Today we’d like to introduce you to Dion Thornton.
Dion, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was a class clown with straight A’s in high school. I loved music ever since I can remember but never thought that I would be the one on stage.
In 2004, I started an entertainment company and began selling tracks for a producer friend of mine. This led me to make a connection with a coworker at the time who was a rapper. Natural progression brought all the pieces together and I soon formed a record label.
Initially, I was only behind the scenes and I liked it that way but things change. I’ve always written poetry and dabbled in spoken word but I could never get on the beat when it came to making music. Two of my best friends at the time taught me something that would change my life. Soon thereafter, I recorded my first verse and a new world opened up in front of me.
I gained plenty of experience and knowledge but no money. I spun my wheels and spent alot of money and time. People I worked closely with switched up on me. Adversity and reality hit hard. After that, I had four deaths in my family over a span of two years. I almost quit everything.
I decided one day that giving up wasn’t an option… I bought new studio equipment, did research on streaming, royalties publishing, etc. And then, I made a plan.
I didn’t want to just be an artist as I was always the businessman so I started my own publishing company. I also decided to step out on faith and try my hand at stand up comedy. Things have never gone this well in my life and I attribute it all to self-love and self-improvement. My only goal today is to be better than yesterday.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life has never been easy, even until today. Being an entertainer makes is 10x harder. I’ve dealt with doubters in my circle and my family. I’ve dealt ignorance, in the sense that I didn’t know what I was doing and it caused me to waste time and money. I learned that support will not come from those you think it will. I found out that my biggest fan was someone I’ve never seen or met. I found out that some of my closest “friends” were not fans at all. All of these things can weigh on a person mentally and emotionally, but I pride myself on being able to overcome ANY obstacle that presents itself.
Please tell us about Bishop DaGreat.
Bishop DaGreat is my stage name that came from a neighborhood nickname “Bishop.” I am a recording artist, stand up comedian and I have a publishing company. I rap, sing, and write r&b like so many other people. I’ve been known for naturally being funny, creative and having a unique thought process. I think what sets me apart is my point of view or perspective on life, sounds generic but I’m just ME and ironically, I haven’t found another ME to this day.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is when I was about eight. I was at my grandparent’s house in the suburbs playing with the neighbors. It was a black kid and a white kid. I had played outside with them before but something was different today. I felt like they had a plan but I didn’t know what. I noticed they kept trying to get me close to the fence and at the last moment, I saw they had some handcuffs, They were trying to cuff me to the fence! I snatched my arm away and punched the white kid who had the cuffs. Just like a future officer. Then, I punched the black kid too. I was cussing and kicking ass then I let them run away. They went straight to my grandparent’s door and told that I was cussing. My grandmother asked what happened and they actually told her the truth. She was shocked but she sided with me and told them to be more careful who they pick on.
This doesn’t have anything to do with nothing, but it’s one of my favorites.
Contact Info:
- Website: randomisity.net
- Email: dabishop.ftw@gmail.com
- Instagram: @bishop_dagreat / @funnnyinreallife
- Facebook: facebook.com/dubbblife
- Twitter: twitter.com/Bishop_DaGreat
Image Credit:
JuneStarr, Lucia Vilar, Smash Kardash, Sleazy Buttons, Alexandria Stafford
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