Dyme Def
If one were to map out the correlation of artists and the subsequent success they brought their regions, three corners of the nation would be well-represented for their contributions to Hip Hop music. One corner, the Pacific Northwest to be exact, would likely look non-existent in comparison, but that is drastically changing. Overlooked and under the radar, the Seattle-Portland-Vancouver, BC triangle has been home to an ever-expanding class of hungry rappers ready for the spotlight, with one group by the name of Dyme Def accelerating to the forefront of this movement.
This Seattle trio by-way of Renton, Washington has an energetic approach to their live performances that has enlisted a growing audience on the west coast. Consisting of S.E.V., Brainstorm, Fearce Villain, and with full-backing production from veteran Bean One, Dyme Def has flourished in the last few years, becoming the gem of the emerald city.
DXnext takes you inside the minds of these Seattleites, who recently finished a video shoot for their new single “PickUpYaFlow” featuring Saigon, off their April 25th EP release Panic. Whether through their commitment to the music (Brainstorm: It’s Dyme Def or die), or from a lyrical demeanor symbolized by their yuck-face group logo (That’s what you do when you hear us rap!), Dyme Def is one group you’ll need to hear for a taste of that Northwest Hip Hop.
Influences: Kanye West, Jay-Z [click to read], OutKast [click to read].
Close Connection: “We actually all went to the same middle school, so we go way back. All of our moms knew each other, and raising all three of us was like raising three sons, so we pretty much grew up together. Also, we all went to Renton High School, and graduated the same year,” says S.E.V.
The Game Is In the Name: “When you think of a dime you think of a 10, and that’s the best; the ultimate. I figured, dime means the best we can be, and were just the definition of the truth. You know how everyone says, 'That’s the truth, that’s the truth?' We’re just the definition of that. And that’s how we got the name Dyme Def,” states S.E.V.
Where’s The Seattle Love?: “It’s crazy; in the financial world, people know Seattle. But when it comes to [Hip Hop] music, people don’t understand, because they don’t give it a chance,” admits Fearce Villain.
SEV adds, “When everyone looks at Seattle, they only see Sir Mix-A-Lot. I think it’s grown a lot since then, but because no one is getting that same type of exposure, it’s making it hard for everybody else... And it’s not only us; Blue Scholars [click to read], D. Black, Spaceman, all them guys are trying to do the same thing. It’s been an uphill battle, but so far, so good.”
Growth As Artists: SEV says, “As you get older, you go through things in life that just make you more mature. You gotta deal with these situations, and it brings the maturity right out of you. When we first started rapping, we loved the music, but we never really grasped it. You gotta bring the music into your life like, ‘what does it mean to you?’ We rap now because we know how to take a situation we go through in life and put that in our music and let it reach out to everybody.” Fearce Villain chimes in, “I think with the first album [Space Music] [click to read], we were young and we were putting everything together, but we weren’t really comfortable with what we were doing. The mixtape [3BadBrothaas] [click to download] was just us getting a lot of material out. With Panic, you’re gonna see who Dyme Def is and what we’re really about. We’re gonna gain a lot of fans that understand where we come from, and a lot of people that are like, 'Damn, I understand what these dudes are saying.’ On Panic, we got something to talk about, and we’re not biting our tongues in the process.”
On the New EP Panic: Brainstorm suggests, “You can interpret Panic in a lot of different ways. The way that we did it on this EP was just a mix of shit that is going on around the world that is causing panic, and then there’s a few songs that are kind of fast, so it sounds likes panic.” Fearce specifies, “Check out ‘Foot Up on the Gas.’ Basically, we’re being funny with that situation. For example, the economy is bad right now, and gas is a big issue. So it’s like, we’re gonna live our life, and we’re gonna show how happy we are even with the gas prices up. In that sense, we’re making fun of the recession to make everyone feel involved. That’s the kind of songs we make; we include reality, but we also make it easier for people to vibe with it.”
On Producing: Bean One testifies, “With Dyme Def, a lot of times they’ll record over a certain track, and then I’ll make like 20 different remixes, because I can personally make a better beat with lyrics. It’s kind of like a conversation; I see what they’re saying and I can saturate the vibe they’re going with. A lot of songs you hear aren’t even the original beats they started out on.”
Working With the Yardfather: Brainstorm says, “Our management team 800 lb. set that up for us. We went out to New York about a year ago, and our art director Diego used to own a loft there. We got the unsigned hype from The Source, and we had met Saigon’s manager [at the time] Shareef. We got cool with Saigon [click to read] and he came to one of our loft parties, and we just established a relationship. We liked his music, he liked us, and the rest was history.” S.E.V. says, “Saigon actually did his ["PickUpYaFlow"] verse separately. Bean One produced it and recorded it in his studio and we made the song. Then Saigon heard and it and we were like, ‘You would sound tight on this!’ We had to do it, even if it was a remix we had to do it. As soon as Saigon put his verse on it, it was a wrap. It was a blessing to be able to hook up with him, because we see Saigon as an inspiration. To be able to do that song with him was real big for us and meant a lot to us.”
To Sign or Not To Sign: Fearce Villain believes, “Right now we’re just thinking about the future and what will be best for us. I’d rather wait two years to take a deal if that deal is gonna make me happy as an emcee than take a deal where I’m locked in a contract for the rest of my life.” Brainstorm closes in saying, “We’ve had a lot of offers in the last few years, but we’re kind of just waiting until we feel that we’re at a level to where we can be like, ‘Okay, we can go to this label.’ Right now we just want to do it independently; we’re fine independently. If someone wants to pick us up and give us a distribution deal, that’s cool. If not, I’m not trying to be on any label. I can’t have anybody telling me how to make my own music.”
