Artistic Visionz: Home of spoken word poetry, beats, rhymes and life...

Madness ! ! ! ! !

2012-01-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

D-Natural "Madness" >> http://artisticvisionzproductions.bandcamp.com/track/madness

What's up yall ? ! ?

It's yours truly D-Natural , back with another installment of this blog mines ! ! As usual, I've stayed on the grind and have recently had a huge surge of creative energy ! ! ! I've decided to dismantle my Poetic Soul EP , opting instead to release a few singles from that project seperately , while throwing the rest from that period in my vault . I've been thinking of things a lil bit differently now and have gone through some changes lately . This has me desiring a new approach to what I'm going to release at the beginning of this year . Don't worry though , you will see a Poetic Soul EP surface among the handful of complete projects I'll be releasing this year ! It's just right now I just feel like creating new things and releasing brand new things ! ! It's like I feel I have to keep up with my ever evolving sound ! That's the only way I'll write the best songs for myself as an artist, giving you the most accurate pieces of me ! I like to call my solo singles appetizers, because they are designed to keep you happy until I hit you with the full course !

Fortunately, as taste of things to come, we are gonna kick off some of my new solo material with my brand new single "Madness" . It's my very first release via the very awesome Bandcamp website ! In "Madness" , you find me getting my thoughts off my chest of how people and certain things in life annoy the hell outta me . When you have a mission and a goal in life to fulfil, one like me just desires to just grind without the drama of haters and other fools . But hey that's life, and even though they can be fustrating, you need such challenges so show your potential and allow you to grow. I simple give my response to such matters in my song here . I hope everyone enjoys it and if it's something you think you might wanna bump in your whip or your iPod, I encourage you to download it for a recession-friendly price of 50 cents ! Your investment will be well appreciated ! Starving artist like me, need the support of our fans to continue to blossom so that we may continue to give you the great art you deserve .

Along with my new single "Madness", you can probably hear some brand new spanking beats I've recently released, on my widget player to the right of the page ! ! > > > >

These new tracks include "Sam" (named in honor of my dog Sam, who just passed after 18 long years of life!) "Simple" and "KeriKnowles" !

"Simple" and "KeriKnowles" were made after a friend of mines challenged me to make a some tracks in a certain amount of time . Since she was a fan of Beyonce and Keri Hilson, I decided to make a few joints in that type of vibe . .

As for other things, I've been working on more new beats/songs of course, more new poetry of course, new live video and other goodies I'm not goin to expound on right this moment . Just know I'm working, and now as you can see, I'm ready to start delivering ! !

Sam

I would like to dedicated this blog post to our beloved family dog Sam, who has finally gotten his wings after an amazing 18 years of life ! I took this photo of Sam during Thankgiving weekend last Novemeber . Little did I know , that would be the last time I could visit my brother from another mother ! !

My mother first got Sam for my stepfather, when I was in the 7th/8th grade ! ! I just turned 28 years old , on the 25th of this month ! Mom called me to report that Sam passed away the day after my birthday . This was a huge loss to my family . Your pets become like members of your family . He was with us for 18 strong ,wonderful years ! That's alot of history and memories with an animal !

We can can learn alot from them ! The unconditional love, respect, protection, and care they give you can never be matched . They accept you with all your flaws ! I will be writing a song about Sam and putting it on one of my albums this year ! In the meantime, I've named one of my new beats "Sam" in honor of him ! I think that beat gives a nod to the type of spirit and personality he had ! ! He will will be missed but not forgotten ! I'll play fetch with you again boy, when I get up there ! ! RIP little brother . . .

Til the next time, keep the faith, and keep chasing your dreams ! ! Peace and Love

D-Natural, AVP

D-Natural @ The Legendary Nuyorican Poet's Cafe, NY (Sept/2011) [HD]

2012-01-06T00:26:00.000-08:00

What's up , what's up ?? ! !

Rockin the legendary stage at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was unreal ! ! I had first learned about the place through watchin the movie "Pinero" that starred Benjamin Bratt ! I was so taken with Pinero's story and the history of the cafe that I wanted to know everything about them ! ! Last year my chance came to actually rock the stage ! You can read more about my time at the cafe and NY in my September/2011 post ! Until the next time . .

D-Natural, AVP

D-Natural on drums . . .

2012-01-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

What's up everyone !

I recorded this video of myself performing my duties as a drummer ! This is from the Christmas Day service we had at my church . Look 4ward to sharing more videos just like this one here ! I really had fun getting down on this joint here ! Featured on keys is the legendary Norman Weeks ! Enjoy and stay tuned for more new music and poetry ! It's on for 2012 babe !

Until the next time, peace and love !

D-Natural, AVP

Happy New Year from D-Natural & Artistic Visionz ! ! !

2012-01-02T23:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year ! ! !

Been BUSY in the lab writting new songs, creating new music, writting new poetry and handling the usual music biz details ! I'm back this time around with my newest poem I wrote a few weeks ago . I thought it would be cool to start off this year with the second version of a poem I wrote a few years ago. It's a poem describing my current state of mind . I wrote this very fast and furiously in the middle of the day, like the mad man I am . I ended up writing it in 3 small acts, which I've never done. But that's how it came out of me that day. Kinda shocked myself when it came out that way. But my mind is very complex, so I guess it was needed to describe how I was feeling at that moment . Well until my next post , Enjoy ! !

Mid Day Question ( My State of Mind Part 2)

By: D-Natural

ACT I

Feel me in my friend
What type of mood should I be in ?
It should be a good mood right ?
That is, should it be ?
While in my mind, clowns laugh uncontrollably
How can it be ?
On such a beautiful day
I'm alive, someone must have prayed
Cuz last night I misbehaved
And this morning continues the rave
wayyyy down, deep in my batcave
where my thoughts make me my own slave !
Oh Behave
Austin Powers
Outside I look fine, but inside my soul's tattered
I know I'm not ugly, but I still make the mirror shatter
Shards of glass scrape my conscious
Whats all the science behind this madness ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Or Can it be ?
My mind is blossoming beautifully
However, old habits die hard
Perhaps that's why I get cut by the glass shards
Fools walking around thinking they hard
Walk in my shoes, and if you can, you will be my rockstar
Time amazes me with it's illusion
It flirts with me, by showing me benefits of my wisdom
The very nature of my fighting stance
Allows me to defeat any foe that wants to dance
But yet I remain
Trapped in the middle of the day
Confused with my blues
Can't play a song, if the instruments out of tune
I am a baffled buffoon
But don't judge me dude
The Now has yielded me
New chances of mortality
Every breath gets thee
Closer to being wealthy
But is it riches I seek ?
Maybe I have them already
In my mind where clowns laugh uncontrollably

ACT II

My soul is my horse to ride
I'll create a beautiful life in each stride
Though current reality confuses my paradise
My lush life awaits me when the time is right
But yet, time is after all a trick
My day doesn't have to be like this !
Wake up every morning to drown in my own abyss
I admit, I am intrigued by the extacy of the Devil's kiss
How guilty must I feel to embrace the slightest of it
But I was born a warrior for this battle
And I love dancing to the music of the serpent's rattle
Riddle
Why do all the question continue to come, when I know the answers ? ? ? ? ?

ACT III

I sometimes seek guidance
Speaking in tongues through my pen as I write it
Inside the are all the bad urges, no matter how hard I try to fight it
Can't give in to all the sensation
The reward must be in my resilience
Can you detect my pain in all this ?
Can you read the confusion I feel, as I write this ?
Do you think God will still allow me mercy, but without the pity ?
Why must I feel this way ?
To have so many question in the middle of the day

Norman Weeks - I Love to Praise Him

2011-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays yall ! ! !

Above is the new single and video for my bandmate Norman Weeks ! Google and please check out his music ! ! I am featured playing drums on this song , in which we cut in th studio a few months back . .

Stay tuned for more new music/poetry on the next blog ! I hope everyone has a great holiday season ! I'll get back atcha very soon ! ! !

D-Natural , AVP

Mu$ic, New York, Redskins .......

2011-10-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

What's up world ? ! It's your man D-Natural, checking in with the latest in this crazy adventure I call my life ! As we wrap up the month of September, I can reflect and say that this has truly been a very productive and inspiring month ! It was a month of expanding my Artistic Visionz brand to new territory ! It was a month of meeting beautiful new people ! It was a month of creation and hard labor in the studio !

We begin with my studio session for the legendary Norman Weeks . As you can see from my last blog post we had been rehearsing to go in and record the song for Norman's lead single off his upcoming album . It was alot of fun as it usually it with Mr. Weeks . I fell in love with the studio we were in and plan to record a ton of my music there beginning next year, including all the songs for my first official full length debut album titled " The Sigh of Relief LP " ! !

Along with recording with others, I took advantage of the break I had from school to record songs for my long overdue forthcoming EP "Poetic Soul" ! ! Gonna be shooting the music video for my first single off the EP called "Madness" very soon ! ! The album will be what I consider a short appetizer to everyone at 6 tracks . It's just a brief introduction into the world of D-Natural ! ! The albums that will follow will show more of my range as a music producer and artist ! ! Also I'll soon be rocking more open mics & other events around the DMV in efforts to promote my " Poetic Soul " EP while gearing up to release other projects as well as collaborations with other artist from all over . Recording and creating has been great lately ! ! Even wrote the lyrics for one the songs off my "Poetic Soul" EP while on the way back from New York City ! It was my first time in the big apple and I must say , I truly had a blast and came away inspired and more confident in my abilities ! !

New York was amazing ! I took this photo within the first hour after I arrived . As you can see toward the middle of the photo, people were protesting among the hundreds of people there about the justice system, Troy Davis and other things going on in society . Almost had the chance of doing a spontaneous performance later on that week for the Occupy Wall Street protest , but my homie Kilusan and I didn't quite get too with our schedule . Seeing all this reminded me of the similar protest that go on here in DC . I went up there in effort to support a great friend of mine, the very talented, Kilusan Bautista, as he performed an outstanding 3 day run of his one man play " Universal Filipino " at the legendary, the historic, Nuyorican Poets Cafe ! ! It was amazing building with brother Kilusan ! Seeing his grind as I assisted throughout the run of his play, truly inspired me . It passion for his art just moved so much ! ! I enjoyed meeting his family and many people that came to his performances ! ! Not to mention I got some dope pics of everything ! ! I had such a wonderful experience . Little did I know among the several blessings that happened to me while I was up there, that an opportunity for me D-Natural, to perform some my own art at the historic Nuyorican Poets Cafe would arise ! ! I had a blast as I shared the stage some incredible talent ! ! I do plan 2 be back there soon !

Kilusan Bautista, http://www.youtube.com/universalfilipino

Performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe was an amazing experience and I met some incredibly talented people !

Host/Poet Nathan Pearson

Poet Lyvonne "Proverbs" Briggs

Visual Artist Alicia C. Cobb, www.artsimplicated.com

Poet Jason " Phenix " Hall, http://www.reverbnation.com/phenixtheartist

Shanna T. Melton (www.PoeticSoulArts.com), Phenix and Proverbs

It was great to share the stage and getting to know Phenix, his sister Proverbs and another great poet/artist Ms. Shanna T. Melton at the event evening ! ! Please check them out ! ! I'm looking forward to building with them and so many others in the future ! !

While I was there, Phenix blessed me with a copy of his new album entitled "Yahweh's Paintbrush", which is nothing short of awesome ! !

Jason "Phenix" Hall, Yahweh's Paintbrush

New York was such an awesome experience and I hope to return soon and perform even more and see of the city ! To have my music and my poetry respected by everyone up there meant so much to me !

After the incredible month of September I just had, it's nice to start of the month of October with my Washington Redskins (3-1) off to a fantastic start ! ! ! We sure have been getting the job done on the field and I'm proud of my home team ! ! Hopefully the players will be able to get some derserved rest this upcoming week and continue the momentum as we go deeper into the season ! Somehow I don't think they will have a problem clipping the wings of the Eagles a little more the next game they play ! Hey, u heard it here first !! Go Skins !!

Until the next time everyone keep chasing your dreams & keep the faith ! Please be sure to check the next short blog after this one soon, for I will release a couple of beats out the vault ! I've been promising all my dope Twitter followrs (@ArtisticVisionz) I will release some new music until my "Poetic Soul" EP is finished ! ! So I will deliver as always ! Thx everyone sooooooooooo much for their support of this blog, D-Natural and the Artistic Visionz Productions brand ! ! You guys have no idea how much you the love and respect for what I do is felt ! ! ! Peace and Blessings . . .

D-Natural, AVP

Grinding in the key of D-Natural . . .

2011-08-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

What's up world ? ! It's your man D-Natural 1nce again comin atcha with the latest of Artistic Visionz ! I know it's been awhile since my last post . As I've said b4, when ya don't find me bloggin, I must be hella busy & I am . . . . . .

