Out The Mud: Dirty White x IAHHM Interview
Making his first appearance on the IAHHM platform, I’d like to introduce my homeboy from Wilmington, NC Dirty White. I’ve been following the homie for a little while now and I can tell you he has the complete package to offer a listener or consumer of music. Great understanding of the culture and the time we are in, which like I always say; being a student will get you way further in this industry than just being in here for quick fame and money. I had time to catch up with Dirty to discuss the likes of Kanye West, Top Producers, Streaming platforms, writing technique, favorite hip hop groups and more. Check out our full interview below #FREEGAME Dirty White on Spotify.
https://www.youtube.com/user/jailbird19931
Who is your favorite newer rapper? Mannn….I’ma have to say J.I.D or YBN Cordae. Anderson. Paak is a close second, but can you even consider him a rapper? haha
What is your favorite music streaming platform? Spotify definitely. I have all my lil playlists set up and all. Go search me on Spotify and add me for real!!! I have to admit though…for certain underground releases, YouTube never fails.
Where is your favorite place to write/record?
I don’t think I have a favorite place to write…Honestly, I write all the time, in little bits and pieces, sometimes the verses tumble out in 32 and 64 bar lengths lol. But as far as recording…I definitely split my time between FivPoint Studios in Delco, NC, or Stay Rooted Studios in nearby Wilmington. Shoutout the whole Stay Rooted Crew, Breeze Davis, Coley Oh, Tut Grady and also shoutout my engineers Mike Onwubuya and Lil Edd.
FAVORITE PROJECT OR SONG SO FAR THIS YEAR? The Dreamville album…Oxnard…I swear that joint. Paak and Cordae have together is dank too. STS dropped a new project, so did Scotty ATL!
I liked Locksmith’s new project Ali a lot, of course, KING KRIT…Can we talk about Kamikaze? Ball and Chill by Breeze Davis…HNF by TVM Killa is smooth as hell…I have been jammin’ out to some Vic Mensa
FAVORITE HIP HOP GROUP OF ALL TIME?
Black Hippy…Wutang…Slaughterhouse…I can’t decide! Outkast…Funk Volume…whaaaaaaat. There’s so many. Maybe D12 honestly. WHAT HAS THE HARDEST OBSTACLE AS AN INDEPENDENT RECORDING ARTIST BEEN?
Promotion. Getting my songs heard by the right people. Playlist placement, etc. Shoutout to you guys for having me featured. It’s an honor. There are so many talented people out here not being heard because they don’t have proper promo budgets…shit is sad. I reply on word of mouth quite a lot. I’m blessed to have people who constantly share my music with others. WHAT PLATFORM ARE YOU USING TO DISTRIBUTE YOUR MUSIC AND WHY?
All platforms. I’m on every single platform I can get on…Pandora is the last one that’s still reviewing my releases. I promote my Youtube page the most though. I’m dropping hella visuals this year…so I want to make sure I have as many people as possible subscribed before the video onslaught begins.
WHAT IS YOUR STANCE ON KANYE WEST?
The fact that this is a whole question on this interview speaks to how powerful his influence was and is. Very few artists will ever impact the game as profoundly as Kanye West. I’ll definitely admit to his genius as far as marketing is concerned. However, in my opinion, he hasn’t put out a good album since before Yeezus. There were a couple of bangers on it, but honestly, after my first listen I was unimpressed and when I went back to check again, I liked it even less. Old ‘Ye was bloody amazing though, so I still have massive respect for his legacy and his capabilities as a producer.
HOW MANY ARTISTS HAVE YOU COLLABORATED WITH LOCALLY?
Less than 10 or so probably. I’m selective about my features. Honestly, I been JCole-ing it out, just doing my own music lol. I also haven’t met very many local MC’s who can compliment me well on a track. There’s a handful, though, that I put on every project.
HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU ABOUT MAKING A LIVING FROM MUSIC? ARE YOU A STUDENT OF THE GAME?
Very serious. I work on my craft constantly. I network constantly, spend all my free time and money on music….I love this shit more than anything. I tattooed Hip-Hop Addict on my heart at age 19…I’ll always be a student of the game. The only way to evolve is to educate.
WHAT IS LACKING IN HIP HOP MUSIC THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN CHANGE?
I don’t think Hip-Hop is lacking anything…I think there’s a lot of misdirection and lack of effort on the part of a lot of artists… but the core passion and drive of Hip-Hop is still there. So really, I don’t want to change Hip-Hop, I want to help it grow and contribute to the positivity. If anything, I wanna be a bar for rappers and singers…to inspire them to produce the highest quality tracks possible.
IN ORDER, RANK YOUR TOP 5 PRODUCERS IN THE GAME RIGHT NOW?
DJ Premier, Metro Boomin, NO ID, Big KRIT, T-Minus
FAVORITE ALBUM SO FAR THIS YEAR?
You mean of mine? Earlier I named a bunch of other people’s stuff lol. My favorite song by me this year is definitely not out yet. It’s on the album, and it’s called Young Together. Huge hook, dope ass beat.
