RUN FOR YOUR LIFE | Lil Dee

CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK | LIL DEE

INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK PHOTOGRAPH

VALIDATED: A native of Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, what’s your earliest memory of Hip Hop Culture?

LIL DEE: My earliest memory of Hip Hop would have to be driving around Brooklyn with my dad as a toddler bumping Hot 97 on the radio. The mix being played was like nothing I ever heard before. I was blown away. I also remember my pops had the “Life After Death” CD always bumping in the car. 

VALIDATED: Which emcees influenced your style of rhyming and what if anything did you “borrow” from them?

LIL DEE: It was mainly Big Pun, Big L, Nas and J. Cole that laid the base and influenced my style of rhyming. Big Pun taught me cadence and flow. Big L taught me how to come with dope wordplay and punchlines. Nas taught me the storytelling aspect of it all, J. Cole gave me confidence that I could make it staying true to real Hip Hop in an era that lacks mainstream lyricism.

VALIDATED: How did you use social media to put yourself on the map as a Hip Hop artist?

LIL DEE: I started off on a platform called Cypher Circuit. Every week they would upload a beat and all the MCs on the platform would drop a 16 to it on Instagram. The weekly submissions taught me that consistency was key, so when Cypher Circuit ended, I continued uploading weekly freestyle videos on Instagram. Eventually these videos caught the attention of Michael Rapaport. He liked them so much that one day he posted a freestyle of mine on his page for millions of people to see. Lord Finesse and Vinnie Pazz also saw it and reposted it on their pages. These weekly videos of my freestyling and staying consistent on social media kept me sharp and ultimately jump started my career.

VALIDATED: What role has fellow Coney Island Hip Hop artist Gorilla Nems played in your musical career so far?

LIL DEE: I met Nems when I was 11. I was always a big fan and I pulled up on him to cop a hat from his FYL Brand. I spit bars for him and he really rocked with it. After that day, it was nothing but love. He put me on my first few shows, introduced me to mad people, and was honestly the first rapper that ever supported me and made me feel like I could actually make it in this rap game. This year we finally got a song in called “Set It Off” which is super dope. But overall, I don’t think he’ll ever understand how much his showing love has meant to me.

VALIDATED: You learned how to rap by listening to rap legends, which MCs did you study and why did you choose those artists in particular?

LIL DEE: Aside from the artists I mentioned earlier, I’d have to go with Biggie, Jay Z, Kanye, Eminem and so many others. They are all considered rap legends for a reason. I chose to study them because they all offered something different. Biggie was the greatest at Flow. Jay Z was so smooth and executed his bars perfectly. Kanye was a genius at making masterpiece albums, and Eminem’s emotional music played a big part in teaching me how to truly express my emotions on a track. These were also my favorite rappers as a child when I was just a listener.

VALIDATED: You’ve been co-signed by rap legends such as RedMan, Ice T, Big Daddy Kane, and Benny The Butcher, all while you were in high school. Who was the first legend to co-sign you and how important are those co-signs in todays Hip Hop climate?

LIL DEE: The first legend to co-sign me was DMC. While all the kids I knew went to Comic Con to see superheroes, I bought tickets at 10 years old so that I could meet my superhero and spit bars for him. He loved it and has been a big supporter ever since. It’s been 8 years, and he still shows just as much love as the day I met him. I definitely think co-signs and connections are the only way to get your foot in the door. Talent only takes you so far, and a co-sign or close relationship with a rap legend will definitely set you ahead in this game.

VALIDATED: At 14 years of age, you were marked as the youngest rapper to ever perform at the legendary Lyricist Lounge. How did the opportunity come about and how important was this moment for you as an artist?

LIL DEE: The owners of the Lyricist Lounge hit me up in my DM and asked if I wanted to rock the mic. I used to listen to the Lyricist Lounge mixtapes all the time when I was coming up. Almost all of my favorite rappers performed there at some point, and to be able to not only hit the stage, but hold the record as the youngest to ever do it, was more than a dream come true for me. The youngest to do it before me was Foxy Brown. I got props from the legendary Talib Kweli after stepping off stage, and Benny the Butcher spent an hour giving me advice backstage. Advice that I still hold with me to this day. It’ll be a night I’ll never forget.

VALIDATED: Earlier this year you dropped the 4 song EP, “Escape From Coney Island”, what can true fans of Hip Hop expect from the project? 

LIL DEE: This project is a journey through my life and the struggles I’ve been through. Throughout my career, I’ve kept a lot of things private about my life, but with this project, I let it all out. I rap about my experience with depression, anxiety, death, suicidal thoughts, heartbreak, betrayal, and eventually the realization of my self worth. It’s emotional bars over hard hitting beats, and I think that anyone who’s ever been through it will really be able to relate. 

