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Artist profile: D4WN
The D4WN of a new musical age
isaac adeoluwa atayero
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For Nigerian born Regina-based rapper D4WN, “music started as a way of expressing myself.” Although D4WN has been making music for about three years, he just put out his first official body of work Just in Time. Just in Time is a three song EP which features multiple features from fellow Regina acts like Zweii, Oboise and Ninijegz. The journey to this moment for D4WN has been years in the making.
“It all started with battle rap. Rap battles in secondary school was where I learned how to use words,” he said. “At that time I had a mediocre flow, but I had to win, so I kept writing and practising.”
D4WN’s passion for working hard on his burgeoning flow to win battle raps at Ronik Comprehensive School, Ejigbo, Lagos introduced him to the world of music in a way that he had not experienced before.
“I was not a huge music listener before that time but I knew there was a lot of good songs out there,” D4WN said. “When I would hear songs by J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Phora, M.I. Abaga, Lexii Alijai, TDE and Roy Woods, I would get jealous because I knew it was in me to do it better.”
These musicians lit a fire in D4WN that would propel him into music.
“I knew that I could do it, I just had to get it done.”
The beautiful thing about DAWN’s journey into becoming a hip-hop musician is that his influences are not limited to rappers.
“Even till day, I am inspired by Nigerian artistes like Alpha P, Rema, Wizkid, Davido, Leriq, and Wande Coal.”
Anyone who has listened to D4WN’s music can attest to the fact that he has truly been able to seamlessly merge all these influences into one cohesive sonic experience. D4WN has promised his fans that his debut album, 21, will be a new level of this sonic experience.
“With this project I wanted to challenge myself to do something that I have not done before. I believe that I have been able to cross the line with every single track on my album.”
What are some of these lines D4WN has crossed musically?
“Rhyming and imitating,” he said. “For a long time I felt like it was essential to rhyme to make a song good. I have learned, however, that this is far from the truth. It took a lot of experimenting but I was finally able to break free from that mindset. I also used to believe that I had to imitate some rapper’s style, cadence and flow because I had people in my ear telling me what to do. Thankfully I have been able to trust myself more and silence the voices of others.”
Apart from being his debut full length album, 21 is a special project to D4WN for a plethora of reasons. He even hopes to be able to make it the first of a series of projects.
“I plan on making an album called 23 in a couple of years. This is like the first movie and it is truly a collage of different pictures and points of view. All these pieces come together to make a single image: 21, and you can only see this image if you are in tune with the music.”
So what is 21 about?
D4WN recently released his three-song EP, Just in Time.
“The album is made up of my stories and experiences which I have transformed into art that can be perceived by someone who is just like me. They may not have the same experiences but there will be so much for them to learn from. The story will tell itself.”
Finishing up his masterpiece during a global pandemic, however, seemed to be a tasking feat for the musician.
“At the beginning of the pandemic I was still going to school and working two jobs. I was able to get inspired by the situation I was going through and it was during that time that I made my favourite songs on the project.”
Having now completed the LP, D4WN is proud to have created another torch bearing hip hop project that will advance the genre during this decade.
“I believe hip hop can never die but there are some people who have done things to bring harm to its image. I feel like its job, and that of a chosen few, to make sure that hip hop spreads a positive message.”
Although D4WN is resolute in bringing a message of hope and positivity with his music, he feels a responsibility to do it as authentically as possible.
“While I feel an obligation to deliver a positive message, I know that delivering that type of message is an art of its own and I want to perfect the craft before I address any serious issues.”
For the songs he has made, D4WN is yet to announce a release date for the project. Why? He wants it to be perfect for the listener.
“I am excited about how the album will make the listener feel.
“When I would hear songs by J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Phora, M.I. Abaga, Lexii Alijai, TDE and Roy Woods, I would get jealous because I knew it was in me to do it better.
– D4WN
This is why I am taking time to make sure there are no gaps in the experience. I am taking my time and letting the story grow with time and of course creating awareness because many people will not understand what I am trying to do.”
While his fans wait for his debut album, D4WN’s fans can revisit his old music available on all streaming platforms knowing that what is coming is indeed greater.
The power of house plants
Weeding out the myth about air purification joseph holoein you think of eastern Canada, arts writer or the smell of pine makes you isaac adeoluwa atayero
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Crisis has never been as inescapable as it is right now. Whether it is dealing with the pandemic, social justice issues or a professor who is yet to figure out Zoom, there is some level of difficulty and looming danger that is present everywhere you look.
