July 31st, 2024
Rhyme and Reason with Dio Gin
Dio Gin (DG), a lifelong Bostonian originally from Roslindale, is a steady contributor to his hometown’s music scene, blending impactful lyricism with modern beats. Kevin Small Jr. (KSJ), President of SNAKE Magazine, delves into the artist’s world, exploring his creative process and inspirations in the latest edition of The Scoop.
KSJ: LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR DISCOGRAPHY. HOW MANY PAST PROJECTS OR ALBUMS DO YOU HAVE? IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE WORKS FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE?
DG: Yeah, so I have two albums out right now, along with previously released mixtapes. My latest album is called Made With Love, which is my second. It was released two years ago, and I’ve honestly been riding the wave off of that. My first album was called The Lonely Hero. My music is available on Spotify.
KSJ: HOW MANY TRACKS ARE ON THESE ALBUMS?
DG: The first album has about twelve, and the second one is about ten, with each being at least forty minutes long. Made With Love is probably a little shorter.
KSJ: THAT’S PRETTY GOOD. FORTY MINUTES IS SOLID FOR AN ALBUM. MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT AN ALBUM SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST EIGHT TRACKS AND BE THIRTY MINUTES LONG, ACROSS MOST IF NOT ALL GENRES. ANYTHING LESS THAN THAT I WOULD CONSIDER AN EP OR MIXTAPE. WHEN IT COMES TO MORE MAINSTREAM MUSIC FROM MAJOR ARTISTS, YOU START TO SEE THOSE TWENTY-PLUS TRACK ALBUMS, HOUR-PLUS ALBUMS. THAT REMINDS ME OF CHRIS BROWN’S HEARTBREAK ON A FULL MOON WHICH WAS RELEASED ON HALLOWEEN DAY 2017, REACHING 57 TRACKS AND WELL OVER THREE HOURS, CONSIDERING THE DELUXE EDITION. TWO YEARS LATER, HE RELEASED INDIGO (EXTENDED) – 42 SONGS, TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG, WITH THE HIT SINGLE “NO GUIDANCE” FEATURING DRAKE. BUT LET’S GET INTO YOUR WORK. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START RAPPING?
DG: What inspired me was pretty much Hip-Hop in general and being around it constantly. Growing up, I heard and followed so many people. Snoop Dogg was like the first rapper I really heard, and I thought he was the greatest MC ever. But I was very young. By the time I started listening to Nas and Wu-Tang, I was like, "Man, I want to do this." They really pushed the envelope. Biggie and that whole 1990s East Coast sound were huge influences.
KSJ: COOL. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR MUSIC?
DG: When people listen to it, I just want them to hear something genuine, along with dope rhymes and a dope message. Of course, I want everyone to download and buy it. But even if one person says, "This is dope, this is fresh," that’s what I wanted.
KSJ: THAT’S REAL! IT ONLY TAKES ONE. SOMETIMES ALL WE CAN DO IS INSPIRE ONE PERSON IN OUR QUEST TO INSPIRE MILLIONS. SUCCESSFULLY INSPIRING ONE CAN CHANGE THEIR LIFE AND SPREAD TO OTHERS. YOU SPOKE ABOUT THIS EARLIER WHEN YOU MENTIONED SNOOP DOGG, BUT ANY OTHER INDUSTRY INFLUENCES, LOCALLY OR NATIONALLY?
DG: Locally, my biggest inspirations are Cube Ref and Big Session. I was in a group with them called the Pangea Pham. I’ve known them for over 20 years. We still collaborate and do shows together. Session is still my go-to producer. As for people I don’t know personally, there were guys like Edo. G and RSO. I was definitely a fan of Mr. Lif, and I remember one of the first rappers I saw on local TV was this dude named KT – Killer Tactics. Also in high school, it was my boy Sule. We used to rap in cyphers together. He was probably the best freestyler I ever heard. The first rapper I ever liked was Snoop Dogg, but the ones who made me want to rap were Nas, Wu-Tang, Redman, and Black Thought. Those are my biggest inspirations.
KSJ: GOT IT. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT LOCAL ARTISTS ARE FACING?
DG: Probably the lack of industry here. I don’t want to say the lack of support because there’s been crazy support in Boston lately. It’s more unified than ever before. But for some reason, there’s not much interest from outside. People don’t want to come to Boston like they go to New York, Atlanta, California, or maybe even Philly. I think what hurts us is the lack of wanting to be here. Even with sports teams, some players don’t want to play here. People don’t always have nice things to say about Boston because of its history, but I think if more people wanted to come here, they’d tap into the beautiful culture, music, and talent we have. We need to get that on a national worldwide scale. People in charge need to start talking to us and getting our people presented and more open to our music and culture.
KSJ: HOW DO YOU TRANSFORM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND EMOTIONS INTO COMPELLING TRACKS?
DG: I think the beats tell me what to write, and that starts constant ideas running through my head. As an MC and writer, once I hear a beat, I can narrow down ideas. I had a song like this and a song about this in mind, and now that I hear this beat, it will go well with it. Then I start writing and tapping into experiences, emotions, and creative ideas.
KSJ: WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR FANS TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR MUSIC? HOW CAN YOU IMPACT YOUR COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE GROWN UP LIKE YOURSELF?
DG: Just genuine. That they’re listening to someone approachable. I’m willing to perform and work with anybody. I think people like seeing me not give up. This is something I truly love to do. No matter what it is, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. There might be goals I haven’t reached yet, but I have reached some. I want people to hear my music and be wowed that this album was put together nicely. This kid lived next door to me, so I can do the exact same thing. He had the same teachers, went to the same school, and was put on the same buses.