Q&A With Rising Los Angeles Hip Hop Artist D.Sel

D.Sel!! Let me congratulate your with your latest EP release!! Please tell us what are code in LA County you rep, how long have you been rapping? Also, how did your MC name come about?

As far as LA, I’m from Gardena but I’m well connected with family all over LA. I spend a lot of my time at my grandma’s house in South Central or creating with my homies out in Inglewood or chilling with cousins out in Compton. Through having close connections all over and going to school in West LA, it’s been easy to make relationships and just be cool with everyone from all over. I’ll be the first one to tell you, I’m not into the gang bangin’, and the street shit. I really just be doing me and making vibes for everyone to relate to. I’m no stranger to the funk but in my opinion I ain’t got shit to prove. Everybody is family to me out here in my city, you feel me?

I’ve been making music like singing and entertaining and shit since I was 6. Wrote my first song at around that age. But once I got to high school I gave up on the singing dreams and started penning out 16’s. I started rapping at around 15 or 16 with a few of my dawgs from 111th Ave (My music collective group I’ve been working with for years. We go by 111th Records.)

My name is pretty simple. My real name is Deion Selma. In high school we had a small clique called the “Waterboyz”. My name at the time was “Waterboy D.Sel”. After I got older and departed from high school I dropped the Waterboy from my name and just went with D.Sel.

Your style and rhyme scheme is super raw and different! How do you describe your sound? How long did it take for you to find your sound?

Man having my own sound is something I really strived to do on this latest album. It was a struggle for a while. I would put too much focus on writing and overthinking my content. It really just came from me letting go on the mic. I started freestyling most of my songs and making new discoveries out of that. From that point I saw that out of the 7 billion people in the world, there can only be one D.Sel. I might as well have fun with it and tell my story in an interesting way, you know?

Tell us about your Hip Hop and/or music influences? Any LA influences? Was there anyone in your life that motivated your to STEP IT UP when it comes to making dope Hip Hop?

My biggest musical influence is by far Michael Jackson. He’s the reason why I fell in love with this music shit and dedicated my life to it at such an early age. When I was 6, I would wake up every morning practicing MJ’s moves and songs. This translated to me writing my first few songs with MJ melodies but replacing his words with mine. I would go to school and perform it for my first grade class every week. The older I got, the more my life was impacted by rap music. Some huge influences for me out of the LA area are Dom Kennedy and Ty Dolla $ign. They give you the taste of the hood in such an dope aesthetic while remaining themselves and having their own sound.
My late father is the person that motivated me to STEP IT UP with this rap shit man. He gave me tons of advice and game before he passed. He encouraged me to make music that people will feel internally. Every song I make I ask myself if I think my pops would be satisfied with this one.

Other than yourself!! Who is making noise in the underground Hip Hop scene out there where your from!!??

I feel like the hip-hop scene in LA is really on the come up. It died off in my opinion for the minute but I feel that we are witnessing a renaissance of LA hip-hop right before our eyes. A few artists that I’ve really been fucking with lately are Kalan FrFr, Khelly B (one of the coldest producers in the city), Dizzy, Khalil Amani, Amon, K-Lethal, and Chicky Rodman aka Lil KD.

Please breakdown the creative process of your latest EP “Vibrations Of The West II”.

When making this project I really wanted to create something with a colorful sound and a feel good vibe for everybody to enjoy. Vibrations of the West I was an album that was very straight forward with precise raps and serious subject matter. Vibrations of the West II was intended to be a contrast to that. When creating this tape I freestyled most of the songs and focused on coming up with catchy/ melodic hooks that would relate to everyone.

2018 has been an exciting year for me already. Along with dropping my Sophomore EP I’ve also opened up for artists like Vic Mensa and Lil Yachty this past March. Throughout this year I just plan on going hard racking up live performances and dropping videos. I plan to drop 4 music videos/ short films before the end of the year which in prior years I haven’t released any visuals or anything. I just plan on becoming much more aggressive with my marketing approach.

Any pressuring situations before you decided to push your EP? Did everything work out according to plan?

Everything for this project worked out smooth honestly man. The only pressure was putting so much time and money into the recording process while being a full time college student and shit so of course as you can imagine it wasn’t easy at all man.

Any new projects coming out!?

As of now, no new full length projects coming soon. I’m really focused on the visual side of things and creating short films for a lot of these songs off of Vibrations of the West II. I plan to drop singles all throughout the year but for now no full length project is in the works.

Rappers nowadays think by throwing up a few videos up on social media and pushing quick projects, they can blow up overnight! Give us your view on how over saturated the market is right now with so many MC’s/Producers but not to many quality music.

For a while I hated this whole mumble rap shit with a passion and I was hating on the fact that that’s what’s selling in the industry nowadays. As I’ve matured I’ve come to accept it for what it is. There’s a time and place for a lot of those songs and artists.I can’t hate on it though. All I can do is focus on myself man. Focus on my music, and advancing the culture. I like to be myself and set myself apart from the pack. I put the music first and allow everything else to fall in line. As long as dudes are putting the music first and doing something innovative then the possibilities are endless.

How often do you perform LIVE? Any shows lined up in the near future?

I perform live quite often. I have a home coming show this month on April 20th. I’m going back home to my high school to perform for the kids. Should be an amazing time man.

Where do you see yourself in 5yrs time?

On one of the last songs on Vibrations of the West II I tell myself “I’m going Global by the time I’m 25.” Right now I’m 21 and I have a lot more work to do. In. 5 years I hope to be world renowned and have a serious impact on my community and my city. I plan to have a serious record label with my homies called 111th Records and literally change the world with my music. I know it sounds like a dream but shit, someone has to make it a reality, right?

Here it is! Our most popular question! What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?

Underground Hip Hop is the definition of staying true to your art. Underground Hip Hop is caring about the music and the culture more than anything else. That’s what it means to me. Never conforming to what’s “popular” or “trendy”.

Lastly, and shout out?

Big shoutout to the gang over on 111th block. Lil KD, Khelly B, Dizzy, Ekelly, Larry Lee, K.Scott, all my niggas holding me down on this journey. I appreciate y’all.

Also a big thank you to you guys at UGHH! Thank you for all of your support!