In the music of Paris, The Coup and others, the Bay Area was once an epicenter for politically-gangsta Rap. These were outfits that had something to say, and a fist to assert it. Within the new generation, Fillmore District’s DaVinci seems to embody this same tradition. He’s well-aware of where he comes from socially and musically, and the tattooed rapper places those in messages that are still tangible to hustler-survivors.
DaVinci doesn’t act oblivious to the concerns of his community and sets forth a dynamic lead to direct those energies in the lab. Heard on this year’s The Day The Turf Stood Still release, DaVinci’s confident lyrical style captured commercial and rugged Hip Hop fans alike. DXnext hits the Fillmoe’ with one of its strongest lyrical representatives in close to a decade.
The Specialty of Fillmore: “Basically, I’m in Fillmore and it’s a lot of things that stick out about this area that inspire my music. When I was coming up, every family and person had their own hustle whether that was a nine-to-five, hand-to-hand hustle or your mom having a garage sale on the weekends. Everyone mad sure to have their own means of making a living and that’s one thing that I adapted to early on. When I was eight, I was one of those kids going door-to-door selling candy, candles, and coloring books. Fillmore is the hustling side to San Francisco. It’s a multi cultural environment.”
Beyond The Trends of the Bay: “I’m not concerned with the fads. I usually just go into the studio and try and make the type of music that I feel like making. I generally try to surround myself with people that do the same thing, like my producers. We just come up with the ideas and go to the studio to knock them out. It’s really just that simple. I don’t want to speak to towards any movement or area trend right now. I just want to make the music that’s floating around in my head. The Hyphy movement was kind of a ship with a whole bunch of artist on board. I basically just wanted to sit back and wait because I knew another boat was coming soon, and I knew I would have that boat to myself.”
The Creative Process: “I like to have my own creative space. With [The Day The Turf Stood Still], I just want to music to be able to relate to it. That’s just the start though because I want eventually want my music to be relatable to everyone but it was important to target those in my direct surroundings first. I’m really surprised that so many people have been able to identify with it because I originally targeted those around me. The next album you will see me tackle greater issues on a larger scale. I expect people from a broader span and different walks of life to really gain more from my next album
Touchy Topics: “A lot of people have gone through and experienced the same type of effects within their city with the urban renewal. It’s always been a conversation piece amongst my peers. There’s always a new café or some condos being put up so our environment is always transforming. I usually bring my regular everyday life into the studio so that was a topic I knew I had to cover.”
The Resurgence of Politics In Rap Music: “I want to be a part of that. I feel like me speaking my mind and actually having a voice to use to express my opinion on politics is a great start. I just want to captivate as many people as I can with this album and my music. I feel like I’m one of the only voices especially in California that is taking the angle of being socially-conscious. I just want to keep gathering people and see how many people are really rocking with me. I want the people to know we’re coming from the same direction. We are already active; we throw a few charity events and do back to school activities to build up awareness in the community. The community connection is our roots and I want that to be solid.”
Bringing A Song To Life Visually: “Actually [the ‘Ben’] video it was my idea to follow around the 100-dollar bill. I was very involved with that concept and the way it came together. I have another video we’re about to release called “Concrete Jungle Juice.” I have a team around that I can trust so it’s easy for my vision to get carried out.”
Best Album Tracks: “I like all the songs on my album. I like ‘Real Niggas,’ ‘Ben’ [and] ‘What You Finna Do.’ These are the songs that people should pay close attention to, but they will love the entire album from front-to-back. I’m already in the studio right now working on the next project. I’m going to keep it under wraps right now but the people can expect for a release by the end of the year. Until then, I just want the people to continue to support this album.
Stage Show: “My live performances are about getting the crowd to be involved. I go over it again and again to make sure it’s delivered right. I don’t perform the whole album though. That’s because it’s some tracks on their that you wouldn’t want to hear at a Hip Hop show because they spark a different type of energy. We have a great collection of songs that the crowd feeds off of during the shows so it all works out.
Lessons Learned: “I’ve learned a lot business wise since the release of my album. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to always be prepared. When things first took off, I wasn’t ready; I was slacking in some areas because I wasn’t really expecting for the record to take off like it did. That led me to be out of order in a lot of ways so it’s important to stay on top of your game when launching your project and afterwards. I learned the value of taking care of my personal issues and making sure that everything is under absolute control.”
Overall Recording Vision: “My overall vision is just to record my thoughts. I have a lot to say and I feel like I have a lot of insight to add. I’m from the Bay, but I come at it from a different angle. I want people to have fun listening to my music just the way I have fun creating it.”
DX COMMUNITY