Moca DC Art Gallery, Georgetown ( www.mocadc.org )

Let's begin by rewinding back to last weekend, where I headed to Georgetown to the beautiful MOCA DC art gallery for an awesome exhibit put on by my homie Darryl Bennett and his crew Tokyo 13 ! I had a great time and made some cool new friends ! I appreciate art & the people who create it . Some great art has inspired alot of my music .

Darryl Bennet ( www.tokyothirteenarts.com )

Darryl and I were talking about how it's crazy that it seems that the art and the music community don't connect more . It makes sense being that both musicians and artist create art and we should come together more often to have an even greater impact in the industry . Well I'm gonna be one of the cats to change that . Some things will be in the works with artist like Darryl to help further unite the art and music worlds . I've got some great ideas on some events I wanna do, so as usual I'll keep you guys updated ! The Moca DC art gallery was such a beautiful place and full of cool art . Not the mention the owner David Quammen is one cool cat ! It was great getting to know him and the history of the gallery . Who knows ? a D-Natural concert may just be here in the future . . Hmmmm . .

A couple of days later that Sunday, after rocking on stage at church as usual, I headed to rehearse with the DMV's legendary Norman Weeks. I'll be playing drums on his next single for his upcoming album ! ! It's always a pleasure to play with Mr. Weeks and it's been great having him as one of my mentors in the music business . It was blast playing on his last album Norman's Dream . That happened to be my first time being credited as a session musician on another artist's album, so that was truly a great moment for my career . I look very much forward to recording on his next single for his new album and that it also will be made into a music video ! ! A cameo from D-Natural in the video ? Hmmmm . . We'll just have to see !

Norman Weeks ( http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/NormanWeeksandGrooveTyme )

We all met of at this church around the corner from my house in Southeast, DC to rehearse . The other musicians were real cool guys and could really play ! It's fun to play with people that know what they are doing and know exactly how to groove . We are getting it in really funky on this this next single ! ! I can't wait to record it with them next month !

So after a weekend packed full of grinding and networking, I decided to kick this week off by heading downtown to finally catch the A Tribe Called Quest documentary movie, Beats, Rhymes and Life, which has been out for a minute now . Due to the fact that it's been doing really good in the theaters, it was still showing in my area ! I meant to see it earlier in the month when it first hit the theater but things got really busy for me . For all my A Tribe Called Quest fans and just fans of real hip hop period, you guys should definitely check it out . It was worth the wait. The E Street Cinema downtown is the only one still showing it in the DMV area so you gotta hurry !

A Tribe Called Quest taught me to much about hip hop and the directions that you can take with jazz . They have had such and influence on me as an artist and musician . If you have noticed, some of the title of this blog page is from the title of one of thier albums Beats, Rhymes, and Life . It was my way of paying homage to them and just real good music in general . It's also a phrase that desribes alot of what my Artistic Visionz Productions brand is about . Little did I know that they would title the movie of them with the same phrase as well . My favorite A Tribe Called Quest album has to be the Midnight Marauders joint ! I remember buying that joint on cassette tape back in the day . The film was cool in showing you the origins of the group and giving an up close and personal view into the lives of the members . I learned so much about hip hop as well as how the music business can tear even the best of friends apart behind the scenes . Hopefully the guys will give the world another album one day but if not, the groups contribution 2 music will be appreciated for generations to come .

As for your man here, I've been hanging in there . I'm still at work writing verses to the tracks I've made for my Poetic Soul EP, which will be the first album I release this year . With a heavy school work load , I've been getting kinda fustrated because I can't always record when I want . But just know that it will be out very soon and as I've said before, it will be worth the wait ! ! In the meantime , on my next blog I'll release some unreleased beats to keep yall ears satisfied until then so please stayed tuned ! As always, I appreciate my fans and everyone's constant suppport of what I'm doing . As you can see, I'm still everywhere as usual, making moves . So just know that you man is getting it in and getting things done . Until the next time, keep the faith and keep chasing your dreams ! Peace & Blessings

D-Natural, AVP

I'm addicted to postive progress ! !

2011-06-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

What's good world ? ! ? ! D-Natural comin atcha again with some updates ! As I type this, I'm in the computer lab here at my school on the last day of the semester . I'm getting some much needed work done ! This week has been a busy one as usual. But then again, you guys know by now that I STAY busy, so it aint nothin new 2 tell you all that . However I've been busy in all other areas except for working on my music . Today I'm wrapping up this Spring semester here at school . You see I don't take breaks and I'm going to school year round non-stop . I'm doing it that way so I can finish alot earlier, so that I may focus more on this music career of mines . I have alot on my plate as usual but I'm loving it ! I love to grind and see the positive results unfold in front of my eyes, knowing that no one did it but ME . I'll have break next week before the next semester begins. I'm going to use the break to continue working on my first album for the year, Poetic $oul . . It's on its way ! Just trying to get it nice and perfect for ya ! ! This week aside from school, I've been practicing and getting used to my new DSLR camera . I've decided to share some of my photos with you of this weeks grind . You will see more photos here from now on, as I intend to show you my journey through my life visually as well as musically and poetically . . After all, my company is called Artistic Visionz for a reason . . Time to start showing more of the artistic side of things visually . . Feel me ? You dig ?

The week kicked off Sunday with my church's 10th Anniversary service . Above is a photo of my pastor and his wife . She gave me a nice smile for this shot ! It was a great service and you know your man got it in on my drums ! I was told that we really were off the hook ! ! I try my best, I don't know how to do it any other way . . It was funny because one of the drummers from the other guest choirs, actually got up from the audience and went all the way around the auditorium to see me play when we was in the orchestra pit ! ! When he first got there and saw my set he looked like he wasn't impressed with my drums until he heard me actually play them ! ! Then he wanted to use my sticks instead of his and I was like naw son, these are my Tony Royster, Jr. (Google him) signature sticks and they are expensive so that wasn't happening ! ! All in all it was a great service and I always like to especially demonstrate my skills to the guest choirs that come through . .

(One of the guest choirs in action)

Fast forward a couple of days later, where I decided to head downtown with a good friend of mines to the Smithsonian so I can get more practice in with my new camera on a variety of subjects ! Not to mention this was also the first place I've been to for fun in several, several months, being as though I don't go out much for leisure . I know, crazy right ? ? I just prefer to be in the bat cave working on my material most of the time, especially now & days . . However, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy going out and acting like a normal person as well . . .

Well time to pack up and head out this computer lab, so I can go home and relax before I finish up the rest of this school work . . Until the next time, stay tuned for my long overdue 1st single "Guestlist" to kick off the summer . I promise the new material is worth the wait ! As always keep the faith and keep chasing your dreams . . Peace & Love

D-Natural , AVP

Progress 2wards $uccess . . . .

2011-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Whats's good world ! It's your man D-Natural back with another installment of this here blog of mines ! ! Much love 2 all my fans, readers, followers and everyone showing mad respect 2 Artistic Visionz Productionz ! As always, I've been hard at work trying to finish my projects so I can get to the next phase of things as well as future projects . The pic above was taken yesterday a couple of hours before filling me duties behind the drums 4 choir rehearsal . For choir rehearsals, we meet at our property in Upper Marlboro, MD. On the land is beautiful house where we meet. I got there a few hours early because my band mate Norman Weeks (GOOGLE HIM) had a piano lesson to give there . Being that I'm the type of person that believes in making the best of their time, I brought my equipment and immediately set up in one of the rooms and got 2 work recording ! Lord forgive me, but it was kinda crazy yet funny recording hip-hop upstairs in the house owned by my church . After all, it is holy land and I'm up there posted up spitting explicit rhymes smh . . But hey, I gotta get it in some how . . I wanna finish things so that I can share my latest projects with all of you. I've already planned what things I wanna release this year . As an artist who is self-managed, self-produced, self-engineered, self-employed, in school, etc. . , its alot of fun wearing all these types of hats but it's alot of grinding ! ! It's all good though, its part of the life I chose and I appreciate it !

I've decided to revamp my album Poetic $oul which will be the first album I will be releasing this year. While getting the songs together that I wanted to use for it somehow life kept having me rewrite songs and look at certain beats I did for the project a different way . Now I've taken a different approach to creating it . This is all good of course, I'm glad these things happen in my artistic world so that I can deliver the freshest, most accurate depiction of me through my art to everyone ! ! I'm a firm believer in sloooow cooking the music and not rushing things . That's one of the great things about being an indie artist is that you can record, release and create what you desire . There's alot of machines out there that control artist, limit their creative freedom . This can really hurt an artist in the long wrong . But it's how alot of the industry is . I love being able to just live life, marinate in its mystery, simmer in reality and out of that my art is born . As you can see, I'm working to get Poetic $oul and my other albums (which Im all working all simultaneously) done ! Thanks 1nce again to everyone for their patience and encouragement, I will not disappoint . Word

This picture was taken right around the corner from my house . It kinda put in perspective that no matter what neighborhood you come from, you can always look up and see that the sky is the limit and Artistic Visionz will be flying high . . Look out very soon 4 singles from my Poetic Soul album as well as little surprises sprinkled here and there . . I'll keep continue to keep yall posted with the newness on everythang . .

D-Natural signing out and as always keep the faith and keep chasing your dreams . . . . peace

AVP

D-Natural, Artistic Visionz, the saga continues...

2011-04-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

Yo!

What's up World! Its me D-Natural comin atcha 1nce again!! It's been awhile since I've personally reached out to my supporters here. So, I've decided to share a small treat with you guys.. Above is a vid of me on the drums messing around b4 the start of choir rehearsal. The drums have always been 1 of my favorite instruments 2 play out of the many, that I'm blessed 2 b able 2 play. I've enjoyed playing for my church. I'm improving my skills as a musician and as a professional. I hope you guys enjoy the vid. I be doin that more 4 all of you in the future. I also hope everyone has enjoyed my last few poems I have posted. In the past I've mentioned my upcoming poetry album " Poetic $oul " I'm apologize 4 the delay on that and my other project " The Sigh of Relief " I am happy 2 let yall know that Ill be releasin Poetic $oul in the near future after additional production is done by yours truly. You can expect to hear me perform my poetry live on the album accompanied by my original music, all produced and written by me. This album will serve as the prequel for my 1st full length LP " The Sigh of Relief " album. So look b on the lookout 4 those & other surprises. $tay Tuned...

As 4 other things... I've started my second semester of business school. I'm excited about psychology class. I look forward to learning about the mind, especially my mind! Everyday, I continue to learn about myself. I'm trying to better myself as a man, as a businessman, as a musician, as a professional. Everything brings its own challenges. My mind can be found spinning on the daily. Thoughts racing in many directions. My creative imagination running wild constantly and me goin crazy tryna balance that with my present reality. I'm learning. I am getting better at making the changes that really count. Doin the things that I know will get me ahead. The life of an artist, musician, entertainer can be exciting and at the same draining. U r passionate about your craft. U want 2 expose your art, your soul, the essence of you with your audience, but at the same time you maintain yourself n the balance. A challenge with that is making sure that you don't lose urself n your art to much that u neglect the other blessings n life like family, education, community, nature, etc.. A guy like me is just tryna making progress in winning that challenge. I expect the Artistic Visionz brand to mirror the challenge I face in life to become the best artist and man I can be. I'll continue to express this journey I'm on thru my music, my poetry, my songs, videos, essays, websites, etc.. Just tryna add some that good vibe n2 the universe...

I just wanna thank EVERYONE 4 their support and inspiration!!! Shoutout 2 all my fans and readers here!!! U have know idea how every one of u seeing any of this right now, keeps me goin!!! Look 4 brand new music and poetry by yours truly comin soon. I'll b releasin some nu random singles here and there. We'll just call these appetizers... until I start servin up the main courses!!

Until the next time, as always keep the faith! I'll b back with another post very very soon!! Peace!!

D-Natural , Artistic Visionz

Manic Depression....

2011-03-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

artwork by Dan Dishman

What's up world!! Its your man D-Natural, back 2 hit you with some more of my original writing. Let me 1st apologize 4 not posting in a minute. As u know, whenever you don't see me, its because iAm maaad busy. Things have been crazy but u know I can't stay away from y'all 2 long!!! Just know that I have some surprises 4 you guys and u know I'ma always hit u with more of my music and writing. I thank everybody 4 their support of this blog and my work. It means alot!! That's part of what keeps my spirits up, when I see my work being recognized and respected! But then those are those times when I don't feel my best and my mind can get very dark. Negative thoughts come and settle like unwanted house guests in my head. I have my cycles where I feel all I do is 4 nothing. I feel lonely, vulnerable and my cries go unheard. Now though I eventually pull out these rough spots mentally, I like 2 record these moments where my mind is chaotic. My music and writing will always express my true nature. Here is a glimpse into the darkness of D-Natural...

