Demic & Bawsten

By Justin Strout of the Orlando Weekly Everything there is to know about Demic is laid out in the closing verse of “Requiem,� a jazzy cautionary tale. Borrowing a line from 50 Cent’s swagger classic, “Wanksta,� Demic chastises an underachieving friend, not for slackin’ on his pimpin’, but for still living with his parents and Peter Pan–ing his way through life. “That ain’t cool, that ain’t the plan, homie. What the hell happened to them? They was the man, homie.� It’s a mature twist on 50’s empty rap censure, and there’s more where that came from. On Water, Demic has managed to weave Dickensian yarns of hopelessness into a sophisticated hip-hop backdrop, transplanting Mean Streets’ gritty urban depiction into our own backyard. From the subtle R&B of guests Asya and Kia, who resist the Mary J. urge to muscle in, to imaginative production (also by Demic), Water’s bootstrapping through-line seems so destined for a tragic ending that when he spits over a militaristic boom-bap, “These niggas can’t defend me, so they send me to the line,� it’s actually a relief he’s only referring to basketball. - Orlando Weekly

Like I said this morning, we gonna keep it independent for sho. I'm got an interesting cat I'd like u to check. His name is Demic from Harlem, NY. He wanted me to offer you all chance to check out his album for free online at this link. He's definitely got a unique message that I think u should check out. Anyways, yo I've included a bio of D for u to read and if u want to find out more, kick it with him on his myspace joint. Peace!
- Hip Hop Ruckus

Power 95.3 - Q. When was the first time you realized you wanted to be a Hip Hop Artist?

Demic – A. It was when I first heard "Reasonable Doubt and 2 Pac's "All Eyes on Me" in 1996. They inspired me. I always said I wanted to make someone feel the way I felt when I heard them.

Power 95.3 - Q. Where do you think Orlando Hip Hop is going?

Demic – A. Orlando Hip Hop has some real artists, but then there are the "Party" or "Gangster" rappers who have no love for the craft. It used to be gangster rap was one of the raw forms of Hip Hop. But now, it has been commercialized worse than party music.

Power 95.3 - Q. Who has been your greatest influence throughout your pursuit in music?

Demic – A. Anyone who has ever helped me. Anyone who has came to a show, because they have also dedicated time and money into my career with the belief that I will accomplish success. - http://power953.com/music/demicsinterview.html

Posted by John Shabe on October 14, 2009 at 04:31 PM
Jersey rappers' TGIFriday's tour hits the Springfield location on Route 22 Oct. 15 between 10 - 11 p.m. The promo tour will include free giveaways from local as well as national sponsors. The tour will coincide with the release of the "Gotham Diaries" album from Demic & Bawsten. This will be their second street album following the success of The Golden Record EP, which was released earlier this year featuring the hit single "Jumpin." - nj.com

Ayo Bawsten What’s Up Money? Where can I find DaddyBawsten music? I’ve googled and googled and came up with just the video on your site. (dope btw)

First of all, Daddy Bawsten is in the group DEMIC AND BAWSTEN. So technically there is no “Daddy Bawsten music”. As far as finding the music itself, just go to www.urbanbackground.com.

DefGlam, you be on that blog 24/7…what does DefGlam represent?

Defglam is a hobby, it’s my way of staying on top of what’s going on in my industry. I was always that guy that heard about news last, or got the exclusive tracks late. Well, now its the opposite.

What is your relationship like with Demic?

Demic is my partner. Shut down any show, anywhere! Just youtube us for proof.

Back to the music…What is in the future, in terms of Bawsten projects?

I’m not even thinkin about a “Bawsten project” right now. We’re pulling out all the wild cards for the 4th qtr. It’s time to shop for a record deal. We have the TGI Fridays tour going on now, with Hot Import Nights to end the year. Not to mention the “360 Flip Skate Tour”, along with Hot Topic meet and greets. The schedule is hectic right now.

I’ve seen you have performed at some nice places, which has been the biggest learning experience and which has been the most fun?

