Local StoriesApril 25, 2024

Rising Stars: Meet N.D.K Dre

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to N.D.K Dre.

N.D.K Dre

Hi N.D.K Dre, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started out rapping around late 2016 in high school for fun when I had quit playing football. At that time in my life, I kind of decided to steer my daily life in a different direction which you can hear in the music some of the things I’m not so proud of. Over time, I’ve always found a way to speak my truth in my music, whether it be sad or happy life lessons to create a song. For me this has always been my way to escape. Still today, I’m perplexed when people can relate to what I say, and they tell me I’ve helped them get through things, but that’s just the music side. My come-up story is quite different. When I started in 2016, I had no way of getting to a studio or even paying for a session. Back then, I used to record on a cell phone. Find a beat on YouTube and freestyle over it was 1 take or next for me. Later on, my friend Josh’s uncle took me to a studio in College Park where I recorded my first two songs ever; it was a new experience for me. I must admit the studio room was very hot, but I enjoyed myself. That’s when I felt a different feeling I only get from the microphone. After that, I stepped back a little, then later found myself recording at straight-off-the-boat studios almost every weekend. That’s when I got locked in with my engineer bighomiebeats317 he pretty much has recorded over 90% of my songs I can honestly say without him I’ll never be anything I’m soon to become and I thank him for everything. Nowadays we rock out recording crib to crib with a mobile studio, but the sound is still me like my boy 1solovon says. That’s my main producer, always ready to send a beat. We like Shaq and Kobe, which is a mixtape from us otw. Most recently, I’ve dropped my project Welcome To Reaperland along with visuals, and this summer, I’m getting ready to do shows and put out more content.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not smooth, but a journey is a journey. Along the way, we’ve lost friends who played major roles, which kind of shocked us, but my aunt taught me one thing, which is to pivot: no matter what, keep moving and working cause something good is bound to happen. Ever since, I’ve been moving, and I don’t plan on stopping.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve released numerous projects and videos over time. For me, my catalog is filled with music that can touch any mood and probably any person.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
For me my calmness a lot of times in this industry you can get frustrated and not know what to do. I’ve been doing it long enough to see a few come and go. It’s also about how much I just love music. When I can’t talk to someone, I can listen to my music. Which is therapy to me at times. Hearing myself on Songs play back to myself just helps me keep my head up at times.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
@5Beenshootin

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