cover I'mma have...
ILLHILL.com
Now you're making me curious. What is it about the cover?
Dashah
It's really pressing buttons, man. I wanna tell you but I
don't wanna spoil it! You'll see when it comes out, but I
tell you this: a lot of artists are really going to
understand why I did it like that.
ILLHILL.com
That makes me even more curious. (laughs)
When will the tape come out so we can see it?
Dashah
Well it's still in its early stages but I'm lookin to
have it out by November. I really wanna take my time
with it and make sure it's right before we release it.
Get ya rain suits up!
ILLHILL.com
I assume the title has to do with the cover.
Dashah
Oh yeah, mos def!
ILLHILL.com
So, as far as labels, are you in talks with any of them?
And, can you tell us - IllHill.com
Discography
The Unexplainable. 2001
Rap Burglar. 2006
F*ck Da Majors. 2007
Calm Before The Storm EP TBA 2007
Inkaholik The LP TBA
Promo "Thought Yall Knew" currently playing on the "Real Hip Hop" in Germany.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Dashah knows the moment his life changed. He was in the 6th grade; his teacher was out sick and the students wanted to let her know how much she was missed by putting on a show. Some kids wrote poems, some painted pictures and Dashah decided to write a get-well rap. He put pen to paper and soon had enough lyrics to take it to the stage- or in this case the classroom. gThe other kids went crazy, gDashah recalls.h Everyone loved it and I was up there, feeling the love and thatfs when I knew. This is what Ifm gonna do.h Armed with an insightful, lyrical quickness and fervent belief in hip-hopfs power and possibility Dashah's goal is simple. He wants to remind folks why they fell in love with Hip Hop in the first place. gThese days everything is processed and plotted out, gDashah says. gItfs lost a lot of its intensity .I wanna bring it back to where itfs real again. g The first real taste of that came in March 2007 with gF*ck Da Majorsh- a mix tape that put Dashahfs tough insightful rhymes front and center. That focus drives cuts like gHoliday.h Set to a snake charmer back beat and flavored with R&B gHolidayh is gInspiring. Even I get the chills because itfs from such a deep place. Itfs about celebrating the small things, cause they mean a lot. I treat every day like a holiday because you never know. Nobodyfs promised tomorrow.h Just as persuasive and undeniably confidence is "Undisturbed,h which Dashah explains gRepresents how I feel when people try to get in the way of my success. I also hope the song is a warning to be leery of the company you keep. Therefs a lot of haters who act like theyfre your friends.h Another standout is the ambitious gInkaholich. Anchored by 70fs funk, and deftly utilizing metaphor, gInkaholich breaks down the relationship between MC and pen. gItfs very emotional. Everything starts with me and my pen that I hold in my hand, that connection. The subject is symbolic but also very relatable on so many levels.h Born in Alabama, Dashah was raised in Long Island, a long time Hip Hop Mecca. As a kid he was surrounded by music- schooled to funk by his DJ dad and rap from the fellows on the block. Dashah loved everyone from Digital Underground to Big Daddy Kane and the Native Tongues posse. In the mid 90fs D and his family (hefs the middle of 4 kids) moved further out on the Island and, coincidentally their new neighbors were the families of old school legends Rakim and Erick Sermon. By junior high D had gone from fan to player, joining forces with local MCs. gNone of us knew how to make beats. Wefd freestyle over other folkfs beats because we were young dudes trying to get into the game. We must have done 100 songs just two turntables and a little mixer. Real basic.h In high school Dashah and his boys started making homemade mix tapes and by 1997 he was in his first MC battle and then his very first show. gI was 17 and I was getting a little local buzz.h The next year D and his crew Long Island Trees came through with another tape and then just as things were heating up, Dashah went down south to spend time with his dying grandmother. gAll my grandmother wanted was for me to finish school and succeed in music. After she passed, I decided to get serious because it was what she asked me to do.h In 1999 Dashah moved back home and two years later dropped the Unexplainable First Edition: which lead to opening slots for Ja Rule, Fabolous and Naughty By Nature. Even though things were going well, D decided he needed a change of scene to push his career even further. He moved to Cali in 2002, dividing his time between LA and San Diego. Money was tight but that didnft stop Dashah from spending his last dime on a hip-hop convention. His hope? That hefd make some connections and get his music into the right hands. He did and soon D had a manager who hooked him up with producer Chris Warrior. After two years creating hot songs Warrior introduced D to Yon Styles, a young industry vet (Black Eyed Peas) and product manager for Fuzz Artists- an indie digital label. Styles dug what he heard and offered D a deal but Dashah admits, gI wasnft sure. It was so new but then I figured, why not?h In 2006 Dashah signed with Fuzz Artists, formed his production company Top Shelf Enterprises, and headed back to NY: ready to reaffirm his hometownfs legacy. After dropping gF*ck Da Majorsh D and crew headed back to the lab where they are currently cooking up his Fuzz Artists debut. Hip-hop is driven by the desire to make your mark and elevate the game. Ask Dashah what he wants his music to represent and he answers, gCreativity. What I do has a vibe and energy and more than anything, itfs real. When people listen to me I want them to know and feel that I poured my heart into hip hop.h
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