Manic Depression

By: D-Natural

Disturbance

thoughts racing

like horses

out of control

spiraling mess

confusion

ignoring self

ignoring the facts

loathing attention

but wanting help

hopelessness

is an understatement

desiring to abandon

all that is

for all that isn't

recluse

isolated madness

anxiety batters the body

and

ravishes any purity

bitter blues

are frequent

talents are used

inspired creativity

nourished by

a reality invented

creating is the only

time when he feels

whole

closest to God

at ease

and other moments

are suspended in time

self doubt

with underlying confidence

knighting himself

to impact the world

so that those can

experience his enigma

feeling as if chosen

to carry out several tasks

to unleash a power

not temperamental to any factor

however fear

is the variable

life is only temporary

as if his mere existence is not enough

playing poker with the devil

but really wanting

the comfort of angels

to be cradled by God

like a new born baby

wishing to return

to a time

where things were simple

before reality

started raping his request

for peace

as though it is a luxury

only afforded

at intervals

of glory by grace

this is a sickness

with a complexity

of a genius design

his screws are loose

but the ones that are not

are polished with pristine quality

thus sustaining him

during times of uncertainty

ye though he walks

through the valley of death

he fears no evil

but embracing

such a valley

with its dark corners feeling like

a sanctuary for his insanity

but at the same time hell

a paradox of truths

and the thoughts

that riot

in the tin pan allies

of his beautiful mind

scorned

Poem for K. C.

2011-01-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

What's up world! It's your man D-Natural back again! It's been awhile since I've posted a poem. I've decided for the next couple of blogs to post some of unreleased poems straight out of the vault. This one I bring to you today was written for a co-worker at my old job. She was in a very bad relationship with her child's father. I would hear stories and even saw for myself, how he was abuse her, mistreat her, and just put her through alot of stress. Upon seeing her down one day, while I was at my desk in the office, I wrote this poem for her to brighten her spirits. And really, I dedicated this poem to all the woman out there in abusive relationships or just don't feel empowered. The relationship may be with your man, your family, your friend, whatever. The relationship maybe emotionally abusive, physically abusive, or both. This like all my poems I share here was written outta love. Enjoy and be inspired.....

"Poem for K.C."

By: D-Natural

The voice of God within me
compels me to release
these words of my soul
in this piece
for your peace

my emotions run wild
like deer in the Everglades
with sympathy for your sorrows
moving my pen
to flow
in this manuscript
of empowerment

princess
queen destined for greatness
let that which holds you back
be your sword and armor
to battle
weak tyrants
addicted to preying
on your core

direct your energy
to the universe that equals you

want more of
what you already have inside
mother of creation
birthing nations
with your influence
creating tomorrows soldiers

set the foundation
to reign supreme
over that which is your birthright
claim that which is your dominion
useless tears do nothing
but dilute the purity
that is your concious

excuse me
for being moved
by your mood
hoping to be your muse
helping to bring back your happiness

hustle for glory
knowledge of self
and self respect
you matter

delight all humanity
with each beautiful smile

laugh and be proud
of your radiance

be the queen
that is
you

D-Natural in full effect for 2011!!!

2011-01-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

What's up world!!! It's your main man checking in to hit you with the latest insights in this crazy adventure I call my life. I've been hard at work between trying to make ends meet, going to school (coming up on my 3rd week), and in the lab creating new music & poetry!!! I've been ripping and running everywhere. My legs are killing me!! It's hard when you have to walk everywhere you go on torn ligaments!! I'm not able to get my surgery yet but trust me I'm working on that!! Nothin is gonna slow me down on this grind of mines!! For those of you that believe in prayer, please pray for your man. It's hard out here for a pimp....excuse I mean producer/poet!!! However I'm looking forward to an OUTSTANDING NEW YEAR!! Things have gotten off to a rough start but I'm getting control of this plane and soaring to the stars. I've planted ALOT of seeds so I'm just working on being the best farmer I can to make sure those seeds blossom into beautiful things!!

With all that said, I'm very proud to premier my very first instrumental I made this year called " $mooth ". Check it out and let me know what you think --------->> http://soundcloud.com/d-natural/mooth You can also hear it on my lovely Reverbnation widget on the right side of this page. I also have 3 new instrumentals I've made up there as well called " Midnight ", " Explosion ", and " Y'all ". Check em out and tell me what you think! There is PLENTY more of where that came from. I'm gonna continue to release brand new material as well older material from my vaults that no one has heard! I really wanna thank everyone who has been reading my blog here!! I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart!! It's means alot!! I've been very very busy tryna pulls things together but I will be blogging more often! Just bare with me and I like I've told y'all B4 I will not disappoint! I will continue to deliver the new music as well as new poetry!!

Until the next time, I really hope you guys like what you hear! I'll be back very soon with some suprises!! Keep chasing your dreams and keep the faith! I'll do the $ame! Thanks for supporting me, D-Natural, and my brand, Artistic Visionz Productions! Cheers!!

D-Natural, AVP

Happy Holidayz from Artistic Visionz!!

2010-12-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

What's up World!?! It's ur man D-Natural back with more to tell ya!! Just wanna let everyone know 1st that I love all of you!! Thanx for supporting this blog with your views, comments, promoting and everything. It means more than you guys will ever know!!

Well, the holidays are in full swing!! I hope everyone is out there celebrating, having fun, in good company, and most importantly loved. Just know, if nothing your man D-Natural loves you & is thinking about you!! As this year is coming to an end with the holidays to wrap it all up, I'm still reflecting. I find myself thinking of all the adventures, events, twist & turns I was taking through this year. Now I won't get into all of that again with you. All u have to do is read the last few blogs before this one to find that out if u don't know what's happened and I encourage you too! Just know that in December, on Xmas Day, as I type this on my Blackberry, I feel blessed and ready 4 2011!! I'm proud to say all of the hard work I've done which has placed me in a very unique position. I was fired from my full time job at my former employer a month ago. I really believe that was the break I needed to continue on with my Artistic Visionz movement. This reminds me of the turning point when I broke my leg 4 years ago in the Navy. I would have never imagined how much of a benefit that will later serve me. As long as you have a foundation in place and grind hard at building it, you can weather whatever storm you have to go thru. You will find that the hands you are dealt are designed to take you to the next step!! You have to be able to see it though. One of the things that will blind you from seeing it is fear. You have to trust your instincts!! You have to use ALL your resources, even the ones you think you didn't need!! Never think are to good for things. Be humble enough not to limit yourself. Have faith that the answer will come when you take life by the balls and work hard!!

These are the principles that I live by everyday. These are the principals that got me off the streets when I was starving & homeless just 4 years ago. The beginning of 2011 will find your man going to business school, working on the album I've been promising you guys called "The Sigh of Relief" EP. Its coming, believe me!!! I'm just getting inspired with new selections I want to include, all so that you get a complete product. So with my EP, business school, music videos, poetry & short story e-books, live shows, charity albums its what I've been in the bat cave putting together. I'm so excited at what I'm gonna have to bring to the table. Also stay tuned to my other blog I have on Tumblr @ Its some more insights on my journey, videos, new music and more popping of there as well. I've also got different blogs in other places Ill be doing in 2011. Keep in mind that I do this ALL myself. So I might disappear from time 2 time. Just knowan wherever I'm at, I'm somewhere chippin away, sculpting Artistic Visionz.

Alright, just wanted to touch bases with you guys and to wish you a Happy Holidayz 1nce again!! Stay tuned 4 some surprises and exciting things that I'm thrilled about! Until the next time, keep the faith & keep chasing your dreams! Ill holla!! One Love

D-Natural, AVP

Been maaaddd busy!!

2010-11-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

What's up world!!! It's your man D-Natural back with just a quick blog before I head to rehearsal. I know I haven't blogged anything since the end of September when I posted my last poem. It's for a really really good reason. You're man has been grinding his ass off as usual. I've been out in the streets performing, doing beat battles, recording sessions, enrolling in business school, working on my upcoming albums, and just really hustling. Whenever you don't see me blog anything for a minute its because of that and only that. I'll put up a more in depth blog on exactly what I have been up to the last couple of months and exactly how I plan to end 2010. All I gotta say is be prepared because your man is going hard and ending the year off with new releases including my album, Poetic Soul, which will be the prequel to my album I'm starting 2011 with called The Sigh of Relief EP, which I was gonna release this year. Everything has been pushed backed because of other business and opportunities that came up that your man HAD TO jump on. Everything has been picking up and it feels really really good. Check out my last TwitVid I put out, to get a more visual/personal feel of where I am coming from ---->> D-Natural PSA

I will be premiering my next single "Guestlist" which I have talked about which will appear on the Sigh of Relief EP next year. I also have a new single that will be out this weekend called "Exodus" which will be on another new album as I have mention called the Poetic Soul album.

That's about it for now. Gotta run and get back on the grind doin what I do best at choir rehearsal. I've got WAY MORE to let you guys in on music business wise and personally. I'm growing tremendously in both areas. As you know everything pops off here at my blog. All my readers here will always get the new material and fresh insights from me first. As always keep the faith, keep chasing your dreams. Make sure you savor each moment and enjoy the simple beauties of life we sometimes take for granted. Much love. Peace..

New poem just written!

2010-09-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

What's good world! It's feels good knowing I'm blessed enough to type these words and reach on to you 1nce again. Things have been crazy lately but I'm still pressing forward. It's these crazy times that have inspired my new poem I have just written. Enjoy!
My State of Mind 9/28/2010 10:25pm

I'm asking the Creator
for guidance
my souls screams
anxious dreams
by any means
my state of mind
in rhyme
art living inside me
manifesting new realities
each thought
has fought
its own war
on the shore
of my conscious
nonsense
is the opposite my logic
legitimate
confidence
but so frail
my shell
at times
blind
to amazing
intelligence relevant
to my brilliance
mixed with negligence
to positive energy
during moments of insecurity
proclaiming exclaiming
my tainted innocence
only guilty
of madness
while harboring
talents
abundant
I am
my master
and hereafter
Ill continue
to uncharted
venues
where exist
my genius
patiently
waiting
debating
my fears
shedding
dry tears
while emotions
flood
flickering
and fading
lights of lies
hiding the
real truth
to use
abilities
known to me
making a
mark on society
serenity
is in my grasp
like a glimpse
of magnificence
though turbulent
the trek
to greatness
defined by uneven lines
by design
of a mind
sublime
forming patterns
of perfection
perfecting pallets
of imagination
images
of stories
untold
unfold
yielding
feelings
of future
adventures
leaving
footsteps
of success
I will
succeed
the need far exceeds
any starving souls
hunger
under
ground
mining diamonds
depicting
a portrait of me
shining first
like the rays
of sunsets
while sighing
regrets of
past forfeits
realizing my redemption
is my creative evolution
creating solutions
in solitude
embracing life
practicing new ways
of sacrifice
for a prize
so sweet
like angel kisses

my bliss

is my fist

in the atmosphere

making each moment

a monument

therefor

making time irrelevant

as prevalent

my prominence

I will

because

I AM

Hail to the Redskins!! Hail Victory!!

2010-09-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hail to the Redskins!! Hail Victory!!

Yo! What’s good world?! It’s your man D-Natural back with words, sounds, and more! Before I get into it, I just wanna give a shoutout to my Washington Redskins, who defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener! For those that don’t know, I’ve been a Redskins fan pretty much my whole life. I’ve always rooted for our home team. I’ve even been a fan during the not so great seasons; all the way back to when making the Super Bowl for us wasn’t a problem, the Joe Gibbs era. I was at the very first game they played when they moved to FedEx Field from the old RFK stadium. The Cowboys have always been are top rivals, so this win felt good. Hopefully they can keep building momentum from this win and carry on into the playoffs. That would be great! Time shall tell, but in the meantime, congrats to the Washington Redskins and my fellow fans for a victory! I rarely get to watch TV these days being that I’m always grinding or doing music. I’ll still keep an eye for my boys just to see how they are doing…

These days are soooo tiring on your man. It’s seems like when I try to say to myself, “Hey, just stop for a second and take a break! Step back from business and chill!” I find a way to psyche myself out and say “No, keep grinding!” It’s funny because it’s so hard for me to sometimes separate business from pleasure being that the very things I do for business happen to be things I LOVE! Things like making music, writing, collaborating, setting up websites, marketing, promoting, working in the studio, performing, closing business deals, etc… That’s why I think more and more people should begin to do what they love for a living and make their passion their profit. When you do that, you’ll find that you won’t look at business as work because you enjoy and love it so much. It’s partly for this reason, I can’t wait until I can focus on nothing but the music business fulltime. I’d never have to work for someone else and punch a time clock on a set work schedule. I’m working the 9-5 job now, but my creativity and spirit are so free, I feel it’s only a matter of time before I break the confines of this office or corporate America. However, we are indeed products of a capitalistic society. You got to have a constant flow of loot to stay alive these days. We have to deal with the economy, inflation, the cost of living etc… It can get chaotic and believe me if you can’t stay afloat of the madness, the rat race, you are going to drown.

