Raptology: What is your name, age and where are you from?
DB: My legal name is Darrin Lane and I just turned 31 this past June.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY. We lived in Brownsville on Blake Ave before moving to Dean St. In Bed Stuy. In 97, we moved to Long Island and been out here ever since (even though we’re still in BK at any given moment for whatever reason lol).
Raptology: Why did you first start making music?
DB: I used to sing a lot since before I was walking, but after my grandmother died I stopped for about a decade. So after that, I gotta say my first consistent start in making music would be back in 2007.
Raptology: Who would you say inspired you the most, as an artist?
DB: I love the inspiration questions because they make us as artists reflect on ourselves & see if we actually true to who we name! Mine are Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Sting, Michael Jackson & Sade.
Raptology: Talk me through your creative process.
DB: My writing process is a bit obscure. Sometimes a record will come to me all at once, but most times, lines click off either with a single word or bar by bar. For beats, I listen to them in different environements to study sonically. Also, for some records I love hiring musicians!!! They add an element that’s special and I hate how the industry has been replacing them with midi.
Raptology: Do you remember the first rhyme you wrote?
DB: The first rhyme I remember? Hah! Nah and it’s probably for the best! The first song however, I got that. It was called “Dante’s Inferno” and I don’t think it survived the volcano I tossed it in, and you’re welcome!
Raptology: How do you solve productivity and scheduling challenges?
DB: I live for it. Productivity I don’t rush, and it happens that my closest friends include a slew of producers and musicians. Scheduling I prepare at least a month to 2 in advanced for whatever musically it may be. I also hire people to help market for us. Networking is my weakness because I’m not the biggest ‘people person’, but my brother Vimarry is so that’s where we close the gap; and I never felt overwhelmed because I make music out of love and fun!
Raptology: What’s the best advice you ever received?
DB: Best advice I received? Has to be that “Everyone won’t like everything” and not to forget that “music comes from your heart; that’s why the first sound you ever hear is your heartbeat”.
Raptology: Are you religious? If yes, what is your religion?
DB: I believe in Jesus Christ as a Christian. I didn’t always and didn’t appreciate him until I was an adult.
Raptology: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received about your music?
DB: The best compliment I ever got was “Why aren’t you out already?” That was a good feeling.
Raptology: What’s your latest release?
DB: My Latest release is actually my first solo single ever, called “PANIK BUTTON” produced by Tone Jonez & available in every platform!
Raptology: Who do people say you sound like?
DB: I’ve gotten for a long time that I supposedly sound like Notorious B.I.G
Raptology: What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered?
DB: I want my legacy to be this. That not just mine, but anyone I collaborate with will give people something they didn’t have before they listened to us. That my songs can lift people up, empathize with their quiet moments and teach my children.
Hulda Hicks was born in Brooklyn, NY in the late ’70s, at the time when Hip-Hop music was just emerging as an art form. Her entire life was influenced by the culture, having grown up in the epicenter of the creative movement.
As a trained musician and vocalist, Hulda got exposed to the industry in her twenties and has worked on projects with iconic figures such as the Chiffons, the Last Poets, and Montell Jordan, to name a few. Her passion for music extended past the stage on to the page when she began to write ad copy and articles as a freelancer for several underground publications.
A written review from “Jubilee Huldafire” is as authentic as it gets, hailing from one creative mind that has a unique voice, on paper and in person.
