Check Out Dazmon Johnson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dazmon Johnson.

Hi Dazmon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my musical journey as a producer/sample maker. My childhood growing up in Chicago, and my family helped shape my love and ear for music early on. My family moved just about every year, so I got to see and hear a lot of different parts of the city, but it also made it hard for me to make and keep any relationships or friendships outside of my family.

My aunt Clarista is someone I can attest to having a large hand in my foundation by teaching and showing me music and history that wasn’t just rap or R&B. My grandfathers also played multiple instruments and loved all forms of music. In addition to that, my parents both had their musical talents as well.

I began writing raps to my favorite songs in middle school and remixing oldies to make my samples and beats. This continued into high school, where I recorded some of my first songs and began to write and produce for other artists in my niche.

This was super funny because the artists would message me on like aim or Myspace and send me full lyrics and beats to songs like “What you think” you should rewrite this for me. How did they trust me with no music out yet? Who did I think I was? At this time, I used music to rebel since I wasn’t playing football in response to my parents splitting from domestic violence issues. Before this, my dad pretty much was always home, so it hit me hard. I got into a lot of shit that year, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I think seeing my mom struggle with alcoholism and mental health after this time took a toll on me. A couple of years later, we moved to Texas, which changed a lot for me. For the most part, where I grew up, I was surrounded by people who looked and acted like me, and moving to the area we did in San Antonio; I was now like the only black person in most of my classes.

It made a difference in me making friends or having a good time, but I adjusted to the lifestyle differences here. I couldn’t connect or joke how I normally do and felt like I was missing part of myself. Despite this, I was happy my family was back together, so I was back to playing sports. When things got difficult with my family, I started smoking and experimenting with mushrooms instead of music.

Many of my favorite artists like Kanye West and Kid Cudi were at their prime at this time, and even newer artists that were emerging seemed far along in their artistic journey compared to my own, so I was a little discouraged. I didn’t see how I’d have time to create and live my life as a student-athlete without having to miss a few things from one of the groups. After moving to Texas, my musical output was diminished to party and drunk freestyle with my friends.

As time progressed, I went on to play football at Wayne State College, where my love for music was rejuvenated after being kicked off from the team for a semester. They kicked me off for getting a drug paraphernalia charge, like getting caught with a pipe. I was mad and not feeling the school or city anyway since it was a small and racist area.

So, I began freestyling and writing again, which I hadn’t done in years, and it carried over into more foundational projects with some of my college friends who are successful artists today. Following this time, I moved back to Texas with my family, where I met 448 Mizo, one of my best friends and main collaborators in music. He lived above me one day, and my dad wanted me to fight them for being loud and what he felt like was rude to what they agreed upon.

Crazy because a few years later, we’d end up roommates and making some of our best music. I spent some more time moving around to Arizona and even went back near my college town for almost a year before returning to Texas, where I’ve been for 4years. Before coming back was a vital time for me because I had a few years to explore music and my hustle on my own.

I began to create the foundation for my sound and create my process for recording and producing music more effectively. I also can attest to this time experimentation with my artistry and understanding of how I create. But while all that was going on, I also didn’t fully understand how to be an independent adult, so I did a lot of struggling.

It was weeks I’d fast or not eat and tell people I was dieting or on some spiritual journey. I rode my bike to work for a few months, which averaged about 50-60 miles round trip. After this, I came back to Texas ready to tackle a music career, but I still didn’t know how or where to start besides actually creating.

This is where my relationship with Miz grew. We both had something to learn from each other and had a genuine friendship even before the music. We began recording together and setting the foundations for 448. Once I got my practice from making music with Mizo and my friends in Arizona, I began to create music at will and was able to transition my focus into more ideas to further my career.

From experimenting with digital art to fashion and design, my talents were now on full display as we began to try our luck at music.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road hasn’t been smooth, but I’m grateful for the things I did have along the way. Moving every year and being poor didn’t help me develop many lasting friendships or know how to. My parents often went through domestic violence issues that forced us to move or fight or some other extreme. It’s part of the reason/way I got to Texas both times.

My family would split after events like this, and I just wanted to be near my brothers. Once I moved out of the house to college, I dealt with the racism and difficulties of living in small towns in Nebraska and Iowa. I moved out to Arizona and had hardships there, where I had days and weeks even where I wouldn’t eat. Where I lived at that time didn’t have access to Uber or public transportation really to get to my area, so I’d travel about 60 miles round trip on my bike to work.

Despite all that, I think the DV was the worst because I saw how it affected so many people in my family. It drove me to experiment with drugs and move states back to Texas. I felt I wouldn’t be happy knowing my family was going through things I could intervene on. Guilt is a big theme in my music; however, I can see how things have affected my relationships.

Besides these issues, I haven’t had anything happen to me that hasn’t happened to anyone else, like betrayal, getting broken up with, etc. While these things hurt me and shaped me, they weren’t nearly as problematic as the first few. Experiencing domestic violence in my relationships during my time in Arizona and Texas also brought me closer to my parents. Still, it added to the guilt and shame I felt towards my family and relationships.

I couldn’t understand how I ended up in a situation similar to theirs. I try to use all of my energy to either give these emotions in music or talk about topics that relate to these emotions.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think what sets me apart from others is my versatility. While I’m not a professional at my other skills I do feel the foundations have shaped me into the artist I am today. Mainly being able to have my hand in every aspect of my project I feel helps bring the vision to life more in the way I originally thought of.

Sometimes as artists we’re forced to sacrifice some of that vision for the end goal. I’m most proud of the influence and impact I’ve had on people closest to me and my peers. I enjoy being someone who inspires others to believe in themselves and to think independently. I would say I specialize in making music for art appreciators and enthusiasts.

I feel as though my taste and small details are what sets apart most of what I do and that is a statement to the people who enjoy my art because they are able to pick up on it. Pretty soon I’m going to start my journey with fashion which will be fun for me it’s definitely something I’ve always wanted to do.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think being innovative and trying to stand out will go a long way to help as an artist or businessman. Being adaptable as well as consistent also will take you a very long way when it comes to being an artist and performing for your fans. There are plenty of people doing the same thing but how the message is received and deliveries I feel has the biggest impact.

Contact Info:

• Email: theyamasexuals@gmail.com
• Website: https://hyperfollow.com/theyamasexuals
• Instagram: instagram.com/theyamasexuals
• Facebook: facebook.com/dazmonj
• Twitter: twitter.com/dazsays
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCaWV98ojS0Gi_WPx_I-3_IQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/Yd99nXrSWY1kxBfL6
• Other: ihyslifestyle.com

Image Credits
Henry Mahome and TeoShotThis