In my particular case, the very art that is coming out of me (whether it be my music or poetry, is my response to these crazy times of struggling, hustling, just trying to be successful. It’s nice to know that it is also this very art that is helping to sustain me as a productive citizen in society, as well as just being a human being in general. If I didn’t have a way to release the flood of creativity in me at times, I really think I would go insane! You see this creative ability can be a gift and a curse. All the true musicians, artist, writers know what I’m talking about. Your creative mind can drive you crazy!! I know mines does!! It’s like my mind is a 24/7 iPod constantly streaming music non-stop, whether it’s my own or someone else’s! I ALWAYS have music, verses, lyrics going in my head. I’ve gotten used to it over the years but it can be very annoying. Sometimes it can be very peaceful. It all depends. Certain moods bring certain musical feelings, words, lyrics. It’s as though I’m a slave to the art and it will always be a dominating force in how I live life. My music and poetry is a direct reflection of my reality. My interpretation of my soul’s language is the best way I think I can explain it. For those of you that have been raised in the Christian Baptist style type of church, have witnessed people speaking in tongues. For those that are not familiar, this is when a person who is filled with the presence of God, starts to speak in a language unknown to know one but them. It is said that this is the language of their soul being spoken, a spiritual language. I really do think I do this, being that I see creating as a spiritual thing as well. Except my souls language comes in the form of my beats, my music, improvising while performing live on stage, my poetry, just my different modes of self expression. I feel I’m communicating what my soul is speaking that I can’t always put into words, so I put it into sound form in hopes that it will be felt by another person’s soul, creating some type of higher level communication…

Until the next time, stay tuned for more words, sounds, and other special treats I will be sharing!! As always keep the faith and keep chasing your dreams!

D-Natural, Artistic Visions Productions

Supreme by D Natural

2010-09-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Supreme by D Natural

$low and $teady Wins the Race…..

2010-09-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

What’s good world! It’s your man D-Natural back with another installment of this blog of mines. Before I get into it, I just want to thank everyone who has viewed, commented on, and promoted my blog here!! I’m seeing the stats and it’s really pleasing to me!! All of you have no idea how much your support, love, encouraging words, and props on my movement are felt! I’ve been getting positive feedback from literally all over the globe on my work and I must say it feels awesome! As you know, I’m gonna continue to do my very best at delivering fresh music, words and insights here. If there is anything else you would like to see or hear, feel free to holla at your man! Moving on……

As you can see, the title of today’s blog is $low and $teady Wins the Race. That old adage couldn’t be any more right to me!! Your man has been steadily plugging away at getting my company Artistic Visionz Productions off the ground! The small baby steps that you take everyday towards your goal, the more you’ll eventually produce even greater results! Since the last blog, I’ve made some more progress, and I’ll be happy to share some of that with you as always! As you can see on my blog here, I’ve posted several new beats via soudcloud.com/d-natural! One of those new joints “Ms. Carla” has found a new home!! I’m proud to say that that beat right there, will be my very first beat placed with an overseas artist in Great Britain! Shoutout to my homie Blak Ram, a very talented lyricist with whom I connected with online. Don’t worry; you are going to hear more collabs from me and this cat!!! $tay Tuned…..

This week your man had to do it! I took 2 days off of work (day job) Tuesday and Wednesday of this week!! I had been contemplating doing that for awhile. You see my 9 to 5 job keeps me there every week Monday through Friday, with no days off, unless it’s a government holiday. Now you know for a young entrepreneur like myself, I grind and get it in wherever but sometimes you need to back away from EVERYTHING to just focus on ONE thing. That’s exactly what I did. I plan on doing it more too, just gotta watch my personal leave hours, ugh!! I knew I had to take time and put more focus into Artistic Visionz Productions because that’s my heart, my passion and most importantly my BRAND. You gotta always invest time and $ into building your brand. The more you do that, the more people will begin to respect your brand and know that you mean business. I managed in those 2 days to get some much needed rest, create some new music, and network with fans and future clients. I also spoke with a very talented video director, Chill Will 410 aka Will Money, CEO of Pyrex TV (YouTube & Google this cat ASAP). He will be directing my music video for my second single “Guestlist” (I know, I know, I’ll be releasing it soon!) I felt the energy and hunger of this cat through the phone lines, very much like mines! I’m happy to have him on board to shoot the video. I’m still planning the whole thing but I’ll keep ya posted. Of course, you know I’m going to premier the video right here!! I almost fainted when I reached out to one of our legendary DJ’s and hugely respected music veterans here in the DMV, DJ Celo, to make a cameo in the video and he accepted! That’s was major for me and my movement. This cat is a legend, you hear me, a LEGEND!! I grew up listening to this man’s DJ shows and mixes on the radio, hearing his name all over the city and now he’s gonna be in my music video!! I’m still amazed at that, but he’s been feeling my music and definitely has shown me nothing but love and support from day 1!!

All these things and so much more are going on right now. I’m just grinding hard to keep up with it and making things happen! 1nce again Slow and Steady Wins the Race, gotta keep chipping away! I’ll save my other updates and goodies until after this Labor Day weekend!! (I know it’s not right, but trust me it’ll be worth the wait!) Happy Labor Day!! Especially to all those people who put in that work, that real labor!!

Until the next time, as always, keep the faith & keep chasing your dreams!

D-Natural, Artistic Visionz Productions

Ms. Carla by D Natural

2010-08-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

Ms. Carla by D Natural

Interlude from the upcoming self produced EP The Sigh of Relief By D-Natural by D Natural

2010-08-22T12:25:00.003-07:00

Interlude from the upcoming self produced EP The Sigh of Relief By D-Natural by D Natural

Hard by D Natural

2010-08-22T12:24:00.005-07:00

Hard by D Natural

Hard Work Pay$ Off > > !

2010-08-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

What’s good world! It’s your favorite music producer D-Natural back for more updates and insights!

First, I hope everyone enjoyed my latest poem that I posted on here a few days ago. I had that laying around in one of my books and I had forgotten I wrote it (which happens quite often). One of the best feelings an artist can get, is when they find something of theirs that they forgot they created, read or hear it again and surprise themselves. That’s what happened with my latest poem. As soon as I found it, I did a little editing and just had to share it with you all. Sometimes I get so caught up in the music and that part of me, I forget about the writer side of me and all the works I’ve created. This blog is dedicated to the poetry/writing as well as music. So I’m going to continue to give it to you all. If you guys would like to comment with a topic that you want me to write about, I accept the challenge! As I had intended to do at the beginning of the year, I still plan on releasing my first spoken word poetry album. Just haven’t decided when. I’ll keep you posted though.

As for my music business, I am happy to say things are steadily picking up and opportunities are coming in to spread my work literally all over the world! Looks like Artistic Visionz Productions is going worldwide!! I’ve been giving the opportunity to remix a song for promotional use, for a group out of Canada. I reveal more details to that when I’m about ready to release it. I’ve also come across a dope lyricist out of the UK, who can hold his own on the mic. I’ve long had the desire now to work with an artist out of Europe and now I have my chance. This week I am going to get started on working on the type of beats he request from me, so we will see how that goes. I have sold my first batch of soul music in a long time to a client I have in Texas. I’m still excited and happy that I accomplished that. I still plan on submitting more material for their album so I’ll let you know what I manage to cook up for them and I’ll even share some of that with you here! Also a short mix which includes the song called Krazzy I produced by dj Pun and crew was just released. If you click on my Facebook profile to the right, you will see the ReverbNation link my page that you can click on and hear this. I also will be sharing with you the full song and other great songs by dj Pun and his collective GRIL!!! Google them!!

Aside from creating, my skills on the business side of things are sharpening by the minute!! I mentioned here before that I manage myself and that I’m learning as I go along. I do my research, find out what needs to be done, and I just go for it!! Even though this has been a lot of hard work and can get very crazy, I am delighted at the opportunities I have afforded myself. A good friend of mine and a hell of a producer, Jared Fite aka Thunderbird Juicebox (Google him now!), recently told me in a conversation that it seems as though I have an online presence. This really excited me, because even though I know I’ve been doing the little things to get attention online, you really can’t measure your impact on your audience until you get confirmation like I did from Jared and others that I’m definitely being noticed!! I’m only getting started with my campaign, so plan on seeing a lot more of me around the net!! I still have a lot more to learn but when you’re in the middle and business is coming at you, if you want it bad enough, you’ll figure what you have to do to secure that business and grow your brand!!

I’ll post another blog later on this week, but for now here’s a little insight as to what’s happening now. Stay tuned for more music, poetry and the crazy adventures of

D-Natural!! Keep the faith and keep chasing your dreams! Peace

Did I mention Im also a poet > New Poem: Untitled

2010-08-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

My thoughts are in the wind

Time is what I see in the distance

Marinating in crown royal

Paradise IM YOUR HIGHNESS

Laud my excellence

But glorify life

Existence in I

You

Us

Them

Comtemplating

Rhythms like a jazz soloist

Drunk

Madness

My flew across my room like a silver

Bullet piercing space

Magnify who I am

I am don’t know

Everything

About

Society graces thee

Head bloody but unbowed

Divine Shepard

I’m raising wolves to hunt

At dawn

Searching for a being that loves

Sky tears

Technology conscious

Streaming

Internet

Brain

Cells

Stimulated

Deliberated

I love whom I not

Typing out Of control

On my keyboard

Pouring out passion

Drippings like the ocean water of the gods

Oh my god

Oh my me

Who I am

Successful birthright

May my obitiuary read

Ghost fairy tales

Opera like

Mafia style

Flipping verbs

Are you hearing me

I am heard

And you will hear

In a galaxy café near

You my symphony

Creating harmony with your soul

Not beggin you

But tempting you to madness

Chaos can be beautiful

Cuz beautiful is crazy

Bliss

Kiss my sons and daughters

And tell then their father

Was a pharaoh

Knight of the universe

Triumphant with my lord

Excited and disturbed

But groovy

Swinging from star to start burning my hand

On the atmospheric particles

Molecules of yesterday

Fading

Fascinating I

You

You

You will hear

I am heard

I am me

I am victorious

So much to do, so little time….

2010-08-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

What’s up good people! It’s your man D Natural back with updates on this rollercoaster I’m on called life.

As you already know, your man is still grinding, getting it in, and chasing the dream!! I can say that more doors are opening for me and business is steadily coming in. However while all this is good, it can be a bit frustrating when you can’t devote as much of your time as you would like to getting business handled. It’s seems as though I want to constantly kick myself sometimes because even though I know it’s necessary to work my 9 to 5 day job to keep the bills paid, when you see even greater potential from your doing what you love, it makes you want to scream!!! What’s even crazier is when you realize the success that your business ventures can bring you has the potential of yielding more profits than you would ever receive on that 9 to 5 job. So I’m like damn I wish I can just leave this day job behind and do my music full time. The goal is to do exactly this sooner or later, but I can’t now. When you get home, open the mail, and see all these bills and debts you need to pay staring you in the face, you know you have to keep those other sources of income open just a wee bit longer. You have some businessman out there that would tell you to take the risk or “burn the ship” as my friend would say. Some would tell you to take the risk, concentrate and devote time to making your passion your profit. They would say have no fear, don’t worry about when the money is going to come in or whatever bad may happen and to just have faith. Now while I agree with this, I also agree that bills have to be paid. You can’t ignore the bills because what you owe will just get worse and put you more behind which will affect how you are doing you business in the future. These types of things put me in the bitter mood I am in right now as I type this. I’m sitting here at work, at my desk, around people that can get on my nerves, that are annoying, but I do what I have to do and I really don’t let them affect me. What does get me is when I see reactions from people to my music, my poetry, my songs, getting over 4500 plays of my current single “Get Down” in only 2 and a half months and I want to keep delivering these things but I am restricted as to when I can. When I look back over the last couple of months and see my progress as a musician, producer, businessman, I’m impressed with myself but at the same time I’m mad because I know I could have done even more to get even greater results. Believe me if I had some decent amount of loot saved up, I would just quit this day job because I’m confident enough I can make it into the industry in a certain amount of time. My current situation however, is not going to allow this. So how do I manage to get these kinds of results? I would say good time management, being able to do ALL you can when you can do it and just hustling like an immigrant. When I get little breaks at work, I’m on my BlackBerry networking, making moves, and so forth, and making calls. Even though I know they are watching our computer activity at work, I still take the risk and get my business handled online. I know its wrong and that I can get in trouble but I really haven’t yet. Plus I’m a valued employee where I am now as evident of a recent raise I got with a letter from the CEO saying that he is wholeheartedly satisfied with my work. While all this is great, and I’m happy with the progress I am making on the job, still burning in the back of my skull everyday is “ Dan, you are too talented, you are too gifted, you are too intelligent, you are too tough and humble not be more successful than you are…” I know you have to be patient and do what you have to do to maintain but it’s still very very frustrating. It’s like having all the ingredients to make a fantastic meal but no kitchen to prepare it in or no time to even cook the meal if you had the kitchen. However, you know that if people ate what you cooked and loved it, at the end of the day you will feel far more satisfied. Then you would be trying to feed the world. Well I’m trying to feed the world but then again I have to keep myself fed as well… It is what is it is.

