Peroia, Illinois based Hip Hop recording artist D WEBB has a unique style that can change at any time on any track and will keep you guessing. He has grown to earn the love from his city as a home favorite and there’s nothing more he’d rather do than inspire others! Labeled as one of the best local artists in the area in a press review by Peoria’s 92.3; Hip Hop/Rap radio station in Peoria, IL. D WEBB brings everything you need, from passion in his voice, to compelling live performances and will continue to grow in due time.
In this interview we chat with D about his influences, his newest project, and more.
Full Q&A, links and a stream of Fuel For The Soul below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Back in high school I used to freestyle to Hip Hop/rap instrumental tapes with friends while cruising around and at parties. We enjoyed trying to come up with dope lyrics on the spot and it gradually grew into a passion for songwriting and music in general.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I started sharing my music with the world in 2010 when I released my first mixtape titled ’No Chasers’. At the time I was a senior in high school and I would take 50 copies to school a day and hand them all out before 1st hour.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
Certain artists I listen to influence me to become better at songwriting and live performances such as Jon Connor, Machine Gun Kelly and Jay Prince for example. I’ve had the pleasure of opening up for Jon Connor and Machine Gun Kelly in the past and they are some of the best rappers I’ve seen live.
Things that motivate me to keep going are my family, fans and goals I’ve set. Without their support I wouldn’t be where I am today so I owe it to them to keep pushing further.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
With this new project ‘Fuel For The Soul’ I stepped out of my comfort zone to show people that I can adjust to all types of genres. From hype/electronic to chill/hip-hop productions this project is full of deep and lyrical concepts/storytelling.
What was the last song you listened to?
Jay Prince – All You
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I honestly prefer CD’s. Growing up I never had any record players or turntables so I’ve always had CD’s. Even though vinyl is probably the more exclusive route when it comes to buying and owning an artists music I’d still have to say CD’s.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I’ve always preferred Soundcloud when uploading/sharing music since it’s release. It’s very user friendly and they made it easy for artists to track where their plays are coming from with song stats. They’ve also made some improvements to their interface recently that lets users repost your sounds to their followers which can be beneficial when trying to reach a wide range of listeners.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
One of the biggest challenges I face when trying to attract listeners to my music is the promotional side of the things. I don’t have a press team, publicist or any industry contacts helping me push my singles/albums to major blogs and labels so everything I do is independently pursued.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
I’ve never been on tour but I’m creeping up on my 100th performance to date so I’ve been gigging for a while in the Illinois area and surrounding states. You can follow me on Periscope (@dwebbmusic) to catch live streams of performances.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
You can follow me on Twitter/Facebook for the latest updates or visit my website!
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
I’d like to give a shoutout to everyone who never believed in me.
