Q&A With Rising Underground Hip Hop Artist Dante Ryan
Pleasure meeting you Dante Ryan! We appreciate solid all around artists such as yourself, especially from young men like yourself. Please tell me how long have you been rapping, singing and producing? What area code do you rep!?
It’s great meeting you too! I’ve been singing since I was six years old. My parents noticed my talent so they pushed me to get involved with acting programs and musicals. Rapping, songwriting and producing followed after that, and I haven’t looked back since. I rep 510 till the death of me! I was born in San Francisco, but am who I am because of Berkeley.
Being so young and being able to rap, sing & produce?! That’s a huge plus for you! How have you been able to incorporate that into your music and make it work? As you are fully aware, tons of artists attempt to wear both singer & rapper hats and never seem to get it right!!
Yes, it really helps with being in control of more aspects of my music. I think it’s important to hone your craft and be the best you can be, so I learned and studied different aspects of music creation and production early on. I’m still learning and studying though, that process never ends! I got lucky because my family is also very musically inclined. My mother is a singer and my dad raps. My parents also played several different genres of music when I was growing up, so I can appreciate an eclectic range of sounds and I try to incorporate that into the music I create.
Tell us about your Hip Hop and/or music influences? Any Local town? Was there anyone in your life that motivated you to STEP IT UP when it comes to making dope quality music?
Hip Hop is why I am who I am, and I can thank my dad for that. As a kid, I can confidently say my dad played every single form of hip hop imaginable! He would constantly pause songs and break down the lyrics so I could really feel what the MC was communicating to the listener. On top of that, my dad himself is an incredible lyricist, so I respect his input on my cadence, word play, topics etc. Fillmore legend Big Rich is my mentor and he took my love for rap to the next level. He showed me how to rap in a studio, which is much harder than most people would expect. A lot of my time as an artist is spent taking notes, researching, listening closely to artists I like and studying them. My best friend Kwame is my manager and is always working with me to break down song lyrics too, so I’m always grateful for the support I can get. To make quality music, you must always work on your craft. Every great MC that ever was, practiced daily.
I think it’s important for artists to support other artists and the local music scene in the Bay Area is thriving right now! Some Bay Area musicians that I respect and who have influenced me are Jay Ant, Rexx Life Raj, Kehlani, Rayana Jay, G Eazy, Caleborate and Elujay.
Please breakdown the creative process of your latest EP “Toxic Fool”. And give us some background on the EP artwork!?
My main focus for this year was to release a solo project that brought people into my world. I had planned on releasing a whole album titled ‘Eclipse’ which had 14 songs, and 4 major features. Sadly, the album was on one of my producers’ computer, which got stolen two days after completing the album! The backed-up copy on his hard drive got stolen as well. I was pretty down after we lost all that hard work and my grandfather passed away around the same time. I had been working on it for so long and I was so disappointed that my grandpa never got to hear my album. So, shortly after his passing, I decided to make an EP dedicated to him. I didn’t care how big it got, or who liked it, I just wanted to dedicate a project to him. Two weeks later I had a 5 song EP titled “Toxic Fool” that ended up touching a solid amount of people around the world in a real way. The EP helped them get through hard times in their lives, which felt so fulfilling because it helped me get through a rough time in my life. The artwork represents different aspects of my eclectic mind, style and taste.
This EP was produced by Drew Banga, Bakary Burner, Charles Nutrivore, ØHenry and Cj Knowles. The cover art was made by Clay Xavier.
What are you currently working on now?
I’m currently working on my bringing back the album that was lost, Eclipse. As I grow as a person and as an artist, I constantly add new elements to the revised album. This new version of Eclipse is going into a different direction, which is really exciting for me. Artist and Producer, Jay Ant, is my partner in crime for all of this. He’s like my Dre. He’s helping me capitalize on the talents and persona I already embody, and I’m excited for listeners to experience that when the album is complete. Beyond that I am doing a lot of songwriting, production, collaborate with artists all around the world. I am even moving into music in other languages, which is dummy lit! Overall, I am working on anything and everything I can. I don’t discriminate. If I’m working, I’m happy.
Other than making music, what other form of business would you like to see yourself doing in the future?!
I consider myself to be somewhat of an entrepreneur, so I plan on majoring in Business when I go back to school. As a 19-year-old kid, no matter how much you love something, it is healthy to explore other things. Beyond school, I am also developing an application that I believe will help independent artists remain independent. I can’t get into details quite yet, but I foresee it being a game changer for all types of creatives. Regardless if its music or something else, I want to always be creating, and I want it to help people.
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 too many quality music.
Going viral can’t be the focus. Videos go viral every day because they are hella funny or someone is making a fool of themselves; but rarely because the music is ‘good’. I put good in quotes because I don’t think it is my place to tell anyone what is good and what is bad. Everyone is entitled to their taste, and their opinion, and ultimately, art is art regardless of what I think. That said, I view going viral the same way I view shooting a half-court shot. Some people make it the first shot, some people need to keep going back to the gym just to make it once, and some should have never shot in the first place. It’s hard as a young artist who keeps up with new music, and has a strong foundation from old music, to not get lost in what everyone else is doing. But, no matter how hard it is, I have to stay focused on what matters, and that’s being the best version of myself that I can be. I’m never going to hate on someone going viral. What good would that do, when I myself am not where I want to be. When I blow, I have make sure I last, and I know longevity takes time. Longevity doesn’t come from focusing on other people. You can follow a trend or you can set one. Kanye wasn’t Kanye till he was 24. I am 19, I’ve got time. I’m going to keep working on me because I know I’m going to make it eventually, and when I do I will have put in enough work to keep making shots.
Here it is! Our most popular question! What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?
Hip Hop began as a method for the unknown, oppressed, and underappreciated black population of America to express themselves. It since has expanded to a method for all people to express themselves. This is why hip hop is so vast in its sound. What a lot of people forget is hip hop is much more than just an MC. You also got the DJ, breakers, graffiti artists, and most importantly the knowledge and culture. So, underground hip hop in my mind is the last of the real cultures, that embodies the 5 pillars. I don’t think it is necessarily better or worse than the mainstream, but it definitely has its place on my iPod. I’m always going to support true expression from the heart rather than a label. Chance the Rapper blew up on that exact principle, and I found him when #10DAY dropped.
Where can people find you on the web? Drop all the vital links.
My website is http://thedanteryan.com.
You can find me as @TheDanteRyan on all my social media.
http://instagram.com/thedanteryan
http://facebook.com/thedanteryan
Tweets by thedanteryan
http://soundcloud.com/thedanteryan
Recent Performances:
Opening for Amine at 1015 Folsom in San Francisco on April 12th
Featured Artists for Coast to Coast on June 6th at Complex Oakland
Stay tuned to Social media for more performances this summer!
Lastly, and shout out?
Family means everything to me, so a big shout out to my fam! I love you guys and thank you for supporting me every step of the way! I do it for y’all.