$tay tuned more new music being release over the next few days. I also will be collaborating with my friend/producer Skyboy to work on a remix and some other material today and tomorrow. Then I have to work to continue to create some more material and to select the tracks that I am going to use for this upcoming beat battle for Beats4Cancer.com Also I am getting some stuff together for an artist and record label out of Baltimore. I’m debating whether or not to purchase this equipment to upgrade my home studio just a little bit, but what the hell you got to invest for success so I think I might go head and do it! What else…Be on the lookout for my second single “Guestlist”!! It’s long overdue I know, but it will be worth the wait, trust me!! I’m also going to try to get a music video done for that as well. As always I’ll keep ya posted. Shoutout to everyone that has been checking my blog out. I know there have been people viewing because the number plays for my music widget on here have been steadily rising!! Please comment on anything and everything!! Ask me anything!!

Until the next time, keep the faith, live your life to the fullest and don’t sweat the small stuff! One Love.

D Natural

What's good y'all! Just a quick post on some things I would like to share...

2010-07-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Check out my new TwitVid

Here some pics from my studio session last saturday with Norman Weeks! Google, Youtube, Facebook this guy immediately for some good music! Also I will keep updated on his album when it drops that I'm featured on! Stay tuned for some other goodies real soon! Peace..

Of course, I'm still on my grind to $hine!!!!!!

2010-07-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

What's up world!!!! It's yours truly, D Natural, back with more words and sounds!

I hope everyone reading this is blessed and happy, first of all! I'm blessed and happy myself, just taking things one day at a time!! My grind has not slowed down one bit, and more opportunities are coming to me all the time. Just like I've always done since I've started this blog, you know your man is gonna give yall the low down on his grind. Peep this....

I remember when I purchased my 1st Blackberry back in March of this year. The purpose for me doing this, was to have a phone that was gonna help me with my business. When you start out on your grind, no one knows your name, what youre about, what you do, etc. You are just a nobody, and the world doesn't know you exist. Then when you make a mission statement to yourself like I did and say, everyone will know my name, respect my God given talents, my grind, my business and work toward that, it's cool to see how many people began to look for you, keep up with you, and that love listening to what you do. My Blackberry went from not ringing or alerting me much about incoming messages in March to blowing up all the time and days. Now I'm always either getting an alert from Twitter, Facebook, phoneline, Google, ReverbNation, Soundcloud etc., from many different people!! I must say I am liking the respect and attention I've been getting! It let's me know that people are starting to tune into the music and words of D Natural of Artistic Visionz Productions. Everyday is forward progress and for some reason if not moving forward in any direction, by the end of the day I make it small goal to do or initiate something that will keep me moving forward. Every like action produces like results!

Since I've last blogged, I've completed all my past missions and now have a new set of projects I'm working: I received a request to do my very first remix of a song for a company on Twitter. I've decided to try to partner up with another producer, my friend and business associate, Skyboy of Blue Funk Entertainment, for this one. I hope we can work and get this completed. I've also recieved a request to do a drop for a radio station! For those that don't know, a drop is basically saying a few words endorsing the radio station and telling the listeners to stay tuned! I've also just recorded a small promotional video for Beats4Cancer.com!! They are an organization with a mission to raise awareness for a healthier life using music/beats!!! I'm all about giving and helping charities so this was a no brainer to partner with them. They are going to be have their first beat battle on August 14, 2010 and I plan to be there competing along other producers. I'm going to try my very best to get video footage while I'm there and share that with you here!! For now, please check the website: Beats4Cancer.com and see what they are about. Also here is the link for the promotional video I did for them - - >

BEATS4CANCER.COM PROMO VIDEO

As you can see below this blog post I have placed 3 brand new beats to share with you all courtesty of SoundCloud.com! I hope you enjoy them!! Comment and give your opinions on everything!! I want to be the people's producer so I need to hear what you guys want to hear from me and I'm gonna delivered the best art possible!

On another note, as for my day jpb, your man as of yesterday got a little raised!! It aint much but every little bit helps and really I'm just glad I made through my first year there and that its a sign they wanna keep me around, because they have been letting people go!! LOL

I'm proud of myself for being able to run my music business as well as hold down the 9 - 5 to keep my bills paid and this new roof over my head. It's been a battle and a grind but I'm hanging in there and getting stuff DONE!!!!

Until the next time, as always, keep the faith, keep chasing your dreams and I'll see you at the top!! Let's all $hine!!!! Peace

D Natural

Nasty by D Natural

2010-07-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

Nasty by D Natural

Ohh by D Natural

2010-07-21T13:23:00.001-07:00

Ohh by D Natural

Ride by D Natural

2010-07-21T13:22:00.001-07:00

Ride by D Natural

Happy 4th of July Weekend USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

What's up world!!!!!! It's your man D Natural back with yet another blog about this crazy adventure called my life!

And you know of course, your man I been very very busy on the business tip. I got a fresh new set of updates to let yall in on!!!! First I'm getting ready to drop my next single called "Guestlist" this weekend!!! It's either gonna be the 3rd, 4th, or 5th of July!!! If you heard my first single, "Get Down", my intention with that, was to showcase my skills as not only a producer, but one who can emcee and sing as well. With "Guestlist" it's a lil different in the sense that I designed it for the party scene, the dancehalls, the clubs.....It's an uptempo track with a beat that is sure to get you dancing, even if you're the type like me, who prefers not to dance all the time. It's definitely a head nodder!! Lyrically I paint a picture of how D Natural gets down in the clubs. So I just hope yall enjoy it!!!! It really believe this one is gonna be kinda of a hit!!! I just get that vibe from it, we'll see!!

Aside from my solo project, more opportunities for producing other artist are coming my way!!! This feels great!!! I got my work cut out for me!! I've been impressing my client in Texas with my batch of soul music I have been sending his way!! He's picked 2 beats so far that hes gonna buy and I'm in the process of cooking up more. Also I have to get a batch of some epic, space age sounding music for my fam at 88.1FM (MD/DC station, USA) who along with some other company is sponsoring a compilation album that will feature nothing but artist from my home area of Maryland, DC, Virginia, USA. To be on a project like this will be really exciting for me, cuz it exposes me to more of my hometown!

Also I've been talking with a few radio stations about doing work for them as well getting my songs on the air!!! Your boy has been making all types of moves!! When you are the Producer, Artist, and your own Manager, it kinda can drive ya nuts because ther is so much to keep up with!! I'm just blessed that I have a variety of work to do and complete!!! This means I gotta be doing something right if I'm opening up all these doors for myself!!! All I can say right now, is that is feels good!!! Gotta alot work to do though. I'm glad the CEO here at my day job, decided to give us the Monday off after the 4th of July!! I really need this 3 day weekend to finish current music already in place and to create more of whats needed for my connection!!!

I'm also going to be contacting a season music promoter this weekend, who has worked for over a dozen major record labels that I know you guys are familiar with like Def Jam, Universal, Alantic, Sony etc. about taking the promotion of my music to the next level!!! He already said I my material sounds good so, Imma give him a call this weekend and talk some business. You know I'll keep ya updated on the all this progress I'm making!!

That's about it for now. Until my next blog, yall be cool, keep the faith, keep chasing YOUR dreams and don't stop cuz I won't stop!!!! Peace and Ble$$ings!!!!!!!!

D Natural

Inspiring Friday but the rest of the weekend ditto........

2010-06-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

What's up world!!! Your man D Natural back with another blog!!!

Well I'll begin with Friday.... This was an exciting day for me being that I got to see one of my favorite artist Jill Scott and Maxwell perform live in concert at the Verizon Center in DC. Let me just say it was off the hook!! As a musician you now I can appreciate any performance, especially when it's being given by some great artist with real talent! So I got off of work and went to meet the person who I was taking with me that night by the arena. Guy Torry, a funny comedian, opened up the show with some funny jokes, then Jill Scott took the stage with a presence that's unbelievable. I can't wait until the day I have stage presence like that! She gave a very good performance, DC being one of her favorite cities! She even cried in the middle of one her songs. When you feel it, you feel it!! You see as artist it takes alot for us sometimes to write the songs we write. Some songs you just connect with more than others at times because of the emotion it took to create it. Sometimes those emotions are can brought on very strongly simply by just performing it, which is what happened to Jill! I respect her greatly as an artist because you can feel her passion when you hear her work. Not many strike a chord (no pun intended) and give me goosebumps like that, but she does!! Up next after a rather lengthy intermission was Maxwell who was just as great! Another artist who I consider a real artist because of the emotion and passion you can feel from their music. He gave an energized and very entertaining performance which had everybody dancing!! Both artist really let DC know how much they loved the people and the city! It was a great night. I was very inspired. I always leave these type of events with a sense of anxiety because I can't wait to perform in front a sold out arena, to reach that many people with my music. The ability to even perform your song that you wrote from your soul and hear people sing your words back to you is a blessing! Now that's the power of communication, the power of music, making that universal connection! That's part of why I do what I do, digg?

To bad the rest of the weekend wasn't so inspiring or eventful. All I really did was lay around and do some promotions work online as far as the music goes. However, I did get some inspiring compliments of my work that I currently have out which always makes me feel good. My beats are really starting to spread and my name is getting out there! Im making connections and the future careerwise is looking bright. I really have to concentrate and get my album done though, but Im not tryna rush it. i will be releasing the second single "Guestlist" this week. It seems as though when I get ready to focus back on my solo material, a potential client pops up that wants to talk business!!! This is very good don't get me wrong, but if you are not paying attention you can get overwhelmed with the attention. But this is what I wanted, this is what I've been working for. I'll continue to consider all the business offers that are coming my way, but you also have to filter out who's really serious and who's not. This will take experience and trusting your gut. But as far as current projects other than my own, I'll be wrapping up my work for my homie Puneet Prasad and then Ill be getting into producing some soul music for my client in Texas, who is already thrilled with one track I sent and I believe he has already started writing to it as well. As always, Ill keep yall updated. Until the next time, take care and keep the faith!

New Progre$$! Moving Forward!!!

2010-06-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

What's up world!

This is your man D Natural back with some cool updates!...

First, just know that your man I has been busy as usual! The music grind in itself is an artform in my opinion, and you have to be just as creative in how you approach it as you do with making the the music! When you are starting out managing yourself like I do, you have to be constantly on your toes for new oppurtunity. I feel I almost have to look at myself as another person and constantly switch perspectives. By this mean I mean, I wear so many hats. Since I have decided Im gonna manage myself, I have to step outside myself and look at me as a talent agent would, as an artist. I know what skills, talent, and abilities I have as an music producer/artist (cuz no one knows me better than me) and its about me as a manager always thinking what best for me the artist and creating a plan to showcase the talents in any area where sound and writing in my case can take you!

This is a journey for me learning how to do this and I'm really just starting out so I have to learn as I go which has been working out fine, since I'm a fast learner. It's alot of hard work, but I'm figuring it out and have definitely been getting results.....

First I am now being featured on www.VaTalent.com! A website for up and coming DMV artist!! I've been really working hard at promoting myself, because Im going deeper and deeper into the promotions phase of my projects as I gear up for my album release late summer 2010 (The Sigh of Relief EP) The beauty of that is the more effort and energy you put into it, as long as the music is good, it seems as though people come outta nowhere wanting to help you. I've been getting alot of that happening to me. People on Twitter are promoting my music, as well as other people who are becoming fans. Alot of industry cats are following as well! I wanna be on everyone's radar and let them know that I'm serious about my music business!!!!

The highlight of my week i must say, is when the FunkRegulata DJ Cee Lo who is Legendary in my area (the DMV area: DC, MD, and VA) got back to me, giving me props for two of my beats he really liked on my SoundCloud.com account!!! This meant so much to me, being that I grew up listening to this guy on WKYS 93.9, a local radio station here, and now I'm communicating with him, and he's stayin in contact with me!!! I can only imagine what doors this my open for me! What else.....

I have a new client in Texas, who I am getting ready to start work on a series of soul music for. I gotta grab something from the music shop before I can started on that. I also think its time I invest in a better mic lol. Lord knows I've done wonders with this plastic radio shack mic I got. Because I work with what I got to make it sound good, people never would expect me to be using what I using but, hey its not what you have, its how you use it. It's not the equipment that makes the hotness, its the man behind the equipment. I have a desire to do as much as I can with as little as possible. I think Kanye West had the same idea, and look what happened to him. It can be done!!! But with people really starting to take me seriously and keepin an ear out to what I put out, I should at least upgrade to a new mic so my vocals sound clearer. Afterall, its a business investment, and I am my business. You can never invest enough into yourself, family and friends. Its the sacrifice that will bring you the $ucce$$ in the end!

Well untill the next time, heres to reaching the dream!! Peace and Love..Lata - D Natural

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us!!!!!

2010-05-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

What's up world!! It's your man D Natural back again to with updates on this crazy adventure I call my life...