I can’t really say any particular show was my biggest learning experience because every show we do is a learning experience. It’s a contant growing process.

Can you link us to some of your photography work?

http://crookedconcepts.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/g_pix

Notables:
*Source Magazine | Artist: Money Malc*
*Sophia Troiano (Drake’s video “Best I Ever Had”)*
*Big Rob the jeweler*

Outside of music, blogging, etc…What’s D.B. doing?

Man, ain’t nothing else. Everyday it’s grinding, keepin wifey happy, and taking cares of the kids.

Basketball season is creeping up on us, amongst the great NFL season. Who is your team?

I’m going w/ the Celtics!

Who/What are your influences?

Jay-Z, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco & Kanye West. I like Jay-Z cause he just has a certain bravado. Eminem for his flow. That guy is insane by the way..lol. Lupe for the flow and lyrical content. His replay value is up. And Kanye cuz he’s doing is opening up doors for me; musically and personally. I might do something REAL crazy when i get to the VMA’s!..lol

You got one studio session to make ONE SONG, and you can choose anyone to produce the track and any ONE person to collaborate with…Who is your producer, who is your fellow rapper, and what is the song called?

Gimme a Kanye beat with Eric Hudson or Swizz Beatz and Lil’ Wayne.

D.B.’s come up…Where you from and how did you get started making music?

I’m from NJ. I started out a poet in high school. It started with the love letters to the chicks. Then I wrote about high school. I’d write about the fights or even who gave who head under the stairs. lol Whatever. But when I found out about how music was recorded i was all in.

Aight man, I’ve taken up enough of your time…hit us with your shoutouts.

UrbanBackground
DefGlam - reupspot.com

Urban Background Artist Demic & Bawsten

Today’s Blog features Urban Background an entertainment company that focuses on Marketing and Branding. Its a new approach the music industry. Please Enjoy learning about this non traditional approach to spreading their music and take notes www.urbanbackground.com .

Urban Background is a great name and conveys a lot with its meaning. Your company is described as a New Jersey based independent hip hop label specializing in experiential marketing. Please describe what experiential marketing entails for those who don’t know.

Experiential marketing is a sort of guerrilla marketing. That term is used when a company wants to market to an audience by having that audience experience an emotion. And hopefully every time they revisit that emotion or memory in there life they will think of that company. What we do is help brands connect to their target or demographic emotionally. The best way to bring emotions out of any person is through music and visuals. These are both things that every record label utilizes yet few have fused a marriage between themselves and experiential marketing.

Urban Background essentially utilizes their recording artists as brand ambassadors for current sponsors. Past sponsors and partnerships included Lil Ceasars Pizza, Jagermeister, Sam Ash, and Tip Top Grade LLC. Currently you guys (Demic & Bawsten) are on the TGI Fridays tour around the country. Tell us a little about the tour and what you will be show casing.

Some people may see partnering with a corporate brand as selling out. But it is really the opposite, these brands help pay for expenses that other artists have to pay for themselves. This means that we can concentrate on creating a quality product because we do not have to rely on cd sales or any direct revenue from our product to make money. It really is a win win situation.

The TGI Fridays tour is a tour we are headlining because initially we did so much national touring that it hurt our fan base at home. So we decided the best thing to do is to tour at home. Home being Gotham, Gotham being New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. We utilized TGI Fridays because people already love the bar and it’s an easy sell when promoting, because people know it. Instead of asking people to come out to Joe’s Shmoe’s Bar.

After watching the video of (Demic & Bawsten ) at the park opening for Soulja Boy it seems that you are real crowd pleasers and all already have a strong fan base. How long have you been in the music industry, and please describe your sound?

We actually made our name because of our live show. If you’ve never seen it I encourage you to come out. We are going to take the name energy god from Elephant Man,lol. We started a national tour with Hot Import Nights opening for acts like Keith Murray and LMFAO. Three shows in and they ended up not hiring any more major acts and making us the headliner. #wheretheydothatat, lol. We have both individually been in the industry over ten years. We have been working together for the past year now and things are moving extremely fast. It was a trial thing and it ended up working very well. I almost feel like we have a super group on our hands. Something like the Fugees, where you have Lauryn Hill and Wyclef having great solo careers. But in the beginning you wouldn’t have known that they would be so successful apart. The same goes for Demic & Bawsten because we are both two of the most intelligent people I know to this date.