The overt documentation of this period in time has been unrelenting thanks to social media and high quality smartphone cameras. Everyone has something to say and share or reshare and it has all become overwhelming for me. When I look back at this year, I don’t want to look back at crisis after crisis. I don’t want my phone gallery to only be filled with protest after COVID-19 warning.
So I decided to do something about it.
I started taking portraits of my friends and anyone who would let me put my iPhone in their face. I have always loved taking pictures with the portrait think of your time westward or in mode on my iPhone but I did not realize how much fun it would be to take pictures of other people smiling and being crisis-free in that moment. I look at my camera roll now and I smile at the silly faces, the glammed up winks, and the effortless beauty that is able to exist during these crazy times. It is important that we are able to create some type of pseudo-reality for ourselves and preserve some of the joy in the world. Taking pictures enables me to do that. It allows me to control, in a small way, the energy I surround myself with. It gives me the ability to capture the people around me in what I believe is their true essence. It affords me the chance to celebrate people in a world that gives you little to celebrate. There have been so many cancelled birthdays, anniversaries, naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals and vow renewals this year. If my request to take someone’s picture brings them even a little bit of that stolen celebration, that is plenty. For so many people, reality is too real and there is seemingly no way to get ahead of it. I took
In 2014 I was in Belize helping northern Saskatchewan. Or perbuild a hurricane shelter. While haps a family member has a parthere, we met a local of Mayan ticular passion for plants. Many ancestry who showed us several memories and emotions of ours native plants that were growing can be linked to plants. wild in his backyard: a cacao tree, There is something special coffee plant, and many coconuts about this relationship we hold and calabash fruit. He explained with plants. They can help us to us how he built the roof of his imagine, dream, see things differwooden home from the plants of ently, or perhaps it’s just the visual the jungle. The hut-like structure aspect that causes us to appreciate had one open room with a table their presence. in the middle and a wood-fuelled Do we really own them, or do clay oven with an opening in the they own us? front for adding more logs. For example, my typical
While running through the morning involves a coffee and as jungle can be a disastrous deci- I sit and look at my collection of sion for a number of reasons, our plants, I find that I am naturally guide noted to us that there is a moved to water them. Perhaps we specific kind of plant that grows need to see electronics in our life upward using the trees around it as holding a similar power over us. and extends a net-like curtain of Remove the item and the power it vines that are as sharp as razor holds over your life is dispelled. blades. Although I prefer the safety of Canada, owning my own tropical plants has helped my mind wander back to Belize. I am sure that anyone else who travels and loves plants could say there is a specific kind that helps transport their mind elsewhere. Maybe maple leaves make Yet, it is easier said than done for some things and eliminating distractions might not be our life’s goal. For some, distractions are a coping mechanism, and taking care of plants can be exactly what we need to feel at peace. Sometimes the simple act of potting a plant can focus one’s mind enough on the process that we forget for a moment the pressures of the world. Alternatively, sometimes these tasks provide the time for thought. We can be so busy with life that we forget to think deeply about who, what, and why we are the way we are. The benefits of plants are multifoliate. Just over a year ago I was
working at a local flower shop. I was told that certain plants like the snake plant in particular can actually help purify the air – so there I was, advertising the amazing air-purifying benefits of the snake plant. Little did I know, this belief would be overturned and labeled a “myth” by scientists as noted by National Geographic. some proactivity but I’m glad I have been able to make it to the other side. I am strongly considering creating an Instagram page to share my portraits and maybe some of the stories of the people featured. Happy stories of course. Nothing sad or dramatic. We have an abundance of that already.
We are all part of history in a way that those that came before have not been. The times are no longer just happening to us, we are also happening to the times. We are all historians with our platforms and devices. If we choose to, we can help tell more
Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash Make like a tree and flourish
They do still purify the air in some minute way, but the significance is now highly debatable.
So while my plants will not be revolutionizing the air in my home, they will continue to inspire creativity, a connection to nature, and small acts of steward-
How I keep calm: Capturing history the way I want to remember it
A series featuring the different ways students are finding peace and contentment during the pandemic
How have you been keeping calm during the pandemic?
“It is important that we are able to create some type of pseudo-reality for ourselves and preserve some of the joy in the world. – Isaac Adeoluwa Atayero
ship.
Carillon nuanced stories of what it felt like to be alive in 2020 through our Snapchat videos, Instagram reels, boring Tik Toks, rambunctious tweets or whatever device we choose to chronicle our lived experiences with.
Many of us do this already without realizing it. We are usually propagating someone else’s version of our own reality and fully accepting it. I challenge you to stop. Take a break from social media and the news. Ask yourself what you really feel about hot button issues minus influencers and the media. Discover how angry you are or how at peace you really are. Read, write and share from the place that is most honest to you.
