1140. Music Is His Way of Turning His Pain from Living the Street Life into Power

“Man, the biggest thing for me was just being exposed to a brand new world. I think that is one of the biggest hardships with people growing up in the inner city areas like I did: a lack of exposure to opportunities to develop yourself in a positive way. You know, for me it was exposure all the way down to the level of me traveling to Atlanta to attend the camp for Usher’s New Look. It was my first time actually being on an airplane…my first time being outside of the perimeter of my community in Kansas City. Once I came down here and I became involved in the culture of Atlanta, I was exposed to prominent African American people doing business in different capacities, in ways that I’d never seen.

“Most of the successful Black people I knew were doing every day working-class jobs. I had never met Black doctors, lawyers, music executives, and other professionals. So, that experience just dramatically broadened my perspective on what another level of success could look like. Also, it dramatically changed my perspective on what was available for people like me. I’m one of those people who takes advantage of an opportunity once I see the value in it. I put my whole being into the opportunity with Usher’s New Look on every level and it altered the course of my entire life in countless positive ways. I am forever grateful.”

James Harris, a.k.a, Dewey Da Don, coming from Kansas City, Kansas, is the answer to the streets right now. Delivering gangsta rap with a west coast vibe, he’s often compared to the late, great Nipsey Hussle, not only physically but because his influence has always been the streets and he has always been one to give back, even as he establishes himself as a hip hop star. The moment Dewey Da Don knew he wanted to pursue music, was when his father was incarcerated for ten years in a federal penitentiary. At that point, he knew he had to find a different way out of the streets. He chose music. When hip hop fans hear his music, he wants them to feel his struggle but also understand that the street has many sides to it. Not everyone raised on the streets is one-dimensional. Like Dewey, many are hustlers, parents and game tellers. Music is his way of turning his pain from living the street life into power.