IN ORDER, RANK YOUR TOP 5 RAPPERS IN THE GAME
Royce Da 59′, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Locksmith, J.I.D.
IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANY SINGER MALE OR FEMALE FOR A JOINT ALBUM WHO WOULD IT BE?
Definitely Imani Pressley…She’s ridiculous. I’ve been cooking some fire for us, but I’m scared to send it lmfao It’ll happen one day.
DO YOU THINK THE STREAMING ERA IS HURTING OR BENEFITING ARTISTS THESE DAYS?
I think it’s helping us. There was a day, without a major distribution deal, an artist could never get their career off the ground. Now, independent artists are taking over the market and I love to see it!!
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO ASPIRING ARTISTS FROM YOUR AREA? Get in front of as many different people as you can with your music and BE YOURSELF. Demographics are a pure numbers game. Just because somebody in your city isn’t streaming your single, doesn’t mean somebody in New Zealand won’t!!! You just gotta find em.
Where are you from?
Wilmington NC. Beach town, lots of drama and everybody know everybody. Except for the college kids, they just come and go.
How did the crew get started?
Ms. Coley Oh discovered me in a small venue murdering my set and asked to talk to me. Shortly thereafter she asked me to join up with her and create Stay Rooted Music Group along with Tut and Breeze. Before that, I was chillin’ real deep with my bro DJ Young Will, we put together a little studio for ourselves and started recording back when we were like 17 haha.
When and how did you get into music?
My mother was in a choir the whole time she was pregnant with me, so I think melodies and harmonies were instilled into my psyche before I was even born haha. I began playing piano and singing around the age of 6 or 7.
How did you choose your rap name?
One of my homies named me DirtyWhite after a Foreigner song, and it just kinda stuck. Before that I rapper under the name Jailbird. Cringe…
How will you change the industry?
By being as experimental as possible. Experimental vibes only. Shoutout to my bro TVM Killa. The game is full of cookie cutters sometimes. Let’s be hella original.
Who is in your mainstream top 5?
Royce da 59,, Cordae, Weezy, T.I., Slim Shady. I’m not sure if you’d consider all them as mainstream anymore but I think so.
What motivated or inspired you to record your last project?
The urge to break the mold. I’ve been putting out rap records for 5 years, never got more than a cursory nod from the masses, really. Everybody raps these days, so to see the “white boy with dreads” getting on stage to rap, nobody was surprised. But what if I could create something that was a masterpiece? Something created purely from emotion and soul and something that refused to get caught up on the rest of the world’s buzzing…something unique to me that would define my sound. The subject of unrequited love was perfect for me, so I just went off. Has there been any time in your journey where you felt like pursuing something else instead of music?
Definitely…at some points, I low key feel like I’m selling myself instead of my music. Not a bad thing, just a result of the musical climate we live in these days. I’ve always been more than willing to be brutally honest through my music, but you can’t always guarantee a good response from others if the reveal is any less than passionate. This type shit helps me stay encouraged to live my best life and work on myself more…hopefully that will lead to increasingly better vibes from me in the booth.
Whose side were you on. Biggie Or Pac?
Pac by far. Biggie was phenomenal but his poetry never impressed me as Pac’s did.
If you had one song of yours to perform on national tv which would it be?
“Sole Regret” or “Reasons”. Possibly So Cold or Roll-On as well.If you were offered a perfect distribution/sponsorship from every major company in America which company would suit you and your brand the most?
Probably a music company. Ibanez maybe? I really don’t have a clue. Nike? I smoke weed and play basketball in my spare time haha
What is your favorite movie? Favorite actor?
The Dark Knight. It’s amazing. And probably a tie between Seth McFarlaneand Jordan Peele.
Tell me some of your biggest and/or most enjoyable moments so far?
Opening for Juvenile at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater with Breeze and Tut was amazing. The crowd was lit asf and responsive…I went off.
What equipment and software do you use to record/produce? I produce my instrumentals with Reason by Propellerhead. Then we usually record vocals and mix on Pro Tools
Name 3 things that make you unique as an artist?
My ability to instantly switch between singing and rapping…my country boy roots…my classical abilities with instruments. I play piano and guitar, etc.
Where do you see yourself going with this? What are your big plans?
I want to pay my bills with this shit and make people’s lives better with my tunes. I don’t care about fame, but if it comes, it comes. All I want to do is get the bag and hopefully inspire other people with my music.
Any projects in the works?
I’m dropping this RnB album on September 14th, then a string of singles and videos for a while till my next mixtape is ready. Lots on bangers on it, though. Features from some fire rappers.
What are your rates for features?
100 for a verse, 150 for a hook. And the prices are going up after the album drop ‘cuz then mfs gone know what I’m capable of.
What’s the best way to get in contact with you if we need work done? Email my manager at hiphopdontstop910@gmail.com or hit me on any social medias at @dirtyfwhite. That’s all my social media, actually. Facebook, Instagram, anything. @DirtyFWhite.
