D-Man also known as Mvangeli Dennis Nhlapo to his family and close friends is a creative hip hop artist from a small town called Balfour in Mpumalanga (South Africa).
The rapper fell in love with music on his late primary school year’s where he used to entertain his classmates using his school case as a drum playing rhythmic house music beats to dance to. It was until second year of high school when D-Man fell in love with hip hop which led to him writing some rhymes to share with friends for feedback, later that year he formed a rap group with 3 of his friends that recorded and performed music in youth functions in town. The group separated after high school with some of the members pursuing studies and work with distance also playing a major role in it. D-Man had the drive to continue recording music but with the lack of resources he decided to focus on college and would keep on writing music to internet beats until he discovers himself as a solo artist.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with D-Man about his new music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m from a small town called Balfour Mpumalanga in South Africa, I create soothing music in the form of hip hop. I express myself through story telling sharing my experiences and those of others with nostalgic sounds. My style is driven by melodies that spark a certain feeling depending on mood or direction of the record.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
How people reacted to my craft from the first time I decided to come out and perform some of my earlier work has been a huge influence on me taking on this journey eregardless of the fact that the need to create has always haunted me. I’m motivated by everyday life and people who go the extra mile to persue their dreams.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This new release unlocks an unheard version of myself. Compared to my previous releases “I’m Good” has more self assurance as I’ve grown to acknowledge the beast in me that sets me apart from anything that’s out there which I’ve learnt to embrace without being arrogant.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
With the digital space being so dominant the are challenges like my music being exploited by online promoters who publish it on their channels without my permission not forgetting that everyone is doing music nowadays it seems like a cool thing to do and that makes it a little harder for listeners to come across real talent due to the over populated stream of musicians. Technology has been of great help in the sense that I’m able create working relationships simply by the click on my phone or laptop.
What was the last song you listened to?
H. E. R. – Facts
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Even thou in this day and age CD releases are limited they still hold a special place in my heart, a physical copy is something you can treasure like an artistic portrait or a book . So I prefer CD’s hence all my projects are also available on hardcopies.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I love how spotify features make one’s music easily accessible, it gives upcoming artist like myself a chance to connect with a new audience around the world. I also still mess with SoundCloud because I can keep track of my growth from my earlier releases and also cater for the followers that rode with me till this day.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
The best places to connect with me to get the latest updates of my music is on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Anything else before we sign off?
I’d like to say thank you to everyone who’s been riding on my ship thus far, to any one interested in hearing or viewing more of my content can follow me on social platforms @officiald_man for links and updates. I have a lot of exciting music to look forward to and thanks to you for holding down upcoming artist.
