The new generation of hip-hop artists have more of a desire to be different that the artists of yore. Back in the day, it was more about being the dopest than the most different. However, thinking outside the box can be a beautiful thing if it’s done correctly. Many have failed. Brooklyn’s own Dyme-A-Duzin, however, has been able to stand out from the pack without going too far left and still remembering that in hip-hop lyrics are king. He lists Jay-z and Eminem among the MC’s who had the most influence on him. Rapping since 11, Dyme always took hip-hop seriously and a few years later began posting his videos and music on YouTube where he was able to gain a huge following with his catchy tunes and creative style of lyricism. Now signed to Atlantic Records, Dyme is slated to drop his debut album soon and the world of hip-hop by storm. Mens Mag Daily was able to catch up with Dyme and discuss his mother’s opinion about his love of hip-hop, what hip-hop artists he’s listening to right now, and why Brooklyn MC’s need to unite.
Mens Mag Daily: So Dyme, you’re from Brooklyn, right?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah man.
Mens Mag Daily: Where in Brooklyn?
Dyme-A-Duzin: I was in Crown Heights, then I was in East New York, then I was in Canarsie so I been all over Brooklyn but I’m back in East New York now.
Mens Mag Daily: How long have you been rhyming for?
Dyme-A-Duzin: I started when I was 11 but I would say officially when I was 14. That’s when I started making videos and putting songs together. 11 is when the seed kind of got planted and I started writing but 14 is when I really decided to do something with it.
Mens Mag Daily: That’s crazy man, so you were putting videos and songs together at 14 years old?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah man, I really didn’t have anybody to do it for me on a professional level so I took it upon myself to get out there, do my thing, and get my ideas out there. I basically just decided to use whatever outlets I did have available to me.
Mens Mag Daily: And at what point did people really start to take notice of what you were doing?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Like I said, I was 14 when I started putting out the YouTube videos and I would do comedy skits and stuff but most importantly I was showing them that I could rhyme and make songs. When I was 15 or 16 everything really started to catch on. I remember I got put on World Star when I was about that age too. A lot of people started following me from that. YouTube is a really big community and a lot of the people who make videos will follow each other and they know each other and a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon because they liked what I was doing. It was a mutual respect so we would share fans and put each other in our videos. It was really just a lot of networking.
Mens Mag Daily: As a younger dude coming up, who are some of the artists that had an influence on you?
Dyme-A-Duzin: The first artist that really influenced my style and my rhyming was definitely Eminem. From his rhyme schemes to his wordplay he’s just one of the best. Kanye West has definitely been an influence for me and not just musically but fashion wise as well. It was also the fact that he was fearless in his approach and he didn’t what people thought even though he was outside the box. He’s not exactly the norm and he just ran with that. And of course Jay-Z coming out of Brooklyn and being a legend for so long. Those are my big three right there in terms of people who I was influenced by.
Mens Mag Daily: Being a younger dude, only 21, to be fans of these guys, did you go back and listen to the early Eminem stuff and the early Jay-Z stuff?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah, I still do. I actually wasn’t even allowed to really listen to rap. My mom was kind of against it. She was always in the church so we were in that real gospel choir environment and we were in church like three times a week. That’s what she wanted for us. As I started to get into it more and more, my mom kind of loosened up and I was able to listen to more hip-hop and I had to go back and listen to the early Eminem music. I was really a student of the game. It was a way for me to develop my style and I really just enjoyed learning my history and being a student of the game and picking up whatever I could. I always studied these artists.
Mens Mag Daily: Eminem must have been a hard sell for your mom being in the church and everything.
Dyme-A-Duzin: Oh yeah. (Laughs)
Mens Mag Daily: As an artist, I wouldn’t call you a typical artist; you seem to work outside of the box and try to set your own trends. Is that important to you?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah, absolutely, and even with the name Dyme-A-Duzin. I wanted that to mean basically the opposite of dime a dozen. From the different way it’s spelled and everything it was an expression of the fact that I’m different. I’m a diamond in the rough. And that’s what I think hip-hop is about, having your own style. And you could be influenced by artists of course but you need to develop your own sound that’s distinct from that.
Mens Mag Daily: You were singed to Warner Brothers at one point right?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah, but I’m signed to Atlantic now.
Mens Mag Daily: How did that switch from Warner to Atlantic happen?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Warner and Atlantic are under the same umbrella. They merged and all the urban and hip-hop acts went over to Atlantic.
Mens Mag Daily: What was it like for you actually getting signed?
Dyme-A-Duzin: It was great man. I started rapping at 11, putting music out at 14, getting noticed at 16 and at 19 I was signed so it was a progression and it was proof that the work I was doing was paying off for me. I feel like I’ve done a lot in the time I’ve been doing this.
Mens Mag Daily: You’ve worked with Joey Badass.
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah, actually me and him went to school together.
Mens Mag Daily: Oh, for real?
Dyme-A-Duzin: Yeah we did.
Mens Mag Daily: Is it important for you to keep that Brooklyn unity?
Dyme-A-Duzin: That’s actually my main goal, to keep the Brooklyn dudes kind of tight knit. You gotta understand, that’s how you win. It should be like let’s get together and take over the game but instead it’s more of a separation where everybody just stays kind of separated and does their own thing individually. If we come together, we can make something bigger. I feel like we don’t do that at all and we don’t support each other and that’s just the New York mentality. I feel like it’s gonna take more than just one of us, more than just a Joey or just a Dyme and that if we kind of stick together then the movement will be there and be successful. Nobody can do it alone. Every just has to come together.
Mens Mag Daily: Who are you a fan of right now?
Dyme-A-Duzin: I listen to Wale. I thought Yeezus was cool. There’s a lot of artists I think are kind of dope but I haven’t heard enough from yet to really make that determination.
Mens Mag Daily: As far as your style goes, do you think you’re going to have a big enough impact to where people start to become influenced by you?
Dyme-A-Duzin: I feel like I already have, you know? I see people that dress like me. But what I’m about is doing what I like. I’m not going to follow any body so in that sense, by doing what I like, I really have no choice but to influence people.
Mens Mag Daily: Alright Dyme, so what should we keep our eyes open for? What do you have coming up?
Dyme-A-Duzin: I got the album Hip-Hope coming out. We’re hopefully looking to put that out soon. It’s comin’ out real dope so far. We’re hopefully looking at this summer for the release. Also my fans can keep up with me at www.iamdyme.com, that’s where all the important news goes up and everything and of course I got my Twitter which is https://twitter.com/DymeADuzin.
Article By: Jon DaBove
