Hip Hop On Deck Exclusive Interview With Dino From Mysterious Entertainment
Music Links-
http://www.audiomack.com/song/
http://www.audiomack.com/
http://www.audiomack.com/
http://www.audiomack.com/song/
http://www.audiomack.com/
http://www.audiomack.com/
Dino is a
multidimensional rapper that is skilled in writing, artist
development, mixing, engineering and mastering. He is also founder of
the major independent record label “Mysterious Entertainment.”
Combining his years of military and music making experience he has
created a new standard for independent artists. Being the
great-nephew of the famous Blues singer Fats Domino, Dino has been
around music his entire life; so it is no coincidence that he found
his way to the music industry.
What was it like growing up being
the great-nephew of the famous Blues singer Fats Domino?
Honestly I as a child I really did not
know who he was. I would see him at family gatherings and just
thought he was some “old man” like the rest of the adults. It
wasn’t until I became an adult that I understood who he was and
what he had accomplished. .
How do you think that shaped your
musical path today?
It definitely explains why I was so
fascinated with creating music at an early age and even receiving
punishment form my parents and grandparents for “making beats” on
the church pew during Sunday Service. To me it is obvious that music
was embedded in my DNA. And, I have been involved in music since
1991 when my great uncle surprised me and let me tag along with him
into the recording studio.
Do you have a personal favorite song
of his?
My personal favorites are “Valley of
Tears” and “Blueberry Hill.”
What made you want to start
Mysterious Entertainment, your indie record label?
Initially, I just wanted to be an
artist, make music and get signed to a major record deal. It wasn’t
until I mailed over 100 Press Kits to every record label contact I
could get my hands on and was rejected by all that I decided to start
my own company. At the time, it seemed as if the successful people
in the industry were not interested in sharing any of their success
with anyone “beneath” them. So I decided to put together a label
that would actually help the “starving artist” to gain some level
of success in the industry.
Can you briefly describe everything
Mysterious Entertainment does for an indie artist?
Mysterious Entertainment is literally a
“one-stop-shop” for the independent artist. We have a team of
producers (Boss Beatz Productions) that provides industry standard
instrumentals, certified recording, mixing and mastering. We have a
web based platform where all artists have access to all instrumentals
and the ability to collaborate with each other regardless of their
location. We provide venue and event booking via one of my
sub-companies LimeLight Booking throughout the Southern Region. We
also provide artist development to assist the artist in being
competitive with mainstream artists. In addition, we have a
marketing and promotion team that generates promotion items (ie
flyers, banners, graphics, etc) at little or no cost to the artist
depending on the event. We also have two recording studios where the
artist can record for free; ultimately we assist the artist in
setting up a small home studio where they can record their vocals and
send back to the engineers for mixing therefore maximizing their time
and creativity.
Why did you want to go the indie
route versus mainstream?
After conducting extensive research, it
was clear to me that the independent route would produce greater
benefits from having complete control over your material to
maximizing your financial profit margin. However, it is the most
difficult route to take because success or failure rests solely on
the independent artist. It’s a lot of hard work, but to me it is
worth it.
Why did you think it was important
to set yourself apart from other rappers and be proficient in all
these musical avenues such as mixing, engineering, and writing
lyrics? As well as the business side of things?
As an independent artist and label, you
must be able to compete and level the playing field with mainstream
artists and major labels; just being an artist is not good enough.
Having the ability and expertise on writing, performing, recording,
mixing and mastering your own music is a huge advantage because you
can get more done with your available time and more importantly
reduce your overhead. Knowing the business aspect of the creating,
releasing and marketing your music is a plus and just enhances the
previous stated reasons. Reducing the level in which you have to
rely on or pay and outside entity is very important as an independent
artist or label.
Can you describe what a typical day
is like for you when you are working on your own music plus running
Mysterious Entertainment?
Well, as some may know I am a full time
Soldier in the United States Army and have been for 16 years. So I
typically get up around 4:30am and conduct Physical Training. I
usually do not have a set time to get off so sometimes I get home as
late as 8:00pm. During my work day, I am constantly receiving phone
calls and texts regarding Mysterious Ent. So I am juggling my
Soldier’s issues, my military obligation and my company all day
long. After I get home, I will cook (if it is my night to do so),
then hit the studio to either mix one of my artist’s songs, write
lyrics to one of my own songs, compose an instrumental or engage in a
studio session with an artist. If I am done by a certain time,
(somewhere between 11:00pm and 12:00am) I will work on graphics for
cd covers, flyers, etc. Then I normally go to bed around 1:00am or
2:00am. Then back up at 4:30am to start it all over again.
What are you working on next?
We are currently working on the next
installment of the Southern Riot mixtape series; it promises to be
the best one from the collection. We also are putting together the
debut EP release of Rah Talynt entitled “Rah Diamond” and the
debut EP’s from Kaysha and Marquee; not to mention my own EP
entitled “PURE”. We also have a few upcoming performances worth
mentioning: we will be performing with Swisha House during the South
by Southwest (SXSW) music conference in Austin, TX as well as Spring
Break down in Padre Island.