RESPECT. Premiere: Get to Know Dwayne Collins - "D'Evils (Video) + Interview

Dwayne Collins is a skilled musician originally from Florida, and currently residing in Rochester, New York. Today, he delivers a powerful visual, for his latest single, “D’Evils“, with an important message inspired by the senseless violence against our communities, and of course, the music of Jay-Z. This is indeed an interesting flip of a classic, and we appreciate the importance of music of substance.

Growing up in a detrimental environment, Dwayne is quite familiar with the life of crime, and serving time. However, his time spent incarcerated gave him the opportunity to re-direct his energy into a more positive way of life. Get familiar with the singer/songwriter/rapper/producer below!

RESPECT: What do you bring to R&B & hip-hop today in 2018?
Dwayne: What I bring today is the soul that was lost in R&B & hip-hop, with the glorified, new drug culture. Also a respect for lyricism that seems to be insignificant in today’s music, to some degree. I can mix trap and the subject matter of the streets for the youth, with the soul and wordplay that will be valued by the older crowd.

RESPECT: Who influenced you then, and who influences you now?
What influenced me at a young age was soul music, and real hiphop. Definitely gospel music too, my mother would pla Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin and then a variety of gospel records . In my father’s house you would hear Slick Rick, Scarface, Rakim, Tupac, and Gapband, which opens your mind musically. In elementary school, I had a friend that really loved Greenday, and put me on , which led me to start forming my own opinions about music.

RESPECT: Tell us about your creating process and your studio vibes.
My studio vibe is 100 percent spiritual. I will only say what the beats tell me to say. I really dont write much and I prefer to work on the spot. Every workspace carries a different spiritual vibe. When that mixes with whatever you are and the production, everything will naturally happen. I am very in tune with myself and my surroundings.

RESPECT: How do you feel prison changed you as a man and artist?
Prison has overall made me a better person, and a stronger thinker. It gave me time to know who I am and what I am about alone, which in turn made me more in tune with my environment and the things that I see. Prison also taught me how, when, and why to Express myself, which makes my music much stronger.

RESPECT: What are you working on now, and what can we expect from you?
Right now, I’m working on a mixtape of Jay-Z remixes, called Unreasonable Doubt. I’m also working on another EP titled Ghetto Gospels, and getting ready to release Elektrik Soul, which will give everyone a small portion of what and who i am sonically.

Check out the thought-provoking visual and be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments section.