Daylan Gideon Interview
Interviewed by Matthew Becerra
photo courtesy of Daylan’s Instagram
I wanted to ask about your early life and background. I know you from Atlanta, right?
Correct, I'm from Atlanta, but I'm half Bermudian. So, like, growing up, like, I would go to school here in Atlanta, but then I would, like, go live in Bermuda for the summer. So, like, my early life, like, where I grew up, it wasn't really, like, the trenches, but it wasn't, like, the best area, you know, but my parents... kind of always did what they could to kind of, like, keep us away from that. So, like, instead of us going to public school, they would send us to private school, you know, like, when we was younger. That's my childhood home that I lived in. We ended up moving from that area because it got broken into. My dad kind of, once that happened, he just wanted us to kind of be, like, in a more suburban area. So we ended up moving there. But, like, I had, like, a good balance to just kind of, living here, but then i will also live in bermuda in the summer. So I've seen a lot of different cultures, you know what i'm saying? Like I would see like what it's like to be in a kind of like caribbean type culture, you know, beach parties, you know, staying out late, like no curfew, you know, being on the island. But then like out here, you know, like i was going to private school for kindergarten and eighth grade. So like, you know, that was different in itself. because you know, I was going to school with like, you know, a lot of, uh, just different people of like, different backgrounds. Some people have money, some people didn't. So I really got to kind of be like around like a lot of different people, you know, growing up. But that's pretty much like my childhood. You know, I had a good childhood. My parents, you know, they did what they could to make sure I was straight. But like, I've definitely been in situations that, you know, weren't pleasant as well, too.
Do you want to speak more on your time in Bermuda? How do you think that shaped you differently than staying out in Atlanta?
For me, I feel like it shaped me differently because you're on an island. So it's just like the way people talk is different. The way people dress is different. The way people look is different. The things that people do out there are different. They weren't into a lot of the things that we were into out here. So it definitely shaped me differently because it was just like, I got to see a whole different side of the world that I wouldn't see. Like, out there, it's nothing but trees and oceans and land and just undeveloped things versus, like, out here, it's like, bro, you know, everywhere you go, it's buildings and things are being gentrified and rebuilt. Well, there's, you know, doing drugs, people is trying to fight these people is doing all these different things. And, you know, it's a lot easier for you to get caught up into something that maybe wasn't the best for you versus out there. It was just kind of like, I don't know, like people have more of like an innocence to themselves. You know, like, I feel like i really got the opportunity to really like, just like grow up out there and have the freedom to like, go downtown by myself and take the bus or go do certain things. Cause it's a lot safer place, a lot safer environment. You know what I'm saying? Versus out here in the States, you know, your parents ain't just letting you go downtown by yourself at 13, 12. Like they really want to make sure that like, you know, you got adult supervision. I had a lot more freedom out there to make the choices that I wanted to make and shit.
Where do you think your artistic vision comes from in terms of influences?
I think it comes from the states for sure. Like, you know, my influences out here when it comes to rap is like, you know, the legends like oh drake ross pushy bode james you know, Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist, like, you know, Those are people like Big Sean when I was growing up, Wale. That all came from the States. There's really only one major Bermudian artist. His name is Kali Buds. He had a hit called When I Come Around. His first album was like a classic album. He's done shit with Joey Badass and other artists. But outside of that, there really was no real musical influence. In Bermuda, it's reggae. But I will say, I do be rapping on reggae sample shit sometimes. So I think, if anything, it's just easy for me to have an appreciation for that type of music and i like to sample that shit
I know you from the South, but a lot of your music sounds more East Coast. You said you listened to Hov and stuff growing up, was there a pivotal moment or experience that made you decide to pursue rap?
