For any unsigned artist today, their voyages are guaranteed to encounter some turbulence. For New York based Donny Goines, his struggle is the same as many of the hopefuls out there. But his ability to literally generate his own buzz with his words and concepts are allowing him recognition from those already situated with deals. With a promising future ahead of him, Donny Goines with or without a deal is someone who people need to familiarize themselves with as he isn’t planning on going anywhere but up.

How did you get into rapping?
To cut a long story short, I ‘really’ started getting into rap during the summer of 2004. My boy Bigga Threat started showing taking me around and showing me how to format songs and verses. He was my first mentor and we worked together for a few months that year. We was supposed to do a group called 3rd Roc, which would have been us and dudes from my neighborhood but due to his incarceration later that year I pretty much gave up on the idea until I saw the Jay Z movie "Fade to Black" in January 2006. I then became inspired again to follow my dreams and I haven’t looked back since.
Do you think Hip-Hop is ready for Donny Goines?
No I don’t, well not yet at least. Reason being, many people are brainwashed and don’t really embrace "real" music. I’m not referring to the ‘shoot em’ raps, I’m talking about truthful emotions and thoughts. The game needs a serious change but I will work hard, along with many others out there, to help bring that kind of music back to the forefront. This is the main thing that separates me from rest, I rap from my heart and it really shows.
What is the biggest misconception people have of the music industry today?
That once you make a few songs all of sudden you have a large bank account, nice car and bedroom full of women [laughs]. I hustle HARD and still live with my mother, sometimes I can hardly afford to get a cab let alone a car. People need to realize that it takes hard word, determination and a strong work ethic to achieve any type of real success.Why do you think the emphasis has fallen off the real fundamentals of Hip-Hop, lyrics especially?

Because "Ring tone Rappers" have saturated the game. Labels embrace and push them hard because the business model is different these days. They are not focused on cultivating careers and long term earnings. They are more concerned with a fast return and that in turn influences the masses. All they see is this certain kind of music and this certain kind of artist and they become blinded by the images and mislead. Instead of focusing on their craft, they focus on making "hits" and because of this the art of lyricism suffers.

What projects are you working on right now?

The Excerpt Pg. 1 hosted by Bishop Lamont. It’s the first part of a trilogy and consists of nothing but original songs dealing with Hip Hop music. Period. This project is focusing on one part of my story which is "The Artist".

Is it difficult to garner label attention nowadays without a co-sign?

Yes it is. I don’t rely on co signs just talent but it definitely helps. That’s a big reason why Bishop is apart of this project in all honesty. A lot of people and entities have co signed me but trust me, they are not easy to get. You need to work hard because the truth is, no one is attaching there name to garbage. It’s very simple. If you work on your craft and grind those co signs will come and doors will be a little easier to open.

New York is the birth of Hip-Hop, as a native New Yorker how do you feel about your city and its representation in Hip-Hop today?

I feel as a whole New York is lost. The people on top are misrepresenting the city and misleading those looking at us and those coming up. Our identity is being tarnished by those chasing a buck for the most part and I think it’s really lame. Everything happens in cycles though and this time is no different. All I have to say about this is prepare for "The Renaissance".

Will you be coming to tour England at any time?

Hopefully, my passport is ready so I need some shows booked [laughs].Seriously though, I do plan to visit next year on my own dime just to check out the Hip-Hop scene and the country. I really look forward to going out there and tearing it down because I get a lot of love from people out there. Look out for me soon and I’m sending much love out to the UK

Melanie Cornish