Capture history the way you want to remember.
By the students, for the students
holly worby staff writer
“Growing a student community of healthy minds” is a phrase that could (and should) apply to any student organization, but the Psychology Students Association (PSA) at the University of Regina has taken pride in making that phrase their goal this year. From a complete website overhaul to building a mentorship program from scratch, they’ve been busy at work since May attempting to bridge as many gaps and provide as many opportunities as possible.
The PSA for the 2020-2021 school year is made up of eighteen undergraduate psychology students from both the art and science programs who are using their ambition to make a difference. One of their first steps in going above and beyond this year has been to compile a list of local mental health resources that can be found on their website (ureginapsa.org) under the “support” tab. While some of these resources are specifically student-directed, they’ve also taken care to list many other local sources that can be accessed by anyone needing help in areas like addiction, sexual health, or suicidal thoughts.
Shae Sackman, the PSA’s president, was particularly passionate about making these resources available and saw it as part of a wider ethical responsibility as “a steward of the profession.” It’s not uncommon for members of the PSA to be approached by students requesting mental health resources, which in the past has been hard to accommodate as Saskatchewan’s mental health resources are quite scattered. Compiling some of the best-established resources into one list has made it easier for the PSA to direct people to the organization that will best help them, and this list is publicly accessible on their website at all times.
Shelby Leis, vice-president of the PSA, mentioned that in prior years the PSA was seen as more of an exclusive social group, an image that this year’s PSA doesn’t identify with. To break that perception and become “an actual, viable source for people,” an emphasis on sharing knowledge has been established. All eighteen members have a wide variety of connections and interests which, when combined, result in incredible new opportunities like one of the PSA’s most recently created resources – the Psych Lounge.
Put simply, the Psych Lounge is a virtual hang-out space for people, psychology students or not. While the PSA would like to have a physical office to visit, coronavirus has pushed that goal back a ways, so the Psych Lounge is a temporary solution that’s accessible and inclusive, offered via Zoom call weekly, on alternating Tuesday or Thursday evenings. A schedule list is available on the PSA’s website, as are the Zoom links you’ll need if you’d like to attend one. The Psych Lounge is always attended and housed by PSA members who are more than happy to share study tips, tutor, give advice on course selection, or inform students on the teaching styles of various professors so you can find one that suits your learning style.
Along with being a great space to hang out and visit with like-minded peers, the Psych Lounge will be used to host the events that the PSA has in the works. While there’s nothing set in stone quite yet, I would highly recommend keeping your eye on the calendar located on their website, or following the PSA on instagram (@ureginapsa) to stay updated on the more socially-focused events. Sackman and Leis said the PSA has been working with local mental health organizations and professors from the U of R to provide presentations on everything from potential volunteer experiences to talks on healthy coping strategies and much, much more. These events are inspired by the PSA’s devotion to offering students as many opportunities as possible while supporting them in every area possible. They want to openly and honestly address issues from an anti-colonial, anti-racist, inclusive, and radically accepting perspective.
A complaint raised by many psychology students concerns the pressures of trying to get into the honours program, which is competitive for psychology students at the University of Regina. Sack-
man commented on this growing, shared mindset that if you’re not good enough for honours, you’re not good enough for psychology – it’s simply not true. However, the honours program is often presented by professors as the only way to progress in academia; this is concerning for many students, as there’s normally no more than a couple dozen students accepted into the honours program for psychology each year. This, along with a lack of representation among faculty, has led to many people leaving the program because they don’t see a future for themselves using this path and can’t identify with those who have.
In part to address this, the PSA has chosen to highlight alternative uses for psychology degrees in their newsletter, “Pscholastic,” which can be found on their website. It’s filled with writings by members of the PSA, graduates from the undergraduate psychology program, and student contributors. If you’re a student looking to contribute writing, an opinion, or even artwork, email internal@ureginapsa.org to get more information on making your voice heard.
Another recent development rolled out by the PSA this fall has been their mentorship program, “Peer-to-Peer,” where first and second year undergraduate psychology students are paired with an undergraduate psychology student in at least their third year to have as a resource. It’s difficult to connect naturally with students in further years of study, especially with our current remote learning format, and they hope that through this program, students will take on the PSA’s mindset of sharing knowledge and experience for the benefit of others. The mentor-mentee pairings are made at the start of every semester; the pairs for the Fall 2020 semester have already been set, but if the program is of interest to you there will be an application process in early January for the Winter 2021 semester. Any questions about this program, or other programs mentioned in this article may be directed to hello@ ureginapsa.org.