So what made me want to pursue rap was just, like. I'm 29 now. I'll be 29 in December. I've been dibbling and dabbling with music at my younger age, but I never really took it seriously until I got older. The thing that really made me want to start rapping was the Wayne era, bro. Wayne, Hov, you know, Kendrick, like, my first song i ever rapped on was swimming Pools. You know what I'm saying? So, like, I would always write raps when I was, like, 13, 14. i will never forget one time my mom found my rap book. I'm trying to rap like Wayne. I'm talking about getting pussy and all this crazy you know my mom found my rap book and was pissed. So I kind of let it be at that time. But, like, Kendrick was really the person that influenced me to, like, get back into it um good kid my city came out, and i said, you know what, bro? i'ma download a software to make music, and I will learn how to rap. And I downloaded it at the time. I ain't even have a mic, so i'm just rapping into my laptop speakers, you know what i'm saying? Like, doing that. And I took it back to school, and it was over swimming pools and uh bitch don't kill my vibe and people like oh bro you sound like tiger Because, you know, at the time, tiger was popping. He had done well too and they was like, you should keep going with this. And I kind of dibble and dabbled and it really didn't really start taking it serious for real to like 2022 I mean I always been known for making music but 2022 is when I really was like alright cool like I'm getting older bro if I'm gonna do this I'm gonna do it for real but Kendrick was the person that really inspired me to like go make my first song you feel me yeah no I feel that completely. You said 2022 was when you, like, started taking it, like, serious, serious, for real? I'd never told nobody this story, but like I was dating a girl who was together for like four years. And when we broke up, she was like, one of the conversations we had, I was like, you know, like you don't support my music. And she was like, well, I feel like you don't take it serious. I heard that. I was like, okay, cool. And I really just like locked myself all the way in, bro. Like I just locked in. I met Thomas, uh, through a friend and we just locked in and just did like hella music. And my first project I put out with Thomas was, uh, thanks for waiting, too. we had a song on it called smoking on Exotics, and that shit really just, like, it really just turned me up. Like, I would always put out music, but i would, like, be local, but i think that song just took me to, like, being, like, fans out the country, fans in the States, fans everywhere, in my shit ever since then, it just, I ain't never looked back i never turned back, I just been, like, having success since then, but, yeah, that was the moment that made me be like, yeah, I got to take this serious because someone who I'm with is looking at me like, yo, like, why are you not taking this serious? Then it's like it's other people who probably feel the same way.
You also brought him up so I wanted to ask about Thomas, Ro J and just the triangle, everything like what that Is it a label? Is it your collective?
The Triangle just kind of started because, like, bro, like, I've been popular my whole life out here. Everybody knows me. So I got tired of people promising me things, bro. I've had people that are, like, rap legends that I'm not going to put no names to, but promised me certain situations or help, and they would just, like, fall back from it. So I said, you know what, bro? I'm going to create my own shit called The Triangle, and Ro is one of my best friends. I'm going to recruit him, and he's going to be my label mate. As far as Thomas, he's got his own shit called Pangea, but he is basically a member of the Triangle as well too. Me and Thomas, we met over the internet. That's my brother, bro. We pull up on each other probably every six months because he lives in New York. I live here. Every six months, we link up. We cook up a bunch of joints. He'll send me shit while I'm out here. We'll cook up a lot of music. That's just my brother. He's only 19. People don't realize that. I met Thomas when he was 16. In a way, He calls me Unk because I'm really like his uncle. I helped raise that man, get him through different real-life situations that he never had no older brother. But for me, what he does for me is he keeps me young. He puts me on all the new up-and-coming underground music. He really keeps me focused, keeps me feeling young, and pushes me to go to places I never thought I could go to with my music. So
I appreciate it for him. And Ro J, he's just like, just like my brother. Like, you know, we met during the pandemic and like, I just, I don't really have a lot of friends and I know that sounds cliche, but I really don't. So like when I meet new people that I really click with, I'm always hesitant. So when I first met him, I was hesitant to like, kind of like be his friend, but when we really talk, like he's really from the same background as me and I'm just a fan of his music. So yeah, I felt like I could use my platform to uplift him, and he's done that, but really just take it and run with it. So, you know, that's my brother. And, you know, I'm excited with him. You know, we want to work on our follow-up tape to our tape we put out last year.
