In the opening lines of “Mamba” off his Roc Nation debut EP What Can They Say, HDBeenDope makes a bold statement on the type of rapper he will be in an industry where so many fail to stand out.
“Aye, look, it ain’t done ’til I say it’s finished / No moves ’til I say it’s moving / Y’all niggas lose we ain’t doing what y’all doing / Understand me? / Fuck are they on, man,” HD says before a pair of trumpets take listeners to a world where the Brooklyn, New York native makes it clear he’s the next one up.
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The song received a visual treatment last month with scenes of HD rapping on rooftops as if he’s preaching to his congregation and in the middle of the famous Rucker Park directing the offense with his crew backing him. Everything HDBeenDope is doing with this album feels as if he’s been here before, and fans can thank his infectious resilience for that.
It doesn’t just end there, either. In the first few lines of his EP, HD tells his listeners, “What you thought? / I was just gon’ stop,” before letting off a maniacal laugh. It’s not a foreign concept for a rapper to flex on their listeners, but rarely does it ever feel as believable as HDBeenDope.
HD oozes confidence, something that’s present all throughout What Can They Say, and it’s hard to overlook him with such an in-your-face approach. The Brooklyn rapper has a lot to get off his chest, and with a strong voice and relentless energy, he’s more than equipped to prove he’s meant to be here.
As HD tells HipHopDX, his approach to his music is something everyone has felt at some point in their life when the doubters and critics have been lurking around too much. He’s just putting those thoughts and feelings on wax.
“It comes from the place that everybody feels, you know, when you get to that point of, ‘All right yo, n-ggas got me fucked up,'” HD tells HipHopDX. “When you get to that point, and that’s for whatever, somebody says something to you wrong at work, and it’s like, ‘Nah.’ You know what I mean? You’re at that point of telling people, ‘Stop playing with me.'”
Before the big Roc Nation signing, HD was another rapper on the come-up putting out music in hopes of getting an opportunity to prove themselves on a much larger platform. He was introduced to the culture through his older brother and listening to the likes of 50 Cent, Lil Wayne and J. Cole influenced his decision to become a rapper.
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However, the Hip Hop industry is not a walk in the park, and HD had his fair share of trials and tribulations that tested his mettle and prepared him for what was to come. He continued to carve his own lane, and before long, Roc Nation took notice, fueling a soon-to-be fruitful partnership.
“Signing with Roc just feels like elevation, “HD says. “Obviously you’re doing this shit in order to get it out to people and the biggest thing about being at Roc is the idea of getting it out to people, in masses, people in droves. And that’s the most exciting part about it is they believe in that and in what we’re doing.”
He added: “They want to put it out to that many people. And we are in the place where we already have been working in order to get it out to people that it’s a dope marriage right now. It’s not just about signing a deal just to say I signed a deal. It’s about understanding what you see this looking like on the next level and getting with somebody that understands that vision.”
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Having people understand a vision is essential to any artist, and for HDBeenDope, it might be the secret weapon that has so many turning their attention to him. HD wants his listeners to be able to find something to relate to in his music, and he offers up a lot on not only his new EP but other projects as well.
According to HDBeenDope, having fans actually like something you do is a great feeling, but for them to make a natural connection speaks volumes. When people can relate to a song, though, artists create a new level of communication with their listeners.
“When I think about me as an artist, I think about the way people respond to me,” HD says. “As an artist, and the biggest thing that I want to get out, the way I talk in my music, to hear people say it’s very bold, it’s kicking out the door. I speak that so that the people listening can feel that shit too.
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“This is the type of music that’s like, ‘All right yo, when I need just a little bit, I need something in the tank.’ This is what that is for. I’m very open and honest and this is, as I said, it’s kicking down the door. But generally, me as an artist, it is also dynamic, and I just want people to understand that they are able to be human and that their greatness is within them.”
One of the most important words in HDBeenDope’s vocabulary is communication. Without that, HD wouldn’t be where he is today with an opportunity to inspire others and ultimately bring his dreams to life.
Most artists these days make music based on trends, which results in people sounding the same with no voice or originality. That’s not the case with HD, as his brand of communication has him exploring who his audience is, how he conveys his message, how it’s received and more.
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That puts HD in a category all his own, especially in a climate where his peers tend to sound the same. That’s not to say other artists aren’t communicating with their listeners. They’re making music given the current climate of the genre, which was only created based on what the fans want to hear.
The missing component is the artists putting themselves into their music rather than making something based on what the people like. When fans can like a song and relate to it, the possibilities are endless for an artist, and HD understands that clearly.
“As somebody that’s creating, you do this with the thought that somebody’s going to be able to relate to it,” HD tells HipHopDX. “But that’s almost like this distant thought because it’s like, yes, somebody’s going to like it, but we’re talking about relating to it.”
He adds: “What I mean is actually sit with the music and those moments, those conversations. Having people DM me and actually say, ‘Yo, this song is doing this for me.’ Those moments are the ones that kind of park me. It’s like, okay, we’re actually making a change with the music.
“You could be saying the most profound shit, but if they don’t understand, it’s not meant for that audience, who cares? My biggest thing with this whole shit is communication and the biggest part of communication is knowing your audience.”
Stay tuned for more of HDBeenDope’s conversation with HipHopDX coming soon, but in the meantime stream What Can They Say below.
