Now that Christmas has past and the new year is upon us, D’Shaun gives fans his 12 track album, Genesis. With the albums entire production handled by the artist himself, he calls upon Tommy Gold, Papi Wave and Xavier Omar as the lone three features on the album. Genesis caps off an impressive year by D’Shaun who previously released his Sic and Girl EP at the top of the year and now ends 2016 on a high note. Listen to Genesis below and read the short interview we had with D’Shaun about the album below.
iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/genesis/id1174279688
Q: First and foremost, congratulations on the release of Genesis. How did you come up with the name for the album?
A: Thank you man. And I’ve always wanted to name my first album ‘Genesis’, just because of the Biblical meaning and the literal meaning of the word. It felt like a great place to start discography wise. I ended up dropping 1manband and some other EP’s in the meantime, but finally got around to working on this concept and body of work in 2015-2016.
Q: Who did you surround yourself with when making the album? And who do you credit for helping you create Genesis?
A: The making of Genesis was between the last quarter of 2015 and the last quarter of 2016. A whole year of change really. So, I’ve had a lot of acquaintances and experiences that helped mold the album. I stayed around my same friends though, Ola, WhiteBoyChris, 1-8, Papi Wave, Bishop, and the gang. I credit all my friends for helping me make Genesis. They kept me motivated to continue working on the album through tough times.
Q: What was the whole inspiration behind the album?
A: The inspiration behind the album was really my life between 1manband and now. Everything I’ve been through and everything I’ve seen. I tell people Genesis is a project where I don’t just say ‘Hey, this is what’s going on,’ I try to grab your hand and take you to where it’s happening, and really vividly paint how it’s happening. So you see, hands on. Sonically, and emotionally, all through the music.
Q: What was the timetable of when you first began working on Genesis and when you were finished?
A: I started really putting my mind to Genesis around August 2015. I worked on other projects in between but, believe it or not, I’ve had some of these beats and verses done since then. I sat on a lot of stuff and released even more content to try and get the concept of the album as crystal-clear as possible.
Q: Tommy Gold was featured on the track “Movies”, we have posted some of his work on the site before, so it makes us curious how you two linked up for the track?
A: I met Tommy in December of 2014 I believe, through my Dj, longtime collaborator and friend Payton Long. I met him and Elliot Pherigo the same night in the studio working on the old #TKEOVRTSDY cut ‘Villain’. We’ve been friends and kept in contact since then, Austin’s not far from San Antonio. As I was working on Genesis. I really debating on going the whole J. Cole route, no features and shit but, I decided to branch out. I asked a lot of independent and label signed artists to take part, but nothing was really clicking. So I decided to just keep all the features and co-production in house. The ‘Movies’ beat sounded like something Tommy would flow well over and it turned out perfect.
Q: Is Tayla a real girl you have had a past with?
A: Funny story, no. I’ve never actually met Tayla, but she is a real girl. I was doing my regular Instagram rounds way back when in like 2014, and I stumbled upon her page. The song was just really something I felt like would be super cool. To try and draw inspiration from a girl that I’ve never met or specifically had any contact with, and to successfully write a very moody album cut, that is ‘Tayla’. Her @ name is @TaylaDrake I believe though. I still don’t know how I’m going to explain all of this to her. Maybe y’all can. Haha,
Q: “Revelation” and “Talk” are two of my favorite songs off the album, what were the moods like in the sessions when creating those songs?
A: I believe for both those songs it was just me and Wave present. For ‘Talk’ in particular it was me, Wave, & Virgil from Ear Legends Studios in San Antonio. The moods were dark and clear. It was a lot of smoke in the air, both sessions. A lot of head nodding and fun. I recorded Revelation in my apartment just me and Wave one night. Same story though.
Q: At last, what is in store for D’Shaun from San Antonio, Texas, in 2017?
A: Advancing man, that’s all I’m trying to do. Continually trying to open doors and make opportunities for everyone in RYLTY my collective, and put ourselves all in better situations. Spreading the music to larger masses of people is my main concern. Getting my message heard globally. Thank you,