Thomas is for me, really my little bro. He keeps me, he keeps me just engaged. And like, every time we link up, bro, it's just like, we just make so much like classical music. And like, when I go to New York, like he shows me love when he comes out here, I show him love. And it's crazy. Cause it's like, he's stamped in the A now, you know, like everybody knows Thomas out here, you know what I'm saying? Which is crazy. And, um, you know, I've always been a big fan of doing projects with people. That's why I did my last two projects, you know, One was with Thomas, produced all the way, and the other one was Argov, produced all the way through. So, you know, anytime I could find a producer who could execute my vision and, you know, understand my goals, like, it's always a blessing. Me and Thomas are working on a follow-up to – Talking like it's me and you, I've never told no one the project name. So I will give it to you first. It's called Please Don't Call Me. The music is done. We recorded it in New York at Cash Only Deli Studios and recorded in Atlanta at Crazy Man Studios. It's done. I got another project called Chapter Two with a producer out of France called 528 Ron. He's dope. He's got his own movement out there. And yeah, like both of those is done. Please don't call me. He's gonna come out on my birthday. Uh, I'll actually come out the day before my birthday, December 27th, because I like to drop on Fridays. My birthday is December 28th so yeah I like a lot of new music too, in the year. I kind of wanted to stop dropping for a second, because I've been dropping so much stuff. I just want people to digest this out. But, yeah, new music is coming very very soon. I just built a home studio at the crib as well, too. So, like, I'm really just in hyperdrive. I'm really about to just lock in and just next year and the end of this year it's gonna be a lot of like new vibes.
What's your creative processes going into, recording music, recording videos, overall art direction and anything else?
A lot of new shit coming soon, you know i'm saying i got the albums, and, like, as i was saying, you know, I really wanted to end the year strong. So like all of that is on the way. As far as my recording process, bro, I don't write. You know what I'm saying? I'm very much so like punch in and punch out. So I literally get the beat. I don't listen to beats outside of the studio. I don't do any of that. People send me beats. I will sit down. I never record standing up. I like my opening lines, honestly, bro, to be like something that you never heard before or something that'll pitch, you know, draw people in. So I think it's something that's like really speaks to me, something to draw, you know, the listener in. And then from there, I'm just punching. I'm doing one line at a time, a couple lines at a time. And then boom, the song is done. You know, I don't write. I don't like to write. I feel like when you write, it almost sounds kind of like, Robotic, bro. You know what i'm saying? Like, you're reading off a paper. he's reading off a phone. So, I'll just sit there, say the first line, boom. Okay, come back in, say the second line, boom, come in. You know what i'm saying um as far as the videos, you know, that's something i want to be better with. I feel like i do have good videos, but i feel like a lot of them are lifestyle um type videos or just like my surroundings or like the things that i'm around every day. But, I'm linking up with this, videographer Vincent. He's in Atlanta. He does a lot of stuff for people out here, and we're going to be doing skits for my new project. I'm going to be acting in these videos. It's going to be a lot more cinematic. So I'm excited to finally have a videographer who is basically willing to bring the stories out of the music. The music already has stories, but sometimes my videos don't necessarily match that. It's just more of a lifestyle. So We're really about to get into the storytelling through, like, the video with this new rollout for Please Don't Call Me.
I feel like you got some of the best style and like underground rap when it comes to dressing. I want to ask how you got your style, and how you got some of these pieces,
My style, bro, it's very, like, Wu-Tang influenced, very Tupac influenced. A$AP Bari influenced. My best friend, his name is 93 Bags. You know, we call him Bags. He's one of the flies. My manager, Screen, he's super fly. My homie, Ralph, that shoots my videos, he's super fly. So, like, my swag is a combination of their style. You know, I see them and I see, like, what they wear and I see how can I, like, making my own. So, like, I can't even give myself all the credit. Like, I'm definitely influenced by others, but i try to, like, make it my own. You know what i'm saying? Like, right now, I got on this polo, you know, Ralph, Ralph lauren joint. Bro, this shit was 40 dollars at the damn polo outlet. I got on stussy jeans and I got on some Nike hiking shoes. It was forty dollars at the damn nike outlet. But guess what? Tomorrow, I might wear all rick's fit. So for me, it's like, spend your money smartly when you're trying to get flopped. Because motherfuckers think just because you got on Rick or you got on Raph or you got on whatever, like, bro, me and my homies have been doing that since it was 21, 22, like, 2019. Like, you know what I'm saying? 2015, 2016. So, like, it's older. So, like, for us, we're just trying to find things that are new, that are fly, but are also, like, Wrong, because, like, we are getting older. So, like, bro, I can't be coming out here dressed like playboy lucardi as a 29 year old man like and no shade lucardi he's one of the first ones doing it. But, like, I'm not gonna come out and do that. You know, like, I want my style to be mature and i wanted to have swag. You know, so for me, spend your money smartly. Don't feel like you gotta like buy what everybody else is buying or rock what everyone else is rocking. But also, too, like, when you get pieces, get pieces that people have never seen before. Like, that's one thing about me is, like, I try to find things people have never seen before or never done before and just try to, like, really make them my own. But like I said, I do have style influences that I look to to, like, go see what they're doing. But most importantly, like, bro, just be yourself, you know? Like, it's so much copy and paste these days, like, when it comes to style. And there's nothing wrong with it because at the end of the day, like, that's what fashion is about. The same way, like, I'm getting influenced by someone else. But the difference is I'm going to go make it myself. Some people will go take the whole outfit top to bottom and think that that's fly and then try to say they was the first to do it. None of us are the first to do it. Just find your influences, you know, make it yourself. But I pride myself on being fashionable because I feel like people within my lane of this loop rap or like underground rap, they don't really care about style as much. For them, it's about the music, you know. I could probably say Westside Gunn, Larry June. I saw them too. I mean, I don't really see anybody else who really prioritizes style. So, me, that's something I'm always prioritizing and really just try to, like, make a part of myself. And I feel like it connects me with the younger audience as well, too.