VALIDATED: At the moment what’s your favorite record off the project and why?

LIL DEE: My personal favorite is “Dear God” for so many reasons. I’ve been holding on to this record for about 3 years. I produced the beat and wrote the rhyme during quarantine when my grandfather was dying of cancer in the hospital. This is the first track that I ever produced that I released on streaming platforms. I spent many nights during quarantine talking to God, praying for my Nonno and realizing how blessed I truly am. After a while of feeling so strongly about it all I decided to put it down on paper. I put my Nonno’s voice at the end of the track so that he can live on forever, and I think that, above all things, is what makes this one stand out for me. I think this record gets the most slept on, and I think it’ll always be my favorite off of this project.

VALIDATED: You mentioned you also produce beats. How long have you been producing beats and what led to you venturing over to the production side of things?

LIL DEE: I started learning my sophmore year in highschool but nothing serious. This past year I would say I really started taking it seriously, and I produced the song “Dear God” off of my new EP “Escape From Coney Island.” I decided to start learning because I always felt that you couldn’t get out your artistic vision fully if you didn’t know the other aspects of the music besides just the rapping.

VALIDATED: Which record are fans feeling the most off the EP and why do you think that is?

LIL DEE: I’d have to say the fans are feeling “Runnin Thru My Head” the most and I can easily see why. The sample of Tatu’s “All The Things She Said” brings nostalgia for many people, and the beat is a perfect blend between boom bap and trap. The lyrics are very heartfelt, and many people think it sets the project off perfectly.

VALIDATED: You’ve been featured on songs with heavy hitters like Kool G Rap, Nems, J Dilla, and RJ Payne, just to name a few, but past or present which 3 MCs would you like to work with and why?

LIL DEE: This is tough, but I’d have to say I’d want to work with Nas, J. Cole and Drake. Nas is an idol of mine. I’ve listened to him my entire life, and he’s been killing these albums with Hit-Boy. I think us on a track would be super dope. J. Cole is another favorite rapper of mine. I’ve looked up to him pretty much my whole career, and a track with Cole would be a dream come true, simple as that. I say Drake because I think we could kill any beat together. Trap, boom bap, even some R&B shit. I think it would come together well no matter which direction we took. He’s a very versatile artist, and I’ve made it my business to stay versatile and not be put in a box, so for those reasons, I think it would mesh well.

VALIDATED: You’re a versatile artist, with something for everyone in your catalog, what would you contribute that diversity to?

LIL DEE: I contribute that to growing up on all different kinds of music. Many people don’t know that aside from rap I’m a huge fan of all types of rock, house, and soul music. I love all genres of music and I’ve always been able to adjust my ear to whatever’s coming out. I stay versatile because you never know where the music is going to go. It keeps me on my toes and I’m always ready to adapt.

VALIDATED: Hip Hop recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary, what does it mean to you to be apart of that?

LIL DEE: Hip Hop has changed so many lives including mine. I would go so far as to say that Hip Hop saved my life. I had no outlet when I was younger, and as you can hear in my new EP, I was going through a lot. Hip Hop gave me an outlet to express myself, change my life, make a path for me, and it also gave me music I could relate to. It means the world to me to be a part of this culture. I have so much love for the pioneers and trailblazers of the genre and I do everything I can to try and keep the essence of true Hip Hop alive in every rhyme I write.

VALIDATED: At a recent show Dres of Black Sheep brought you on stage to rock with him, what does it mean to you to receive the support of a Hip Hop Veteran?

LIL DEE: I’m a huge fan of Black Sheep since day one. My first song “Old School” even has the lyric “I take engine number 9 and I pick up the train” in it. The fact that I can call him a friend alone is still surreal to me to this day. So you can imagine how crazy it is to me for him to bring me out to perform that exact line on that legendary stage. We have a track in the works on his upcoming project entirely produced by the late great J Dilla, which is another dream come true. Shoutout to my man Dres.

VALIDATED: As a Hip Hop artist, what does freedom of expression mean to you?

LIL DEE: Freedom of expression is everything to me. To be able to have this art form that lets me express my emotions means more than anyone could understand. It serves as a therapy when I’m down, and it makes me feel even better when I’m up. It’s definitely changed the trajectory of my life for the better and pushed me through lots of issues and tough times.

VALIDATED: What’s next for Lil Dee?

LIL DEE: I plan to be performing a lot more, and dropping a lot more music. I’m also learning how to produce beats and engineer so stay tuned. Aside from all of that, I also plan to change my name to “Danny James” sometime in the near future. I feel that as I’ve grown up it fits me more, and it’s time to level up from Lil Dee.

VALIDATED: Where can the readers follow and support you?

LIL DEE: The readers can find me on all streaming platforms under the name of Lil Dee, and on all social medias under Lil Dee Raps.