This Seattle trio by-way of Renton, Washington has an energetic approach to their live performances that has enlisted a growing audience on the west coast. Consisting of S.E.V., Brainstorm, Fearce Villain, and with full-backing production from veteran Bean One, Dyme Def has flourished in the last few years, becoming the gem of the emerald city.
DXnext takes you inside the minds of these Seattleites, who recently finished a video shoot for their new single “PickUpYaFlow” featuring Saigon, off their April 25th EP release Panic. Whether through their commitment to the music (Brainstorm: It’s Dyme Def or die), or from a lyrical demeanor symbolized by their yuck-face group logo (That’s what you do when you hear us rap!), Dyme Def is one group you’ll need to hear for a taste of that Northwest Hip Hop.
Influences: Kanye West, Jay-Z [click to read], OutKast [click to read].
Close Connection: “We actually all went to the same middle school, so we go way back. All of our moms knew each other, and raising all three of us was like raising three sons, so we pretty much grew up together. Also, we all went to Renton High School, and graduated the same year,” says S.E.V.
The Game Is In the Name: “When you think of a dime you think of a 10, and that’s the best; the ultimate. I figured, dime means the best we can be, and were just the definition of the truth. You know how everyone says, 'That’s the truth, that’s the truth?' We’re just the definition of that. And that’s how we got the name Dyme Def,” states S.E.V.
Where’s The Seattle Love?: “It’s crazy; in the financial world, people know Seattle. But when it comes to [Hip Hop] music, people don’t understand, because they don’t give it a chance,” admits Fearce Villain.
SEV adds, “When everyone looks at Seattle, they only see Sir Mix-A-Lot. I think it’s grown a lot since then, but because no one is getting that same type of exposure, it’s making it hard for everybody else... And it’s not only us; Blue Scholars [click to read], D. Black, Spaceman, all them guys are trying to do the same thing. It’s been an uphill battle, but so far, so good.”
Growth As Artists: SEV says, “As you get older, you go through things in life that just make you more mature. You gotta deal with these situations, and it brings the maturity right out of you. When we first started rapping, we loved the music, but we never really grasped it. You gotta bring the music into your life like, ‘what does it mean to you?’ We rap now because we know how to take a situation we go through in life and put that in our music and let it reach out to everybody.” Fearce Villain chimes in, “I think with the first album [Space Music] [click to read], we were young and we were putting everything together, but we weren’t really comfortable with what we were doing. The mixtape [3BadBrothaas] [click to download] was just us getting a lot of material out. With Panic, you’re gonna see who Dyme Def is and what we’re really about. We’re gonna gain a lot of fans that understand where we come from, and a lot of people that are like, 'Damn, I understand what these dudes are saying.’ On Panic, we got something to talk about, and we’re not biting our tongues in the process.”
On the New EP Panic: Brainstorm suggests, “You can interpret Panic in a lot of different ways. The way that we did it on this EP was just a mix of shit that is going on around the world that is causing panic, and then there’s a few songs that are kind of fast, so it sounds likes panic.” Fearce specifies, “Check out ‘Foot Up on the Gas.’ Basically, we’re being funny with that situation. For example, the economy is bad right now, and gas is a big issue. So it’s like, we’re gonna live our life, and we’re gonna show how happy we are even with the gas prices up. In that sense, we’re making fun of the recession to make everyone feel involved. That’s the kind of songs we make; we include reality, but we also make it easier for people to vibe with it.”
On Producing: Bean One testifies, “With Dyme Def, a lot of times they’ll record over a certain track, and then I’ll make like 20 different remixes, because I can personally make a better beat with lyrics. It’s kind of like a conversation; I see what they’re saying and I can saturate the vibe they’re going with. A lot of songs you hear aren’t even the original beats they started out on.”
Working With the Yardfather: Brainstorm says, “Our management team 800 lb. set that up for us. We went out to New York about a year ago, and our art director Diego used to own a loft there. We got the unsigned hype from The Source, and we had met Saigon’s manager [at the time] Shareef. We got cool with Saigon [click to read] and he came to one of our loft parties, and we just established a relationship. We liked his music, he liked us, and the rest was history.” S.E.V. says, “Saigon actually did his ["PickUpYaFlow"] verse separately. Bean One produced it and recorded it in his studio and we made the song. Then Saigon heard and it and we were like, ‘You would sound tight on this!’ We had to do it, even if it was a remix we had to do it. As soon as Saigon put his verse on it, it was a wrap. It was a blessing to be able to hook up with him, because we see Saigon as an inspiration. To be able to do that song with him was real big for us and meant a lot to us.”
To Sign or Not To Sign: Fearce Villain believes, “Right now we’re just thinking about the future and what will be best for us. I’d rather wait two years to take a deal if that deal is gonna make me happy as an emcee than take a deal where I’m locked in a contract for the rest of my life.” Brainstorm closes in saying, “We’ve had a lot of offers in the last few years, but we’re kind of just waiting until we feel that we’re at a level to where we can be like, ‘Okay, we can go to this label.’ Right now we just want to do it independently; we’re fine independently. If someone wants to pick us up and give us a distribution deal, that’s cool. If not, I’m not trying to be on any label. I can’t have anybody telling me how to make my own music.”
