DtK

DtK or "Dave the King" was born on November 21, 1989 in the city of charm, Baltimore, MD. However, at an early age he relocated to the South—North Carolina to be exact. This self-motivated musician from the South began to establish himself as a talented artist, who strives to reach his highest potential musically. However, it has not always been this way. For a long time, after joining the military, DtK put his musical career on hold in order to pursue other aspects of his life. But this quickly changed once he discovered that he was going to be the father of twins. DtK’s life was not always simple, and he aims to provide his family with everything that they need and want, leading him to continue with his musical career.

DtK’s true passion in life derives directly from music—various forms of music. Most importantly, his aspiration to create music has always been a major part of his life. While studying literature in college, Dave was able to further discover his true love—writing in all forms. One main aspect that DtK enjoys the most about creating music is the process of songwriting. While in NC, DtK released several mixtapes, which gained him a reputation as a gifted and quick-thinking songwriter/singer. His catchy and upbeat songs have even gained him recognition from fans in surrounding states.

DtK’s first project entitled “Strictly 4 the Ladies,” was a very low-budget mix tape that released in June 2008 and became popular seemingly overnight. DtK was able to move over 5000 units in a three-month span. This project—more specifically his song “One Chance”—propelled him to instant stardom on social networks, such as MySpace, where DtK accumulated thousands of plays. DtK gained enough notoriety from this project that he was able to open for rapper Plies. DtK performed his version of Young Jeezy and Kanye’s “Put On,” which led to a controversial licensing issue, but was later dismissed. DtK wowed the crowd so much that Foxy 99.1’s Jane Dough was quoted, “That should have just been DtK’s song to begin with, because it’s his now.”

DtK’s second project, which began as the “King of the Sheets” album, was scrapped due to copyright issues and instead released as the “Reminiscing” mix tape in March 2009. This project is most notable for DtK because it was a digital-only mix tape but reached over 7,500 downloads in just 2 weeks. DtK took over the radio air waves at this time for his “Real Music” movement, which consisted of songs like “Reminiscing,” a song about his high school sweetheart and fiancé that passed away during a night house fire and “Out of Touch,” which he sampled the classic Hall and Oates and also rapped about his long lost love whom he was out of touch with.

DtK’s third project “Picture Perfect,” released on April 1, 2010, began as an album and featured all the key elements of an album. The only problem is that at this time, DtK was going through a lot of family troubles such as, his father going to jail, his mother being in a coma, his grandmother passing away, and one of his best friends who was a guest speaker on the album committed suicide before its release—hence it never received an official release. Despite the odds and the lack of motivation, DtK still managed to tally over 1500 downloads in the first month, as well as pushing more than 500 physical units. “Picture Perfect” also created many singles that were featured on later projects such as “Writerz Block” and “Up Next.” DtK announces his alliance with Conquer Entertainment, a independent record label under Market America, on this project. DtK also states, “The reason this album is a mix tape and not an album, is because I did not want to take away from the official release of my debut album. Besides, I am just dealing with too much at this time.”

DtK finally released his debut album “Writerz Block,” on July 7, 2011, an album that he dedicated to his unborn twins. On this album he discusses the finer things in life. He believes that this CD will truly reach fans from all populations, as this CD incorporates different sounds for different people. Wildy Haskell had this to say, “Sumter, South Carolina rhyme slinger Dave The King, AKA DtK, has shown the sort of drive in his young musical career that breeds success. Born in Charm, Maryland and raised in part in North Carolina, DtK keeps moving south as his musical barometer moves north. DtK has developed quite an underground reputation in the Carolinas based on a series of popular mix tapes. 2011 sees DtK releasing a more formal project in the form of the album Writerz Block. ” DtK’s favorite song on the album is “Living Luxury” because all people are able to relate to this lifestyle, as most people desire to reach this plateau. “Living Luxury sounds as extravagant as the materialistic bars that Dave drops throughout the song, featuring an arsenal of summery and shiny synthesizer melodies. Never has being so money hungry sounded so positive, and due to the strength of