Things have been going really well. Can't complain to much. Tomorrow will mark my first week in the my new home which has been great. I just met one of my roommates and he seemed like a real cool guy. I ran into another one of my roommates last night, but I was kinda drunk and just was barely able to mumble my bad cuz I thought I had ran into him in the hallway. LOL But I got a real good vibe from him too. We all do our own thing and work so everybody's been getting along so far. I hope it stays that way. As you know with great opportunity comes great responsibility. I've been making some great connections with artist to submit my beats too. I am happy to say that one of those artist Puneet Prasad, has selected one of my beats called "Krazzy" for his next album!!! He requested more from me with a certain type of sound so I gotta get to work on those this weekend. On top of that I'm really really close to getting a track placed with Kokayi, a very talented producer/emcee out of the DC area as well. It's some uptempo rockish type stuff for him. I'm kinda fustrated with myself because the guitar I have is not the guitar I really wanna use for what I am doin but it'll have to work. I'm gonna record some live guitar riffs and lines to mix into the tracks that he likes. The problem is that I dont have a overdrive/distortion pedal that you need to get that rock/heavy metal tone. I used to have a whole set up of that stuff for my guitar but add to sell it. Now that's something I see I'm going have to add to my bag of tricks again. Now I do have access to a distortion type sound I can get off my console I use to record my songs but it sucks!! But you know, I have to work with what I got. Situations like this just force you to be more creative and to get the song to how is supposed to sound. I can get a used overdrive pedal but that wouldnt be until next week and Kokayi needs the final versions of beats by this weekend. So I'm gonna have to hustle to wrap it up and have them sent to him by noon tomorrow. I don't think they will turn out that bad. I'm gonna have to just make it work and I WILL! This is my dream and I can't blow my opportunity. In the music biz or any biz u have to do what u have to do to get ahead and be successful. If u have to walk 3 or 5 miles to get to a business meeting or get a tool u need for a project then that's what u have to do. I'm no stranger to doing things like that so I'm ready for the challenge!!! It's just part of the grind and I understand that....I just really want this collab with him to come out dope. I get a track with this renowned, respected, Grammy nominated artist and it can only lead to other doors being opened. It thrilled me when he said I have solid work and that he will be sitting with my tracks this weekend and make a decision then. So tonite as soon as I get off of work @5 Imma get back home and get to work. I have to be up early tommorrow for choir rehearsal so I use the wifi at the Mcdonalds by the church and e-mail him the final versions and hope he satisfied....I'll let you know what happens so wish me luck. Then I have to record the vox for my next single which will be called "Guestlist". It's a more upbeat party joint, something for the clubs!! Be on the lookout for that. Then I'll release a few more single then the whole album which I might do as a pay what u want project on my Band Camp website.

So that's about it for now. Prolly leaving some other good things out but don't worry, I'll let you know what's good when I know what's good myself! I'm barely keepin my head above water and makin a way when I can, like the Good Times theme song saids!!! This weekend should be as relaxing as is productive because its a 3 day weekend and although I have to work on my music business, I plan on getting rest and tending to my mind and body! It's is definitely easier to have peace and relaxtions when u no longer live with relatives that annoy the fcuk out of you!!!!!!! LOL Until the next, be safe, be happy, be active, be successful!!!

D Natural

New Music!!!!

2010-05-26T08:01:00.001-07:00

In my Bone Crusher voice: ATTENCHUN!!!!! Peep just about 80 % of my NEW BEAT CD ----------> http://soundcloud.com/d-natural INTERESTED in a track let me know, serious inquiry only!!! Otherwise please enjoy this new music from and please dance!!!! Peace Let$ get it!!!!

$ucce$$ feels so good!!!!!!

2010-05-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

What's up folks. It's 1nce again your man D Natural back with another installment of da blog!! First of all I apologize for not blogging as often as I used to. I will start to do it more again as I tighten my schedule up because my life is getting to be very productive and very busy, which is a great thing!! Your man has been making moves!!! My faith, grind, hard work, and resilience is paying off. I have so much to update you guys on:

First, remember how I was in need of a new place to live bad? Well thanks to my grind, I have successfully found a room to rent that is very affordable and the owner of the house is a lovely woman. The house is right around the corner from where I grew up in Capitol Heights, MD. I am so excited. As I type this your man has the keys in his pocket and Im ready tp get the hell up from under my parents. I am going to rent a U-Haul truck on Friday, and should have about 90% of my stuff moved in 24 hours. I have already paid for the rest of this month, so u know I am ready to be outta my peeps joint!!! Ready to enjoy my new freedom!!! Of course I was looking to find own spot that %100 mines but I've decided to take baby steps and start out doing this. I see myself in 6 months to a year attempting the next step but for now I am happy with what I have. And more important Im finally from up under my parents and the rest of my family. Now I have to just deal with me and my business which will only increase grind, focus, and on the other hand lower my stress level....I love my room at this new spot and I have the biggest one in the house. The closet is big enough to build a small mic booth on one half of it, which I plan to do. Whew!!! That's one less thing I have to deal with now.

As for the music: Ive been making mad progress in getting my own material together as well as finding clientele to submit instrumentals to. As u can see from the previous post I made at the beginning of this month, I finally released my first single titled "Get Down" off of one of my upcoming solo releases, The Sigh of Relief EP!!! If you havent heard it yet, please feel free to check it out!! I am singin, rhyming and of course I produced the track! I have the link on the last post on here and also on my Facebook profile which you can get to from here as well...I have gotten positive feedback from folks who have heard it. It's been out for about 2 weeks now and last time I checked my Zshare account where I have it streaming on the net, it showed that I had gotten over 80 spins!!! So people have been definitely checkin it out. I am going to release the next single is a couple weeks or so. Right now I am focused on just getting beats to the people who I have come across by grinding and networking. One artist that is noteworthy of mentioning is fellow DC native, Emcee/Producer Kokayi, who might I add got nominated for a Grammy last year!!! :o) You know your boy it pretty excited, more like estatic, to have a opportunity to work with this cat. I've know about his music for awhile, first hearing him in high school on a record he recorded with his band Cosmic Dapp Theory that he was in then. He is really good at what he does!!! Check him out. He allowed me to e-mail him work for a record he is currently finishing. Lastnight I really believe I made the record he is gonna want!!! I'll soon post that beat on here for yall to hear too! So right now my focus is just making the tracks he needs and gathering all the beats I've already done in the past couple of months for my next beat CD which I have to send to a handful of artist on the come up like myself. All I gotta say is stay tuned!!!! I told you I wouldnt dissapoint! Please check out my Facebook page and send a request if you would like. Also follow your man on Twitter: ArtisticVisionz

I know I have more news to tell ya but that will do it for now. I'm gonna continue to grind and get mine out here. I hope yall are doing the same thing. Soon to come will be more music, of course, and pics and video of yours truly on the grind. It's been a hell of a journey these last couple of years but I'm startin to faintly see the light at the end of the road!!! Be on the look out for the next blog!!! Until this. Peace, love and ble$$ing$!!! over and out

D Natural

zSHARE - Track 01.mp3

2010-05-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

zSHARE - Track 01.mp3 What's up to all my blogging fam! As promised I have realeased my first joint for all my peoples to listen to. It's called Get Down of my solo project The Sigh of Relief EP featuring me D Natural. I also of course, produced the track. Holla

Long time no blog to!!

2010-04-29T12:00:00.001-07:00

What's up everyone!! I just want yall to know that haven't quit blogging, it just that I've been very busy. I just wanted post this quick blog to let everyone know I'm good. I've been making moves, making music, making connections and grinding. I got a lot of good things to update yall on from my journey. As I type this on my Blackberry at during my fresh air break at work, I'm tired about to pass out. Ya boy has been getting it in though. I have new I gotta post as well as pics and other treats imma surprise yall with. Its been one big adventure but the future is lookin bright. Ill post a more in depth blog with all the details but I'm good. For those that have been reading, I appreciate and love yall for that!!! Until the next time, take care, live ur dream and keep the faith!!! Peace...

A quick short poem I just wrote! Enjoy

2010-03-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

My tongue be a prism reflecting the language of rainbows, storytelling the motions of sunsets,my mind be a celestial radio transmitting the frequencies of angels making my words heavenly,I’m etching words in hieroglyphics on the walls of your conscience, in the end the haters can’t doubt my brilliance,I’m marrying success and my legacy will be our lovechild,soon to be dominated airwaves with sonic soul power, stay tuned to a dream not deferred,my art is my Led Zeppelin,my Stairway to Heaven

Long time no see!!!!

2010-02-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

What's up everyone!

Just so y'all know, I've haven't blogged since the the beginning of this month, but it's for many reasons. I've been very very very busy!!!! I've been on grind mode. I wasn't gonna blog until I had some exciting things to let you guys in on. I don't even no if anybody has been reading any of my blogs cause I don't see any comments. But then again, I look at some peoples blogs on here that are way more popular than me right now and they don't have comments from people most of the time. So it's no way for me to tell if anybody is reading. But it's all good, it's still an accurate account of what I'm going through and my grind. I won't mind lookin back on this the future and saying, "Damn, I was going through that shit! I overcame it though!!!!" I can't wait for those moments...

Since my last blog I have made some measurable amount of progress. I have just signed to BMI (Broadcasting Music Incorperated) so that they can handle the publishing of my music for the next 3 years. For those not familiar with them, the are a company that ensures that I get paid royalties($) from anyone that uses my original songs and music on radio, tv, albums, ect. They police the industry for people using any music that I have registered with them, and makes them pay for using my work in any media outlet and in turn they get a piece of those profits which is how they stay in business. A musician I play with in the choir band I'm in has been using them for years and he's happy for them. I knew I would eventually have to do that to get paid for my work in the long run and to establish longevity in the game. I'm real close to doing an album for the Humane Society!! The album will be another solo effort from me but each song will be written to help spread the message about the different programs the Humane Society advocates for and to let people know the importance of all God's creatures great and small. I've had this idea for awhile now but finally mustered up the courage to pitch the idea to the Humane Society. I didn't think they would call me back but they did!!! So now I'm just waiting to hear from the head of Business Promotions for the organization and I'll be able to give you more guys details from there! I've decided to give all the proceeds to the organization to benefit the animals! Can't wait to get started on it!! As for my other projects, my first solo album is still a working progress. I have completed some songs and have been sending the final versions to my man Jared Fite aka Thunderbird Juicebox (check him out!!) to do all the mastering. Everything is coming along fine!! I'm going to bang out more songs this weekend! Got the words and beats ready to go!! As soon as I get back the mastered versions from Jared I will post them here as well as other sites on the web!

I've been coming into contact with alot of my favorite artist on Twitter and have begun forming relationships with them. Can't wait to see what oppurtunities this yields!!! I'm very excited though! So as you can see, I've been a very busy guy but still so much to do. The grind never stops!

On a personal level, I'm still searching for the next spot I'm gonna live but haven't been having much luck. The first apartment I applied for I didn't get approved. I'm pretty sure it was because of my messed up credit! I'm getting that together though, but its a process. In the meantime, this really gets my spirits down at times. My friends tell me it will get better and not to stress. But most of them has never been homeless before and on the streets like I was, so its hard for them to really know whats on my mind and why I'm so worried. Ive been there before and I dont want to go back. I don't know what I will do if I ended up in that situation again. I have some time but don't have much. I got to September, so I gotta just continue to grind. I'll find something though, even if I have to suck it up and live or roommate with someone else, even though I don't want to. I just want to be by myself. I will keep y'all posted as usual on everythang. Other than that everything is looking up!! Gotta keep pushin.

Well that's about it for now untill the next time, y'all be cool and be safe out there in world. Peace out!!!

Beats, Rhymes, and Life

2010-02-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Yo!

That is not just the title to one dope Tribe Calles Quest Album but those things are the what I am all about. It's crazy lately what's been happening to me. When I think of it though, it is these very moments that are shaping who I am as a person and the assortment of lyrics and ideas coming to my head. A poem or a lyric for a song has always just appeared in my head as a thought, then I would brainstorm other words to connect to that original thought until I am forming sentences or stanzas. However, the way poems and lyrics come to me lately is quite different. I think maybe because I am focused on the strickly creating for the album. I'm always thinking of the beats I am using on this album and connecting the right verses to the right song. Sometimes I'll be thinking of ideas for one verse of one song and like 10 minutes later, I get an idea for a verse to a different beat. I am constantly going back in forth with these ideas in my head. It can be very fustrating sometimes especially when I am trying to capture all these different emotions and feelings as they come to me. But that's the gift and the curse of having these God given talents I guess. Recording and writing for the album is coming along quite well and I'll think will be able to get things done before the end of this month. My boy Jared aka Thunderbird Juicebox has told me he is still standing by to master the final mixes when I'm done. I have really wanted to get some songs on here since I last blogged about doing that, but I am not quite ready yet. I do apologize because I don't want to get people excited and then not deliver. Trust me when I do say though I will deliver with this project. I'm from the MD/DC area and we are supposed to be getting an ass load of snow this weekend. Like I'm talking a couple feet from what I hear. So I doubt I will be going to work next Monday or church Sunday. So with no where to go outside while being snowed in inside the house, I will have nothing but opportunity to write and wrap things up on this EP. I soon I get something I think worthy of posting, I'll put it up ASAP. I'm just such a perfectionist and I hate releasing something until its for sure the way I want it. I also am beginning to learn that while that is a good way to be, if you are going to be in the music industry where you have deadlines and stuff like that, you also have to be able to capture the record, get it done while being mindful of time. You have to have quality as well as be able to deliver your art in a timely manner. Stay tuned though cuz I have something special I know people will digg. Ya digg?

