Biography
The hip ones know. The word “Rap” has more meaning than simply the musical art of rhythmic, rhyming lines. It also means to talk, kick game, or drop knowledge, as in “lemme rap to ya”. In this sense “day one rap” could mean original game; that old school knowledge passed down generation to generation that always rings true in any era.
Musically, “day one rap” could stand for rap music that serves it’s original purpose as an outlet and a voice for the unheard, the misunderstood and the misguided, the ignored and the disenfranchised, reflecting the social, economic, and political realities of their lives.
For rapper/MC “Day One”, not only does DayOneRap stand for both of these things, but it’s also the name for the music he creates, as well as the name under which he releases it. Rapping since childhood, Washington D.C. native DayOne finally decided to take his craft to the next level and in 2005 independently released a brilliantly lyrical, creative, and intelligent hip-hop album entitled, “History’s Child”. The album served as a solid foundation and showed the MC to have much promise.
In 2006 Day One released the first volume of his “Roll With The Prince” mixtape series, following it up with 2008′s “Roll with the Prince Volume 2” and Volume 3 in 2009. The series was praised for DayOne’s refreshing lyricism and his ability to take well known and classic instrumentals and make them completely his own.
“The Capitol State of Mind EP”, a 9 track project based upon his Washington D.C. version of Jay-z’s “Empire state of Mind” single, followed in Feb. of 2010. The release garnered him more local acknowledgment as well as some national attention.
Later that year, upon the success of rapper “Rick Ross’” single “BMF”, Day One release an alternative version of the song (a version that spawned many copies) entitled “MLK”. The song gave praise to legendary civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and called for solidarity and revolution, in contrast to the original which praised gangsters and the criminal lifestyle. The simple video to the song (shot and edited in DayOne’s living room) was posted on sites and blogs across the net including prominent Hip-Hop sites such as Allhiphop.com, realtalkNy.net and Hiphipwired.com.
To close out 2010 DayOne released “The Declaration of Independence EP”. Another 9 track EP with a harder more grittier sound on which he goes deeper into his life story and better familiarizes the listener with his multi-faceted personality.
From 2011 and beyond DayOne seeks to solidify his brand and claim his space on the hip hop music spectrum. Possessing the soul of a revolutionary, the mind of a philosopher, the swagger of a player and the drive of a hustler, Day One’s music is rooted in the daily struggle for life’s most universal desires: happiness, acceptance, success and prosperity. It is this daily struggle many of us face that Day One explores, examines, and confronts in the form of his urban inspired, lyrically driven, inspirational, philosophical soul rap. Hip-Hop for Humans, DayOneRap!
