Dae-Lee

http://www.dae-lee.com/

There’s something to be said about a man who is confident in being who he is. In an industry where an artist’s image is created to sell records, few dare to be who they really are without compromise. Rap recording artist Dae-Lee is a firm believer in sticking to the truth and presenting himself with flaws and all.

“I grew up in a Christian home, one of few that we knew of in my neighborhood,” Dae-Lee says. “One thing that I remember was the fact that as a family we were never trying to blend in or anything, we knew who we were. We were just as confident in our lifestyle as a thug on the street was about his lifestyle. When people saw that, they respected us for keeping it real with who we were.”

On his debut independent project, Love’s Pain, Dae-Lee remains true to his family’s philosophy. The songs that he writes are reflective of where he is in his life and the issues that he’s facing. He believes that many people are working through the same problems and will relate to what is being voiced through his lyrics.

On the track, “Oh Lord,” Dae-Lee talks about how God gave him his musical talent and then challenged him to move out of his comfort zone. He explains, “When it comes to performing, I still don’t see myself as a ‘rapper on stage in front a crowd’ type of person, but just like everything else that’s coming to be, I see that God wants me to step outside of myself.”

Dae-Lee was first drawn to music and the hip hop genre as a teenager. One of his uncles, a musician himself, gave Dae-Lee a keyboard with the stipulation that he could keep it as long as he was putting it to good use. He used the gift to create hip hop beats and songs with other rappers in the area and began to grow as an artist. While still in high school, his lyrics focused on the pain of family issues and the influence of growing up in a neighborhood where sex, drugs, hustling and guns were the norm. The music also reflected his inner struggle with the Lord and the weakening of his faith.

Shortly after his high school graduation, Dae-Lee found a new direction for his music. A friend invited him to a youth event at a church, where he saw Christian rap artist Israel the Warrior perform. He had never seen rap used to glorify God and he realized that his music should do the same. Dae-Lee kept rapping about life, but a new underlying theme began to emerge.

“Most of what I talk about now revolves around a relationship with Jesus Christ,” he says. “I can be talking about anything from broken families, disappointments to music, but it all comes back to that relationship.”

Dae-Lee’s first recording experience was at a studio at Norfolk State University, where he recorded vocals for six songs he had written with a couple of friends. The project was created just for fun, but the experience gave Dae-Lee the push he needed to pursue his music more seriously.

Now, Dae-Lee has his own studio where he recorded the music for his upcoming album, Love’s Pain. “I saved up and purchased the materials for a studio that would allow me to produce and record at home without giving up the quality of a high-end studio,” he says. He also started JJ-Productions (Jehovah Jireh Productions) and is producing music for other up-and-coming artists.

With the release of Love’s Pain, his production work and an upcoming touring schedule, Dae-Lee is on the rise of becoming who God wants him to be. “God has brought me here and the only thing I see messing it all up is me trying to snatch the controls away from him to try and make things happen myself. He has and is taking care of me so I trust Him to continue.”