Appreciate that advice. I heard Westside Gunn. Speaking of Griselda, I want to know what it was like working with them, linking with Estee Nack and what that was like.
You know what, bro? Again, you're getting a lot of stuff that people have never heard before, and I appreciate these questions. That was all a Thomas play. Thomas reached out to Knack. He got the verse. Once we got the song, I laid down my verse. We put it out. That was all a Thomas play. You know, Thomas, he's always watching everything, and he's peeping everything. The thing is Nack at the time was one of my favorite rappers. He had just put out his project that came out through Griselda. I was really listening to his shit at that time. So to have that record and be able to put that out for me, it's like, damn, I'm really working with someone that I look up to and someone who I think is one of the best doing it right now. So for me, man, it was an honor. And I'm thankful for Thomas really putting that together. In my opinion, I feel like one of the better verses I have put out that year for sure. As far as Griselda, like, I would love to work with Gunn. In my opinion, I feel like one of the better verses I have put out that year for sure. As far as Griselda, like, I would love to work with Gunn. It's real green, real underground, real hip-hop. And, like, that's something, like, that's a goal of mine. Like, I would love to have a executive produced by Gunn. He's probably my biggest inspiration in the underground. One of my favorite rappers. And, you know, they really paved the way and really showed people, like, bro, you could do this rap shit for real, for real at any age. As long as the music is good and you appeal to a younger crowd, like, it don't matter. They didn't get pop into their 30s for real, so it is inspiring.
Other than Westside Gunn, is there anyone else in the underground or even mainstream that it's a goal of yours to work with?
It's one person. And again, you getting the real, I don't even want to say tea because I feel like that's kind of feminine, but you getting the real story right now. I want to work with Dash, bro. Me and Dash were supposed to work. Didn't happen for whatever reason. That's probably one of my favorite rappers. I think he's just one of the illest of all time. I would really love to work with Dash. MIKE, you know MIKE is bro. MIKE is one of the best just doing it right now. You know what I'm saying? Chuck strangers too.I always gotta throw one big one out there, you know, whether it happens or not, whatever is like Drake, you know, like Drake is like, the GOAT of our generation. I feel like, you know, when he really tries to rap for real, he really can rap with anybody. So, like, the Drake collab will be, like, my dream collab I could ever have in my lifetime. Because he don't really give verses to a lot of people to begin with. So, if you got one, you're really special.
I got a couple rapid-fire questions for you man, show off some of your personality.
What's one song that you wish you would have written that when you heard it drop or you heard it, you're like, damn, I wish that was mine?
Flying Trapeze Act by Boldy James
If you could collaborate with one artist who's not here any more, who do you think it would be?
Tupac
Something you do, like a surprising hobby or skill, something outside of music and fashion that, like, your fans wouldn't think you would be doing.
Collect action figures, wrestling action figures, WWE action figures. That's it. Just WWE. Don't open them. Keep them in a box. I probably got, like, 70 to 80. They all are rare. They all worth a lot of money. That's my biggest one.
That's actually my next question. I was going to ask, who's your favorite wrestler and what is your favorite match?
Cody Rose. My favorite match is... The Rock versus Stone Cold Steve. No, no, no. The Rock versus, sorry, Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania. Hulk Hogan versus The Rock, my favorite, is my favorite match of all time, for sure.
