Meet Aaron Parrish-Dean of Aaron from DC in Southwest ATL

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Parrish-Dean.

Aaron, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Coming from southeast DC, I wasn’t exposed to the variety of occupations in the entertainment business. It was either you “did music” or you played sports; my life and passion revolved around both. I fell in love with music at a very young age. That’s what kept Chocolate City rolling. GoGo, Reggae, Hip-Hop, and R&B flowed in and out of my ears since an infant; so, I had no choice but to be musically inclined. I like to think that my personality owes a lot of its development and evolution to music, especially during key periods of my life where it resonated the most. It wasn’t until 2011 when I first put my vocals on wax. Two years prior to that, I wrote poetry and rhymes, calling mainstream artists’ SayNow numbers to leave it on their voicemail in hopes they’d call me back. I made music all throughout high school, but Aaron Jamal wasn’t formed until I released my very first single entitled “Feng Shui” on SoundCloud in 2015—the same year I left DC.

When I arrived in Atlanta, I had one agenda: take over and gain notoriety. I didn’t know how I would do it or which route I’d take, but I didn’t care. I needed to be known by the masses. Seemingly, everyone knew who I was by the way I pronounced my name like “urn” which created Aaron from DC. My first year at Morehouse College, someone in my dorm found Feng Shui on SoundCloud, and it caught buzz around campus like wildfire soon after. My second year, I opened up for Young Thug at the Spelhouse Homecoming Hip-Hop concert, performing Feng Shui. The students had pushed for me to be on that stage, and for that, I will be forever grateful; the support that I saw and felt for that show is the reason why I continue to make music till this day. However, a few months before that show, I started a new venture—I became a host.

I saw people like PB (@pictureboyy) and FlyGuyDC (@iamflyguydc) around and controlling the crowds at each event I went to, and I knew that I had found how I would take over and gain notoriety. It all started at a party on Graymont Dr. with my big brother Dos Dias (@dosdias_). I simply walked up to the “DJ booth” and asked him, “Do you have a mic?” The rest is history. There has been steady progression in regards to my career because of my continuously growing network, and I have to give the majority of that credit to Dos [but don’t tell him I said that]. I went from hosting house parties with maybe 40 people in attendance to hosting festivals with over 6,000 people. I got discouraged with my music at one point of time because I wasn’t getting noticed how I wanted to, and I wasn’t making any money. So, I put it on the back burner and focused on hosting holistically. That decision surely benefited me in regards to the growth in my [hosting] career, but music is still my passion. It wasn’t until Dos sat me down and explained to me that we know too many people who are notable in the industry for us to not tap into our fullest potential and take advantage of all of our talents.

Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing’s a yellow brick road. Of course, it wasn’t always smooth. I didn’t begin hosting to make money, but once my name started to ring bells, I wanted to get paid for my services, but everyone wasn’t willing to oblige. I did a countless number of shows, events, and parties for the FREE.99, but I stayed humbled throughout the process. The other main issue was school being affected because my nights were occupied by gigs and not homework. I wasn’t grinding for a quick buck; I was grinding to set up my future after graduation. My parents and professors didn’t see it that way though. Lastly, I’ve had multiple relationships that were driven to the ground because they didn’t understand that this wasn’t a hobby—it’s my life.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Aaron from DC – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am an artist, social influencer, and public figure. I host clubs, events, festivals, concerts, and everything in the nature of a social gathering. I specialize in crowd control. I’m known for creating an enjoyable time and memories for everyone. I’m most proud of not compromising and staying within myself. I’ve gotten places where I never thought I’d be and rubbed shoulders with people I admired alongside everyone else a few years ago by just staying true to everyone who was true to me and honing my craft. The thing that sets me apart from everyone else is my energy. You can scream and you can yell; you may do it very well, but the people will always remember if Aaron from DC was there on the mic.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about Atlanta is the fact that it truly is the land of opportunity for entertainers. More importantly, people actually help get you to where you want to be by working with you. Working as a collective is essential for our community. What I strongly dislike about Atlanta is the lack of support to its HBCUs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gas-money/1455675572?i=1455675588
• Email: aaronfromdc@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayepuffdaddy/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ayepuffdaddy/
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/By_NlLKj75M

Image Credit:
Ross Gordon, Khalil Downey

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.