MADE BY YOU
MADE BY DEE1
DEE1 is a Nigerian-South African born rapper who currently resides in Ontario, Canada. His diverse upbringing and background shines through his music, enabling him to explore a wide spectrum of emotions, ranging from tracks like 'BEAT IT' to 'REAL ME,' with quality being the common denominator. DEE1 takes pride in his flow, cadence, and double entendres, often showcasing his impressive vocabulary through his music. Additionally, DEE1 has expanded his reach to the UK through viral freestyles, collaborations with UK artists, and hopping on UK type beats. Notably, he collaborated with UK artist PD on the track 'BAD DAY.'
This year, DEE1 has kicked off his run by releasing his latest single 'DOING 2 ME,' a track that reminisces about his times of scarcity and delves into the contrast of love when material possessions are involved.
"DEE1 has been a friend of mine and a friend of the house since my first sketch and has never been shy to show support. For that, I'm grateful to have him as the first entry of the MADE BY YOU blog."
-SEKOU
Q/A
MBS: What difference does it make to you to have community support?
DEE1: "You're nothing without the people around you. Having people like Phree and Wop around pushes me to work harder and be consistent. Even seeing people like Sk around me making moves inspires me to make my own moves. I think having a community of people who are strong-willed is very important because it'll rub off on you. With Toronto being a city with a stigma around support and being a hard city to make it out of, having a support system is everything."
_______________________________________________________
MBS: What do you like to wear/some of your favorite brands?
DEE1: I grew up as a church boy, so I wore a lot of Polo (Ralph Lauren, not that U.S.S Polo, lol). I had every Polo shirt imaginable. At the time, I didn’t really appreciate the clothes, but now looking back on it, I really dressed like Chief Keef lowkey without even knowing who he was. Presently, I'm a white/black tee guy. I like brands like Stone Island and Dior. I am also getting into quiet fashion. Shoutout to the Alyx boys (if you know, you know)."
CONT.
MBS: Do you think you would be able to influence the things people wear with your music?
DEE1:
"For sure, as a creative, I feel like fashion and music go hand in hand, and the way I dress is also a representation of me. Fashion has become synonymous with rap, for example, people like Ye, Drake, and Wayne with the Bape in 08’. I would love to get to the point where I can influence people on a fashion level through music."
_______________________________________________________
MBS: What is your dream collab?
"My taste in music comes from my Dad; he was a DJ. He’s always loved music and kept me around it, so my collaboration list includes not only rappers. If I collaborate with Adele, my life would be complete. Because she doesn't make the type of music I make, I feel like it would be a statement to my growth as an artist. I've been singing 'Set Fire to the Rain' since 2011. I would also like to collaborate with Burna Boy, Drake, Dave, and Clavish, to name a few. I want to diversify my discography by making R&B, pop, whatever."
FIN.
MBS: Do you think there is a solution to the disconnected creative industry in Toronto?
DEE1: "I think it’s getting better. We have a growing community of supportive people like Wop, Spxcejam, DJ, SK, and Phree. With this new wave of creatives, slowly but surely, we will get to a point of unison. You have to be the change you want to see, and you can’t do things alone, and even if you do, it won’t last long. The only way we can move forward is to stay open-minded and not think everybody is out to get them."
DEE1's MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH
"Self-confidence is key. Before anything else, you need to be confident in the talent and gift that you have. Don’t be afraid of how you will be perceived, because everything is 'corny' until it works. If you are under the belief that your art is good, whether it's music, fashion, or visual arts, just drop it, and the support will follow. I am still a work in progress with this one, but I would also say stay consistent with promotion. Every viral video you’ve seen started off with 0 views. Be yourself wholeheartedly."
-DEE1
15 comments
MBS on top
Super rate this interview. MBS goin crazy
super tuff the interview was hard 10/10‼️💯🤞🏿 🔥
Amazing interview. Dee1 X MBS stocks just went up in price
This city and soon the world is gonna get hip to this. Witnessing this in real time is only beginning to feel surreal. Good shit, Sk.