Rap Artist & Ghostwriter

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I would love to work with Lloyd Banks one day. He is my favorite rapper and I feel like I can learn a lot from him, just by seeing him in the studio and work his magic.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I am very proud of my first music video called 'Part of a Movement' (feat. Kingso). This is the first time I had to step outside of my comfort zone, get in front of the camera and perform my song on camera for the first time. I was never the type to put myself in the spotlight like that but I have learned to get used to it. I enjoy the end result which will be online forever. My role was being one of the performing artists and I was the songwriter for my own verse and chorus. I teamed up with Kingso, a great underground lyricist from Washington DC who rapped in the second verse. We both killed it in our own way.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on 2 of my own EP's. They will both come out this year, one of them on November the 17th. I am also working with a Greek artist and producer called Black Vybez on a very interesting project. It is called 'Anti-Hero' and the song is about a super hero who has to do some dark stuff in order to serve the good. People won't understand him until the story is almost over. This song will be submitted to certain movies, TV-shows and video games. Besides that, I am working on songs for my clients, which I can't reveal since I am their ghostwriter in the shadows.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: My promise to my clients is that I will always try to make them happy with every single line in the song. I won't stop writing until you are satisfied with the overall result. That's why I do 5 revisions for free because I know that some artists are very picky about what they need.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love writing bars and punchlines for my clients BUT I enjoy writing personal stories the most. There have been many artists who wanted me to write songs about emotional things, like losing a child/parent, drug abuse, heart break etc. The response I usually get from this is gratefulness. People are blown away by seeing their story in a song. Some artists have told me that my lyrics helped them cope with these things, since rapping about your trauma is therapeutic. I am thankful that I can help these people dealing with their problems. It makes songwriting so much more meaningful.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: My customers often ask me how I am able to write down their thoughts and feelings in a song. My answer is this: If you open up about yourself and tell me about your life story, I can dive into your head and write a song about your most personal experiences in life. It is amazing what a little bit of empathy and writing talent can do.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: The biggest misconception about ghostwriting is that the artists that I work for would not be talented songwriters themselves. Sometimes I co-write a song with somebody who is on a high level of lyricism. We just bounce ideas of each other and use both our creative minds to create one great song. At other times, the artist can rap his ass off but isn't great at storytelling. That's where I come in and show them the ropes. They learn from my songwriting skills. Many artists that I have worked for are improving every time we work together.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want to rap about? What vibe do you want to provide for your listeners? Are there certain words that I should use? Which artists do you look up to? Do you have prior projects for me to check out?

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is 'Dave', just me. I don't try to be like anybody else. That is something that I often preach in my lyrics. Be yourself because the audience will pierce right through you if you try to be someone that you're not. Own who you are. This doesn’t mean that I can’t adapt to your style, because I can! I will put myself into your shoes and write lyrics from your point of view.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Make sure that the provider or songwriter you are hiring is actually capable of meeting your needs. Listen to his/her past work and make sure that the skill is there. Some people will only do this for the money, not for their passion for music.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: If I were on a deserted island, I would take my mic, sound booth, laptop, 1 of my speakers and my audio interface with me. Always be recording ready!

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I have been writing rap lyrics since I was 12 years old (17 years ago and counting). My ghostwriting business started way later, at the end of 2018. Almost 5 years in, I have written 100's of songs for rappers and singers from all over the world. I can't wait to see what I'm about to do in the next 5 years. To be honest, I wasn't even planning on becoming a hip hop artist myself. I just wanted to stay behind the screens and write lyrics for other artists. This changed when I recorded my own songs and put them out for the first time. This promoted my ghostwriting business and I also started loving to make my own music. So now I am both a hip hop artist AND ghostwriter.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually work on Hip Hop Music but I write songs for some Pop & RnB Artists as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is rhyming syllables while still being able to get my point across. Many rappers rhyme just to rhyme but they don't really say a lot in their lyrics. My bars will always be spot-on and technical on a high level of lyricism.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I will bring a little bit of me and a LOT OF YOU to a song. The lyrics need to resonate with you so much, that it will feel like you wrote the song yourself. I will always make sure that the song suits your style.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: You have to tell me your ideas for this song. Provide me with all the details you can think of. This makes it easier for me to meet your expectations. When I start writing, I will share a Google Document with your email address. In this document, you can follow the writing process. We will communicate about which bars you like and which bars maybe need to be edited or cut out. When I am finished writing your song, I will record a vocal demo so you can practice your flow and delivery. This work process never misses!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is pretty decent, nothing too special but surely good enough to record a vocal demo professionaly. I have a walk-in closet which I turned into a recording room with great noise reduction.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: There are many lyricists who inspire me like: Rakim, Eminem, Tupac, Lloyd Banks, Crooked I and the list goes on. The rappers I named are some of my favorites and they have taught me the most about writing lyrical raps.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I write rap lyrics for my clients, from 16 bar verses to full songs. You will receive the song lyrics along with a vocal demo to practice your flow and delivery.