I have recently completed my taxes and all my returns were accepted by the government which is great because that means in about a week I'll be getting that good ol' refund. That refund is exactly what I need to help me move out in a couple of months, which is what I really need to do. After I get that, with a few more pay checks, I think I'll be ready to make that move. So let's all cross your fingers and hope that I can do it! I got to do it. That's all there is to it. I have no choice.

Other than all that everything has just been the same 'ol same 'ol. Until the next time, everyone be cool and I'll holla!! Peace

2010-02-03T05:59:00.001-08:00

What's up y'all?!

I will have a whole new blog post up here later on today. But for now, here is a quick poem I just wrote almost a hour ago. Enjoy!

Untitled

I have recent memories
of living amongst savages on the streets
now a prince I walk with kings and I am next to claim my throne
royalty
I be
a modern day pharoah
conducting street orchestras
put on your shades from the radiance of my aura
using my life's harsh realities
morphing them into beautiful symphonies
hoping my song and stories
to be the soundtrack to your life's journey
for it is the vehicle
that has delivered me
from many of life's pergatory
and I'm sorry
if I appear to be
complex
misunderstood, sometimes it's hard for my soul to vex
the context
of my scene or set
but you can always find the real in the raw of my art
my existense epithet
and when it's all said and done I'll have but one regret
not being able enough to express
how much this universe has actually meant
to an artist with modest intent
to show the world
the bitter aesthetic
of his sentience

Welcome to My Birthday Blog!!!

2010-01-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

What's up everyone!

If you didn't know, yes, today is my birthday. I am 26 years old. This past Saturday I had an outstanding B-day party with my homegirl Keemoy, who was also celebrating a birthday as well. I think I'm gonna have a little private party with myself this Saturday coming up though. I think I might get a cheap hotel room for a day just to get away from everything and everybody. I would like to spend that time having cocktails, chillin and recording songs for my EP. Speaking of that, I'm happy to let you all know that the writting process for my songs is coming along just fine. To get it in, I am writing just about anywhere I can. I be typing lyrics on my phone on the bus, writing lyrics at home, at work, anywhere. I have written more verses for my songs and I am really coming up with some great material. All I can say is expect witty punchlines, insightful commentary, and bangin soundscapes/instrumentals. Right now the way things are looking I should have the project itself completed by the end of next month. So let's cross our fingers. Well I'mma make this one a short one, but I'll holla at you all tomorrow with more insight into this crazy life of mine. Until that time, take care and God Bless.

God Bless Haiti and God Bless Us All

2010-01-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

Greetings Everyone!

Man, this week has sure been a bitter and fustrating. As I type this, I am in major pain. You see when I was in the Navy I fractured my top left shin bone or tibia when I hyperextended it going up for a rebound in a game of basketball. That was the reason I had to leave the Navy. This happened back in 06 and it has not healed right over the years. It is still fractured now. Even though I can walk on it, it still gives me great problems. I have been seeing a doctor for it, but so far they don't think an operation is needed. It is not a great feeling at all trust me. Then to make a bad week even worse, the earthquake happened in Haiti, which is a major tradgedy. I hope we as a country and others can get as much help to them as possible. I myself plan to donate what I can, when I find a place I would like to give through. I'm going to pray for everyone involved in that crisis that they get through this. To add to a growing list of things making me mad lately, my peeps are getting on my nerves. They always get on my nerves, but lately it has been ridiculous. Now maybe some of it I brought on myself, but I know for sure not all of it. You would think for somebody that has a broken leg and still trying to do the chores they demand, they would give a brother a break. But no, they think I can just get around with a problem. So of course they make me go up and down the steps to do various things, and act like they don't realize the extra pain they put me through for no reason. Maybe they really just don't care. I don't know. I know one thing though, enough is enough. I got to get the hell up out of there. I need to be alone, so I don't have to deal with anybody but myself. On top of that I doing my very best to fight off sickness. I'm doing a pretty good job so far, but the symptoms of a cold our trying to worsen. I rarely get sick and I cannot afford to be right now. Being sick slows you down and depletes your energy. I need all of that I can get to keep me moving and surviving around here. I am determined to get a few songs recorded. I got back in touch with another producer buddy of mine, Jared Fite, the one and only ThunderBird Juicebox. I encourage all of you guys to look him up and check him out. He is an awesome producer with great music that will get you breakin in no time. I know he's going to go on and do big things. So we had been talking about him doing the mastering of all my songs for my EP and he was excited to lend a hand. We had been playing phone tag for a minute but I chatted with him briefly on Facebook before he went to work. I will be giving him a call tonite after he gets off. I know we got alot to catch up about. That one phone call right there might be the highlight of my whole week. The reason being that we are both music nerds who can spend all day talking about the business, producing, other artist and equipment. It's always fun talking with him about these things and I always learn something new. He has a little more experience in the business so far than I do and he's getting connected with alot of key people. I love living vicariously through the adventures and situation he gets himself. I respect him alot and glad to be connected with him. I know we are gonna collab on alot of good music. I'm glad I'll be chopping it up with him because I need something positive to brighten up my gloomy mood. It's just a combination of mess that I have been trying to not let eat at me, but sometime certain things just push my buttons. Anyone who is in to praying, please pray for a brother because I'm going through it. I know things can be worse, but they also can be better too. Then I just heard my man Gilbert got charged with a felony which means his NBA days are most likely over. I am really mad at that!! He is one of my favorites ever as I have mentioned in the previous blog.

Well I hate to end this one on a bitter note but hey, that's life. Until the next time, take care and keep hope alive because I'm sure gonna try... Peace

2010-01-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

What's happening people!?

It's your man D Natural here, just checking in with y'all to update you on this chaos I call my life, lol. I hope everyone out there is doing alright, maintaining and getting business taken care of. I sure am trying to do the same thing. My homeboy Brandon was understanding me when I was talking about how crazy things can get when your trying to get so much accomplished. I explained to him how I really want to get this first solo project done by the end of February and how fustrated I was that I have not been able to complete things lately when I want to complete them. I do believe he was right when he responded that I have to pace myself. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and good things do take time to create. The last thing I want to do is rush the rest of this recording project. I really do have to pace myself. I'm still proud of myself for getting things taken care of lately though.

I've managed to pay off some of this debt I have by getting caught up with student loans, paying off other loans completely as well as staying on top of current bills. I still have some ways to go to pay all this stuff off though because I was careless with my income a few years back while in the military. So now I am in the process of building my credit back up and all that jazz. I'm really intent on getting caught up on as much of these little debts I racked up as possible. The reason being that I'm trying to set myself up prior to moving into my own place, so that I don't have many things I owe on moneywise. When I make that move, where ever I make my bachelor pad, I plan on staying there for awhile and not getting kicked out. I've been homeless before and I ain't going back to that crap. I've been taking care of whatever business I can and I do happily expect my credit score to increase in about a few months. It has went up a little bit recently which has also made me very happy. I remember how it used to look and let's just say I was truly ashamed. With that said, I'm still finding ways to give what I have to help others as well. On Wednesday I will be helping a friend out by giving them some money to help with a situation that they're in. It feels good to give. I'm a big fan and student of Russell Simmonds who said's in his book Do You! that you become a good getter when you become a good giver. I am simply sowing some good karma into my future. After all, this is a new year with new beginnings and I very focused on being successful in all areas of my life.

For those of you that don't know, my birthday is this month on the 25th and I will be 26. I am excited to be having a birthday celebration with my homegirl Keemoy whose birthday is a couple days before mine. We've decided to throw a party with all our friends together. So far the guest list is looking pretty good. Atleast 50 people are attending with more possibly on the way. It's really gonna be exciting being that we posted the party on Facebook. Alot of old friends I've connected with recently are coming to the party and some of them I haven't seen in over 15 years. I'm gonna have people I haven't seen since elementary, middle, and high school as well as college. It's truly gonna be a night to remember. You know your boy is gonna be looking fly and at my best. I haven't been to a good party in awhile so I'm looking to really let loose and party like a rockstar.

Speaking of Facebook, I recently chatted on there with someone from No Bull Radio which is an online radio that plays indie and underground music. Not only will they play my music but they also want an interview with me to get the word out about what I do. I'm so excited to work with them to make this happen. It just motivates me to get this first project wrapped up so I can debut my music on their radio station! As far as writing and recording, I've made some progress in the writing of songs. I'm more confortable in how to approach each song and how the structure of the songs gonna flow. This week I should be able to knock out some songs with no problem being that I don't to be at choir rehearsal. You see this week is Men's week and when the Men's choir sing someone else plays. It's the only Sunday out the month when I don't play. So you know I'm really glad I don't have to be there tonite or Thursday. I can use that time as well other times to record, and I will. As I said earlier, look for at least one link for one song on here that I will upload from the solo project.

Well that's about all that's really crackin right now. I'll be putting more pics up as well as other stuff on here so stay tuned and I won't dissapoint. Until next time, stay safe and keep the faith!!!

NEW YEAR NEW MUSIC NEW BUSINESS NEW MONEY NEW START!!!

2010-01-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

What's up world!

Happy New Year to all first of all. I have wanted to post my first blog of this year earlier than this but time didnt allow. Anyhow, I am looking forward to all the exciting things that will be happening this year with my music and my poetry. Shout out to my very first follower, the lovely Mrs. Ashley Scurlock.

As for the music, I have been scribling lyrics hear and there but nothing to write home about yet. I have been getting the craving to record lately, which is really good because I'm more motivated to find the time to get this first project done so that I may move on to the next ones. The next projects will be strickly my spoken word poetry over my music production. I am really excited to begin work on those releases. My Twitter account is slowly growing with followers and friends. It's amazing who you can talk to on there, especially famous people. When I upgrade to my new business phone next month, I will be on Twitter non-stop as well as Facebook. I'm also still going to continue to develop this Blog as well as the Myspace spot. Seperate from the songs on my first solo project, I will soon be uploading links to exclusive free songs. I should have the first one up in like a week, so cross your fingers. There is so much that needs to be done and I'm very anxious to get things completed. I gotta take it one day I a time so bear with me and I promise I'll deliver that fresh sound you are looking for.

On a personal note, I am mad they suspended my man Gilbert Arenas over that bullshit that happened with guns in the Wizards lockeroom. I am a big NBA fan and a fan of the Washington Wizards. Even though they are not having a stellar season, I still faithfully tune in and watch their games. One of the main reasons I follow them is because of Gilbert. He is one of my favorite players. I also respect what he has had to deal with in his life, overcoming the odds, and that he plays hard with passion. I hope he gets through this situation okay. I know he' mad cause he hasnt played in nearly two years from injury and he finally comes back but now can't complete the rest of the season(with no pay at that). Not that he needs the money though, LOL. Keep your head up Gil. Much love.

I gotta get crackin at finding an apartment, I need my space and my sanity. Will Smith was on point when he came out with the song "Parents just don't understand"!! Living with my peeps sucks ass and I gotta escape asap. For those of you that live with your peeps and not mind, much respect because I can't. I need to be alone. Pray for me as I get this money up to make that move. That is a main priority!

Alrighty until the I'm gonna steal my man Tavis Smiley's closing words saying: Take care and Keep the Faith!!!

Peace

Happy Christmas Eve People!

2009-12-24T11:35:00.001-08:00

What's good everyone!? I just wanna wish everyone a Happy Holiday! Be safe out there but have fun. I sure will be having some fun, while getting things done as well. With my parents out of town, I got the whole house to myself. I plan to enjoy the peace and privacy. I have to get some songs recorded. I've been writing somewhat but I gotta step it up in all areas though. The instrumentals are done though. I'm so excited. Well I'm gonna make this one a short blog. Just wanna say a few words on my progress and to wish everyone a Merry Christmas or any other Holiday you may celebrate.
Peace

Happy Holidayz!

2009-12-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings Folks!

I just wanna say Happy Holidays to all! Tis the season to be jolly, and that's what I plan on being. Got some things to let yall know. Yesterday on Myspace, I ran into one of my producer heros thats local and doin his thang in the music industry, Kev Brown of the Low Budjet Crew. He's one of the hottest producers out there right now, representing my area, the DMV(DC,MD,VA). His collective has a CD out for the holidays called "A Low Budget Christmas" and guess what, it's free. You can get it here : http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vdXNlcnNoYXJlLm5ldC96NWs3ZmVhNjU4M3Q=

Kev and I had a good conversation. He gave me some good advice I really needed to hear about getting my music out and stuff. You gotta respect the cats that's out there doing things on the level you want to being doing business on, but are still humble and reach back and help those on the come up, like myself. I first met him back at Omega Studios, during their first open house for all prospective students interested in learning audio engineering. He and his parter DJ Roddy Rod put on a excellent music production demo in one of the studio rooms. I was star struck I must admit, then I got a chance to introduce myself to him. Real down to earth cat. Please check out all the stuff he has done, truly that classic hip hop.