Gotham City New Jersey is where you are from. Gotham Diaries and The Golden Record are two projects that you are currently working on. Demic & Bawsten-”I’m from Gotham” was featured on Allhiphop.com and received 700 plays in first day. What do you want to make Gotham City New Jersey known for?

Gotham City New Jersey stands for every slum or decayed city in New Jersey. It is also a state of mind. You can be living in Short Hills, NJ and mentally feel like you are in Gotham because the people in your direct circle are making your life hell. Gotham City, NJ would be a collection of cities: Plainfield, East Orange, Newark, Irvington, Camden, Atlantic City, Jersey City, Trenton, Asbury Park, Paterson, and New Brunswick. But Gotham City can also be out in Oklahoma if that is how you are living your life. It is more of a state of mind than an actual location.

I noticed that you have an MBA. How has your education helped you in the music industry? And would you suggest artists get an education before entering the music business?

I actually was in the honor roll when I was in elementary school in Harlem, NY. I was in honor roll when I moved to New Jersey. Then I hit 6th grade and everything went downhill. Then I found music and that helped me find school again. I was so interested in how the business of music worked, that I started relating everything I learned in school to the music business. If there was a class on product pricing, my product would be cds and so forth. So it is actually the polar opposite because music helped me in school. I was going to drop out of high school in the 11th grade. My mom came to school to sign the papers and everything. Then after I graduated high school I only stayed in college because I got a chance to play basketball. Then after my eligibility was up I stopped going to school for a year and then music dragged me back into the classroom, because I needed to know how to accomplish my goal.

What advice can you give for artists who want to have a strong brand? And what is the worst thing you can do to your brand?

Worst thing you can do to your brand is let it sit. If you have a brand you have to get it out there. People are afraid to go out there before they’re ready but 99% of the time no one is actually ready. We have performed on stages with a six figure budget and there are still things that they don’t have that they want. You have to figure out the best way to get what you need. And sometimes you have to know what to sacrifice. I still haven’t released a product til this day that is 100% complete. But I would be nowhere right now if I was still sitting on those projects. We have songs that are playing in the club as we speak that aren’t mastered. But at the end of the day everyone knows as an independent artist your still refining your craft. If you are truly talented just get out there and do it, people are so scared to be wack. Wack today hot tomorrow.

Overall Urban Background seems to have mastered the business side of the music industry, who are a few artists that you want to learn from musically and artistically?

Musically I would like to learn from The Fugees because like Demic & Bawsten we both have island roots in hip hop. I love the way their sound was edgy but not negative. This is what we are aiming for right now. This is one reason for the use of the word Gotham City. Because in Batman’s Gotham things are bad but everything is bad for a reason. Many crime stems from some sort of mistreatment or necessary evil. Everyone is a product of the society that made them. So when you see a criminal that is just your actions as a culture staring you in the face. When they give people more they do more. When they take away from people, they do bad and even worse. Life makes sense, and everyone makes decisions based off what makes sense in their life. That is what we hope to make people realize through our music. Everything isn’t just black and white.

What can we expect from you in the future?

We will always continue to set precedence in hip hop. As independent artists we have accomplished some things that even some major artists haven’t. We performed for many nations in front of the White House during Inauguration weekend in Washington DC. That was inauguration for the first black president. We were the only artists out there doing that and it will never happen again. There are a lot of things that I don’t want to put in the air because I am not sure they will happen yet. But the things I will tell you is that we are working on extending our TGI Fridays in Gotham tour to the West Coast and doing a TGI Fridays in Hollywood. Then extending it to Florida and doing TGI Fridays in the Sunshine. We plan to have more shows at Six Flags next summer and so forth. Everything else we will just have to wait and see. - doubletakemag.net