Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Gilmore (DRS!).
Hi Christian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a kid, I was always in love with music. I remember being in the backseat of my mom’s Cutlass just vibing out listening to Kanye, OutKast, Ludacris, and just knowing that I wanted to be like them growing up. Although I didn’t have as much skill as I do today, I’d say that middle school set the tone for the rest of my career. I used to freestyle at the lunch table with my friends and loved the attention I got from showing off my art. When my dad passed in 2015, he was a major influence on what made me actually pursue music instead of just writing and keeping to myself. He was a pretty well-known artist from the South Side named ZayMoney and he had this gritty, down south way of rapping (although he was from Colorado) you could tell his influences were from down here. At that time we were entering a SoundCloud era of music and you had artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and XXXtentacion, that were on my playlist, I realized that music was changing and I liked the direction it was going in and wanted to find my own fit in which led me to grab my grandmother’s laptop and spit my first recorded song “Saiyan God” (because I was all about “Dragon Ball Z “ and had just dyed my hair blonde) after that I just kept going.
There were times when I was off of music to focus on bigger things (at least at the time they were) and times when I felt like I was dealt the hot hand and kept pushing out more and more music. I went by so many names before I settled with DRS! I was Guap Dee, 10k Yako, Big Yako, Whereisdamarion!, Damarion, and then something clicked. I wanted something I could brand that wasn’t too long or unnoticeable so I took My middle name [D’aris] and shorted it to DRS, looked up the name to see if there were any artists named that and sure enough there were about 28. So I put the exclamation point [DRS!] at the end to differ from everyone else and because that’s my favorite punctuation mark. Since then I’ve rolled with that name, done shows, met some big artists, producers, and gurus who have just changed my way of thinking and being in the music game. I’m thankful for every encounter. and I would not be where I’m at without what’s happened or who I’ve been around.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it definitely has not been smooth. One thing they don’t tell you is that music cost ALOT. I’ve been poor, on the street, or just bouncing house to house, not being able to spend money on what I love to do. I’ve also just had some intense writer’s block because I had no motivation or anything going for me to make me want to write. I also dropped out of high school at 16 and got my GED and it made it a lot harder to go to the colleges I wanted, get higher-paying jobs, etc.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’d say that my versatility sets me apart from others, I’ve never been in a specific box because of how I’ve been influenced nor do I want to be. I specialize in creativity, whether it be fashion, music, or social media, everything I do has a distinct feeling that’s also similar to me and me alone. If I had something to be the most proud of it would be the confidence I’ve gained through life experience and how it’s caused me to do out-of-the-box things that I would never have thought of. I have always strived to be what I like to call a “genreless” artist meaning that there will never be anyone to compare me to and I will forever be known as “DRS!” not by who I sound like.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I have mediation apps that kind of just remind me when to go outside and just relax. I read a lot of personal success books like a favorite of mine would be “The Secret” my mom suggested that one to me and I’ve really learned how to move properly do to that book. I’m always looking to find new books on audible or just going to a Barnes and Noble,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://datsrealsht.onuniverse.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/Datsrealsh.t/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/datsrealsh_t
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC6gbsO8ZI5WniStrZv5B2dQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/drs-booking
