Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Don Dada.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I always had a love for music. I fell in love with hip hop as a kid, mainly because of Lil Wayne and OutKast. I started out with poetry in high school. At that time, rap was just a hobby until I graduated in 2012 and went to the Art Institute for audio engineering. That’s when I started to take music seriously. I started off rapping under the stage name “Bandana D” until I changed it in 2016 to “Dana Don Dada”. I ended up going to South Georgia Tech for two years for business and Marketing and then going to Omnitech for Digital Media. And thanks to them I now record and mix all of my own music and I even started shooting and editing my own videos recently. After dropping out the second time, I joined a group called Wrong Naybors, including my self, E- $leezy and D-Live. We made a lot of dope music together and also made a lot of dope music separately. We don’t make as much music together these days but we are all still close and support each other fully. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road. I ended up flunking out of the Art Institute my first year and then going to South Georgia Tech for Marketing for two years. I only had access to one studio and I had to drive two and a half hours to get there, which I couldn’t do often being a broke college kid. I ended up dropping out and coming back home and struggled to keep a job. I’d be unemployed for months at a time. So it was times that I had to do what I had to do to get by and be able to pay for studio time—getting locked up twice in 2016 and having to be on probation for Clayton and Henry County. In December 2018, I was in a really bad car accident, I suffered head trauma, memory loss, PTSD, back and neck injuries and I fell into a deeper depression(which all still affects me today) and developed a drinking problem. I ended up getting kicked out my parent’s house in 2019 before finishing up at omnitech. I had to face a lot of tough obstacles but I always found a way to get back up and go harder.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an Artist, Engineer and Songwriter. I’m proud of how far I came and how much I’ve grown and matured as an artist and as a person overall. What sets me apart from others is my determination, Work ethic and willingness to keep learning and getting better any way I can. Once my mind is set on a goal, I will stop at nothing to accomplish it!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was pretty shy and quiet unless I was around my friends. I was never the most popular kid, but I could always fit in with any crowd. Growing up, I wanted to play basketball but could never make my school’s team lol. I have always been lowkey and stayed to myself and only hung out with a few people. Music has always been the love of my life. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a rapper but I was always to shy and scared and let everybody hear my music. I would only let the ones closest to me hear them. It took a lot to break out of my shell and not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone. But for the most part, I have always been laidback and lowkey.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 4049158216
- Email: bandanatheartist@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dana_don_dada?igshid=psu3jd08pzh7
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