Talking with Kev Brown help me figure out what direction I'm gonna go with my EP. The things I wasn't sure about doing with the EP, I'm sure about now. I gotta just get cracking finishing writing to my instrumentals. Hopefully I'll be done by late Jan. or Feb at the latest. I think everyone will dig it!!

I hope everyone has a Happy Holidays and that your holiday wishes come true.I'm just happy to have the gift of life, to be still living, doing my thing. I'm ready for this up coming new year that's for sure. I gotta alot plans and I am gonna be very busy, mark my words. 2010 is the year I will start making my impact upon our mighty universe. As always I'll keep you posted, whether I have 1 person who reads my blog or 1,000,000 people who reads my blog. I hope that every entry will be more exciting, more enlightening than the last. I'm also gonna be including pics and videos so you can get a more detailed picture of my world and music. And of course I will be posting my music, full songs and instrumentals, collabs, interviews, and whatever else I manage to get myself into. For those who are reading this, thank you very much for your support. I really appreciate it. With your supprt I'm going straight to the top. I'll do my best to get a couple of songs on here before the year is over as well new stuff for the new year. That kind of gives me an idea for a New Years song. I might marinate on that for a second, we'll see....

Aight until the next time, be blessed and be safe. Happy Holidays from ya boy D Natural.

Peace

Keepin on Keep on.....(Part II)

2009-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

What's up people?

I hope everyone out there is doin aight. If stuff aint goin your way, just keep on keepin on. Well I've made a little progress since my last blog. I have all the beats I need for my forthcoming EP. The difficult thing lately is finding the time to write my lyrics out and getting vocals recorded. One of the things I hate about my day job is exactly that, it really is a day job. I have no weekdays off at all, unless is a holiday. Every Monday through Friday, gotta be at the damn office. By the time I get home I don't feel like doin nothing sometimes. Then on Tuesdays and Thursday I have to attend choir rehearsal (which is a waste of time) immediately after work, so I get home even later. So really the only time to create and record is in the late evenings which really sucks. Most of the time, I'm most creative in the day time. I hate forcing the recording process and rushing it because it takes the organic essence of the music out. It's just not natural. I have managed to write some verses and come up with a couple of hooks for a couple of songs. However, I still have the rest of the EP to do. Hopefully, my time off for the Christmas Holidays will yield some completed songs. That will be ideal for me because my peeps will be outta town and I will have the house all to myself. Now I know what you are saying: Your not spending the Holidays with family? The answer is no, because being that I have to use my time wisely, I need to get it in when I can get it in. God willing, I can see family just about anytime, recording music ain't always a sure thing. I did the same thing this past November when it was Thanksgiving. I'm a loner anyway, I prefer to be by myself, especially when I'm creating and getting things recorded. Unless I'm doing a collaboration with someone, I prefer to work alone.

Another positive is one of the emcees I work with has relocated to Philadelphia for the time, which may be a good look for his career as an artist. He told me the other day that he has been doing shows and performing there. He always does the songs we did together. It's really nice to know people are rocking to my songs in Philly. That's very inspirational. He is also trying to get one of the songs that we did with 2 other emcees shot as a video. So hopefully that happens. I'll keep y'all posted...

Well back to this 9-5 I go, I'll holla at y'all later. Keep the faith. Peace

Keepin on Keepin on....

2009-12-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

What's up folks!?

Well it's the middle of the week and almost the end of the year. I've been thinking about that alot and have been relentlessly researching how I am going to release all my music in the new year. I've decided not to drop the new EP untill the end of next month. I will probably release it on my birthday which is Jan. 25, if not then probably February. In the meantime it's gives me room to finish writing songs and work out the kinks on the EP. I've got my marketing/promotion plan down. I don't wanna get too caught up in every single detail as to how I'm going to get the word out about this project. I just wanna to work the avenues I've already set up which consist about 4 or 5 websites and that's it. I figure if I just focus all my time and energy into making these sites tight as hell aesthetically and load them with these fire hot tunes I got, I'll draw all the attention I need to make some impact. I'm making some progress on the business side in setting up my sites which all are under construction(just like this one). I've just been researching and schooling myself on the biz and how the game works. It's all like chess really. I'm gonna use the resources/talent/abilities I already have, and make wise decisions on moving the pieces with strategy. I'm really motivated and been doing my homework so y'all stay tuned. As for the music side of things, I pretty much got all the beats for this EP done. I'm gonna use the best of the stuff I did back between August through now of this year. When I was listening to those tracks, I was like "I can't find nobody to spit on these joints so I'm gonna do my best to do them justice lyrically just as I did them musically!" I just hope that I can match the vibe and the intensity that I had when I was doin those beats. So now with the beats made, my focus is just on writting the songs. I've been brainstorming what topics, concepts, wordplay/flow to put on each beat and how to order them so the EP is constantly bangin and cohesive. All this is really the progress that I have made thus far. I think I am off to a good start. The hard part is having to balance this with all the personal stuff I'm going through and remaining consistent. Like as far as some personal issues..... I got to get my own place to live by like beginning of summer. The deadline is already set as far as that goes, so it's just raising the funds to move out my peeps crib and staying out. I was homeless most of last year(long story),literally on the street, and I'm NOT going out like that again. So I gotta get that done.

Well until the next time, I'll give yall part 2 of this blog tomorrow. Peace and Hairgrease

Yo!

2009-12-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

What's up people! This weekend ws a chill weekend with for me. Although I didn't work on my solo project(like I should have), I did kinda brainstorm topics and ideas for the songs as well as beat selecting/tracklisting. I gotta step it up though. I don't want to rush things but I do want to get it done, so I can move forward with the rest of my plans for the release.

The highlight of my weekend was seeing the beautiful Esperanza Spalding perform at the Sixth and I Street Historical Synagogue in NW DC. What a great show it was! For those of you who don't know her music, you should check it out. I must say I was truly inspired by her show. Seeing things like that just pushes me to create, create, create so I can be out there performing and perhaps sharing the stage with artist like her. It's been awhile since I have been to a live show, so it was very much needed. It's something I want to do more and more in the new year. Speaking of that, we only gotta a few more weeks until the end of this year. As I look back and reflect on the past year, I have come along way as far as being wiser, improving on my work ethic, and just getting things done and not procrastinating. If I am going to get my production company, Artistic Visionz Productions, off the ground I am going to have to improve on my procrastinating and work ethic. There is so much progress to made. I am proud to say I am well on my way to making them.

Untill the next blog, wishing everybody joy and happiness. Peace

At work lovin life............SIKE! Hell naw

2009-12-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Greetings all!

As I type this at work, I can't wait to leave!!! People I work with get on my nerves, but hey at least I got a job that is giving me income to invest in my music so I can leave this all behind one day! I even had a liquid lunch during lunch hour today. For those of you who don't know what a liquid lunch is, that's when you get a sip of the al-al-al-al-a-alchohol for lunch. I had it in my bookbag so I took it out and poured it up, why the hell not? It's Friday and I can't wait for my weekend to get poppin so I can work on my music. I'm also going to a concert tomorrow to see the beautiful and talented Esperanza Spalding. For those of you who don't know about her, you should cuz her music is off the hook! I'm going to check her out at the 6 and I synagouge in uptown, DC. I just know I'm gonna get my fair dose of inspiration at the show and go home and lay some beats down. These are the things I live for as an artist. As for my EP, I haven't done anything lately, but I have continued to think about new ideas for the EP. I was even thinking about renaming the title, although I'm not gonna give that out just yet. Anyhooo...Untill the next time, see ya when I see ya. Peace

What's up people!

2009-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

This is kind of weird because I'm typing this blog knowing that perhaps no one will read it yet do to the fact that I just set up my blog yesterday and have no readers yet, hahahaha. Never the less, I'ma gonna still keep up with what I stated in the first blog, and let peeps in on the day to day business of me as a music producer and me as a person. I know eventually people will catch on, and for me this will be cool to look back on six months from now after I've made some considerable progress in this up coming new year. Gotta start somewhere right? Lol. Anyhoo........

Started laying the vocals on one of the tracks on my EP I will be releasing soon last night. It is supposed to be the intro track which will include me doin my spoken word poetry. After I laid the vocals down though, I started rethinking my approach to how my CD is gonna flow. It's always hard laying stuff down during the recording process because I tend to over analyze what I'm doin and if it will be well received. I'm really practicing on not overthinkin when I'm creating. I know that I don't want to over think my creative process because this EP is just a experiment and I'm gonna be trying things a little bit out of my comfort zone like MCing. I'm working on a way I can incorporate my spoken word poetry with MCing my lyrics. I know doing poetry and MCing is two different things, at the same time they are cousins to each other. I'm gonna see if I can come with a style that works for me and compliments the beats that I am going to be making for this project. It's gonna be a challenge but hey thats what makes good music if you pull it off. We'll see what I come up with. I was thinking up scrapping the beats I made for this project and coming up with some more that will be specifically be tailored to this style of vocals I'm gonna attempt to do. This simply means just allowing enough space on the instrumentals so that it doesn't clash with the wordplay of what I am doing. In fact, I think I'm gonna do that. I will probably keep 2 beats and make new ones for the rest of the songs. As soon I am done with the first song I will be sure to post it on here for all of you to hear. It is really gonna be a unique project, maybe innovative, who knows, right? I just know I am gonna give it my all and I will like you guys to be there every step of the way.

I got choir rehearsal tonite which is a drag cuz our choir really isn't all that and 1/3 of the band we have which is our organist really sucks. I'm playing drums, I started out at the beginning of the year playing 5 string bass but moved to drums after they got rid of the last drummer. I also jump on keys sometimes. The last drummer had an attitude with everything because the overall music ministry just sucked. I was happy to take his place though because that's when I started getting paid for my services. I hate going though because people who are apart of the choir really don't take it that seriously but it is what it is right? As soon as I'm done being a drone today I work, I basically have to go straight there. Personally I'd rather go home and start on these new beats for my project. That's why I hate working this 9-5 crap because it only gives me time to create in the late night hours and I ain't always that inspired by the time I get home. I'm determined though to get stuff done because I know the more I do, the more progress will be made. The more progress will be made, the better chances I have leaving this day job mess behind and making a living from my passion. Boy I can't wait for that day to come!!!

Well till the next blog, this D Natural saying peace and love. Out.....

Welcome to the world of D Natural

2009-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hello World!

Welcome to the world of me, D Natural, music producer/poet from Capitol Heights, Maryland, USA. I'm starting this blog for a number of reasons...I am an up and coming music producer pursuing my dreams of being the best producer/artist I can to help inspire and bring more positivity in the world. I set up this blog to take all who wants to go with me, on a journey as I set out to accomplish my dreams. It's becoming apparent to me that I am very unhappy right now as I type this at work, because I'm not doing all I know I can be doing to get my career popping. I've had enough working my 9-5 everyday seeing others that I admire and am inspired by push further and further into their careers. I've decided that even though I'm facing allot of obstacles right now, I'm going to start making honest, serious attempts at getting my music heard and getting my production company off the ground. Being that I haven't made much progress thus far, I feel this is a great time to invite you guys to follow me as give you a play-by-play like account of my progress toward my dream. I'm gonna tell you everything from the little or no success I have to the more successful endeavors I come by during my quest. Anyone who has advice and wants to help me, by all means, feel free to contact me.

Now with that said here's a little about me: I am from the Maryland/DC area USA. I am a single, 25 (almost 26 in Jan.) year old man with no kids. I've been doing music all my life. I taught myself with very little to no formal training to play bass, guitar, drums, keys, and even the tuba with I was in grade school. I've played in school choirs/bands, funk bands, go go bands(a DC thang) and in my church. Music is my absolute passion. I started making beats in high school and I got more serious when I joined the US Navy and bought myself decent equipment which I still use now. I'm a fan of all music from Beethoven to Biggie Smalls. I want to get in the industry doing hip hop/r&b music but long term my goal is to create all types of music all over the world, where ever I am needed. Some of my favorite producers include J-Dilla/Jay Dee, Timbaland, Nottz, DJ Hi-Tech, DJ Premier, Pete Rock.... and the list goes on and on. Lately I've just been working on just building my catalog with my instrumentals and I've also started an experimental solo EP, that I am going to attempt to put out independently (with you all watching and listening I hope) Soon I will be posting my songs, various beats I do, collabs I happen to get into, and anything dealing with my pursuit of my dream along with day to day things that happen to me. I'm not gonna hold anything back from yall. If you would like to hear some of the past work I have done, here's the link to my Myspace page where I will be directing you all quite a bit: myspace.com/artisiticvisionzproductions

Hopefully together we will witness me manifesting great things in my life with my music cuz right now I aint happy, but I'm gonna continue to fight. Eventually the day will come where I can leave this 9-5 shit behind and just do my music full time. Here is where that quest begins! Holla

- D Natural