Dr. Dre Plugs Into Dallas' Sounds

Dallas, Texas hails as one of the top five markets in radio, but all to often I hear, “Can’t NOBODY break into the (music) industry outta Dallas!” Sounds cliché right?!?!  Well,

contrary to popular belief, Dallas has had some notable acts make quite an impact in music history.  Not to long ago, Garland native, Justin Mohrle, PKA Justus made the headlines as Dr. Dre’s newest protege. Now, we can add Dallas native and producer, Da Dreak to that list.

  

I came across an article that I just have to share with my audience.  There are times where accolades are given, however, they are not directed to the mass hip-hop audience.  This is where I excel…I have the ability to reach the masses: black, white, brown, or yellow….urban, hip-hop, music industry, males or females.  Being able to cross promote the “race” barriers, is an art.  One I am most proud of!  

Dallas Observer’s (D.O.) own Jeremy Hallock “snuck” this great news in, which I think should have been front page news on all media outlets including TMZ, The Breakfast Club, and Entertainment Tonight! Especially when “Straight Outta Compton” officially opens tomorrow!

@DaDreak (Twitter & IG) story begins A few months ago, when Da Dreak found himself in Dre’s studio, during a visit to California for his birthday. During this trip he found himself face to face with Dr. Dre inside Aftermath Studios. 

Born and raised in Dallas, Dreak, started rapping in high school. The beat making didn’t start until the late 1990s. Last March, Dreak met Denaun Porter at South by Southwest. Porter is well known for his work with D12. Porter’s no stranger to working with Dr. Dre and has produced songs for 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. He also produced songs for Eminem and tours with the Shady/Aftermath artist as his hype man. 

According to the D.O., Dreak and Porter quickly started working together, meeting up in different cities to work on a beat kit and Royce Da 5’9’s next album, among other projects. In May, Dreak went to Los Angeles to celebrate his birthday and work with Porter. Porter took Dreak to Aftermath Studios, where he works as a producer for Aftermath Entertainment, Dre’s label.

When asked about his production style, Da Dreak says, “Either you were the hip-hop purist backpacker or you were the street.” From what I’ve heard of his tracks on Soundcloud, Da Dreak can touch all styles. Porter was immediately struck with Dreak’s production sound. “He has a little swing to his music,” Porter says. “He uses different chord progressions. With most people, you can tell what the next step is going to be. With him...I couldn’t tell what his next step was going to be. It’s not a traditional way of thinking.” Porter immediately wanted Dre to hear Dreak. He liked Dreak’s sound and noticed an attention to precision and detail that he thought Dre might appreciate. Porter isn’t in the habit of bringing people over to Aftermath. “But Dre’s like a brother to me and Dreak seemed really cool,” Porter says. Looking back, he was simply happy to bring new talent to Dre.

“I wasn’t expecting Dre to be there,” says Dreak. But Porter led him into the first control room and Dre was standing at the board. Da Dreak goes on to say of working with Dre, “You don’t want to say too much.” Even tho he doesn’t make it to the ‘Compton ‘ album, Dreak thinks of the possibilities, that the beats he worked on at Aftermath may be used on another project in the next couple years.” 

Read The Complete article on Dallasobserver.com

#LeslieMac

Fuck It...Quit!

As independents we all love to be in the company of success. The thrill of touching the same mic as your idol gives you the feeling of entitlement. "I'm about to show the crowd, I'm supposed to be here!" Is that success, is it the rung on the ladder that you were trying to climb?  When we are on the same playing field, we begin to think about their success, the videos, who they're sleeping with, and "Damn I want to be on Worldstar or TMZ!" 

We don't get to see the day in and out of the struggle. The baby momma drama, the lies they told that got them in trouble or the lies that got them to the position of where they are now. Yep, it's some selling of our souls involved, whether indie or mainstream. We aren’t going to be told about how many times they didn’t quit. Have you seen the video of the 2 little boys and the older little boy defines quitting to the younger? Now that's the encouragement! We need that early in our career. There’s at least 1 supporter out there who is screaming that in your ear every day. 

True failing is when you don't ever try again. If we truly learn from failure...QUIT! If the path you're going down isn't quite right, fuck it...quit! Quit going down the wrong path. Give up on the wrong ideas. Yep it's kind of backward, but we do know the definition of insanity? Well quit doing crazy shit! It’s a fact that you can win if you don’t give up. You can only win, when you implement change. Keep reading, I'm not preaching but it's a personal message we all could use. 

Remember this when you add change and quit doing that same ole thang!

Your talent is what got you here in the first place. Many times I watch talent go to the wayside. Whatever motivated you to enter the booth in the first place should be that same thing to keep you building, adjusting, and progressing your talent. Athletes can't afford to sit back in the off season, they workout. Why not you? I believe entertainers of the future are going to need a Master P mind set. Master P pushed new music all the time and stayed active in the studio. Quit making excuses or allowing distractions to interrupt your flow.

Of course life happens as you make your way to your goal, but implement life changes into your craft. It's all about the journey! Think of yourself as a blazing fire that never dims. All of the successful people that I've ever known have had to overcome incredible odds and struggles to get where they are. People who prosper understand you have to have the mindset, "I will not lose!" Surround yourself with positive and like-minded people. If you are the smartest person in the room, you need to change rooms! Eliminate the naysayers and people you know that have and will quit on their on goals. Protect yourself as if you were scared that you might get an STD from these people. 

Is there a guarantee that you will hit billboard? No! So enter the booth with the knowledge

that this is your chance to change your life. Pressure has formed many things of this world. Accept the pressure, apply to every beat, bar or scratch. You are stronger than you think. Your one goal has been achieved once you put your talents in line with others who have gone before you. The pressure should inspire your creation. Plato is accredited with saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Quit lallygagging in the wrong end of the pool, swim to the deep end. 

Recognizing what you need to quit doesn't require the "Intervention" team from the A&E network. You need to listen to your inner circle playlists. Truthfully you should be in their rotation. Fans quote their favorite bars and DJ drops all the time.  If you don't have that in your crew...Fuck it...Quit trying to convince them that you're next. You can't sell them any stories when don't help in the construction of your empire. Excuses cloud a lot of our decisions, excuses without warrant will keep you in that circle of failure. Quit allowing excuses to be a part of your journey. When you learn the difference between Facts and Excuses, your journey learns your intentions and direction, sort of like the WAZE GPS app helps avoids traffic, and puts you on a better course to your destination. 

Remember failure comes before success. Plenty of our greatest contributors to this world have failed. Michael Jordan was cut from his basketball team when he was high school.

Now who of you reading this don't know what a pair of J's feel like on your feet? Exactly! Did you know many singles fail in some markets, but succeed in others before your ears catch wind of it? Yep songs that make it to the radio or clubs good or bad take journeys that puts them in front of new fans and even new haters. Hits do fail!  The CD that you just wrote your contact info on...Fail. Inventors fail time and again, but they kept going, but they learned from the failure before. They put in work to fix the failures. Sometimes it's a small tweak or adjustment in your plan in order to make that big leap forward. 

There is no Overnight Success! Many years of work went into every success before it ever came to your attention. Yes, I say Fuck It...Quit giving into those things that don't work for the greater good of your success. 

Agree? Beg to differ?  Leave your thoughts and share this knowledge!  

#LeslieMac