Episode 18: Prayer & Poetry: A Man's Path to Purpose
Born and raised on and off the reservation in New Mexico, Dine rapper, Def-i has defied the odds and become a renown hip-hop artist, poet, and inspiration for people young and old. His story of paying rent with raps, honing his craft, blending wisdom from his elders into his lyrical prayers, and doing whatever it takes to make his dreams happen will leave you in awe and inspired to follow your path.
Topics Covered:
- Mental, spiritual, and metaphysical growth are all important for the boy to grow into the man
- Being raised as a boy without a fatherly presence
- The mother figure as a goddess in hip-hop culture
- Masculine influences in our lives besides our fathers
- Raised by Rap: differentiating between the different messages in hip-hop as young man
- Life on the reservation
- Reverse déjà vu: the moment that purpose becomes clear
- Recognizing and seizing your moment
- Following through on your calling, no matter what it takes
- Brotherhood and supporting another man’s dreams
- Working on your skills while your skills work on you – walking the path
- Respecting the feminine and shining light on women
- Walking in Beauty – The Diné way
- Parallels between traditional indigenous practices and modern hip-hop
- Music as prayer
- Focusing on the message instead of looking/sounding good
- Legacy over popularity
- Creating art that is timeless and influences many generations
- Musical stylings of Def-i (live performance)
- Snapchat: @Def-i
- ddatlive.com (definition rare)
Check out Def-i and his band DDAT – hip-hop meets funk and jazz…FORREAL!
