Popular rapper, singer and composer Dino James’ latest hip hop track ‘Sound De’ has taken the Internet by storm. Fans say they are listening to the song on loop. It doesn't come up as a surprise that the track has crossed 3.7 million views on YouTube within a fortnight of its release. In a candid interview with Metrolife, Dino talks about his latest song, and his journey so far.
How did you get into music?
I got into music abruptly. I wasn’t a part of any group. It was like a miracle! I used to play the guitar. One day I was strumming it, and I started throwing in some words. I continued doing that for a while, and I got better each day. A friend of mine then encouraged me to get into serious music, and that’s how my journey started.
What was the inspiration behind ‘Sound De’?
I was throwing in some beats in and I asked my mate to step up the sound, which colloquially speaking, translates to “Sound De”. This number is unlike my previous songs, and it shows my hip hop side.
Any advice for youngsters getting into rap music.
A lot of youngsters nowadays pick up just the appearance of rappers (and think that's enough). It's a mistake. You have to be a thinker, a writer, and a musician. Like any other creative process, stories can be drawn from any aspect of life, and then you squeeze the hip hop ingredient into it.
Covid has impacted the music industry. What roadblocks did you face while making your latest track?
It has been a difficult time, especially for artists whose main source of income was live shows. We faced roadblocks too, especially while shooting for the music video. It is difficult working with a smaller crew but we had to stick to Covid norms. The producers at Sony music did an amazing job, and I was luckily put in the backseat.
Have you done any live shows of late?
No, we could not do any live shows throughout the pandemic. I worked on a lot of content though. As of now, I can’t name any songs, but there’s lots and lots of music coming up.
Which other genres of music you would like to explore?
I would love to explore everything. The nature of rap music is mostly very electronic, so I would love to experiment with live music. I would also love to collaborate with folk artists.