S.T.I.L.L.: FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM, "THE BREAKFAST CLUB". IT’S SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED 5/19/09, SO WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO HEAR FROM THE ALBUM?
D. GOINES: First, and foremost, it’s not for purchase. We’re in a recession, so I’m giving ya’ll a gift. You can download it, and enjoy it. It’s my second official album, and I wanted to bring out this album because I felt like my message was not fully understood. I wanted to show my versatility and how well I work with others, and I worked with a good 14 or 15 producers. But, there is rhyme and reason behind it, and I really like how the album turned out and hope that people enjoy it.
D. GOINES: To be quite honest, it really wasn’t any particular scene, or thing, from the movie that really inspired me. It was just an overall vibe, and the only way I can really express it is that I had an epiphany. Basically, when I saw that movie, I just really became inspired and thought to myself ‘This is what I need to be doing’. Once I saw the movie, something in me clicked, and I realized at that moment that I wanted to be an artist, and I’ve given it 110%.
D. GOINES: First, and foremost, that’s a record that’s produced by "Dame Grease". The funny story about that record is that it wasn’t actually a track that I picked out. What happened was, I came to the studio one day, and the beat was playing in the background, and Grease already had a verse on it and asked me what I thought of the record. I told him that I thought it was "cool", and he asked me to write a verse for it, as well. Once I wrote the verse, he came back in the room and asked me to spit it for him, and when I spit it, he said ‘You know what? I’m gonna take my verse off, and that’s gonna be your first single.’ The record itself really just describes my love for music. Basically, when I wrote the record, I just really tried to describe how I feel when I make music, and I thought the record fit my [first] album perfectly. As far as the vocalist in the song, it was a sample, but I’m not sure who it was.
D. GOINES: First, I don’t think that sales will EVER be that way again, mainly because the game is different, and the times have changed. As far as record sales are concerned, I think we’re in a digital age, and that really affects the sales and product movement, so to speak. Regardless, I still feel the content shouldn’t be any different than it was back then. Although, the game is different, there should still be substance, and honestly, the way I feel about it is simple: PEOPLE STILL NEED TO PUT QUALITY INTO WHAT THEY PUT OUT.
D. GOINES: We’re having a release party this Monday (May 18th) at Sullivan Hall, which is located at 214 Sullivan Street, between W. Third and Bleeker. It’s $10 to get in, and the show starts at 8 pm, and we’re gonna close it out at midnight. It’s gonna be a really, really fun event because I’m gonna have a lot of the artists that feature on the new album in attendance. So, if you’re in the NYC area, come out and rock with me!
S.T.I.L.L.: AT THE MOMENT, YOU’RE AN UNSIGNED ARTIST, BUT THAT’S LIKELY TO CHANGE VERY SOON. IF YOU HAD THREE MAJOR LABELS TRYING TO SIGN YOU, WHAT THREE LABELS WOULD YOU SERIOUSLY CONSIDER SIGNING WITH?
D. GOINES: That’s a very good question! I definitely would really have to consider and weigh my options, but off the top of my head, the first couple of labels that stick out in my mind are, number one, SRC (Steve Rifkin’s label); reason being, I like what they do with their artists (Akon, David Banner, Asher Roth) and, also my manager works up there, so that would probably be my first preference. My second choice, honestly, would probably be Star Trak (Pharrell’s label). I like Pharrell’s sound, and I think with me being an artist over there, I could reach a large, large demographic. And my last choice would be Interscope. Although I know I would have a possibility of being shelved, or dropped, before I actually put out an album, I do believe that they have the best overall operation, and I’m very in-tune with what they do as far as their company. But, honestly speaking, I enjoy being independent, and I’m not really chasing a deal at this point. I honestly feel that, as an independent artist in this day and age, you can make strides. As an unsigned artist, I’ve been on MTV, Hot97, in XXL, the Source, all over the country, etc., and I didn’t need a label to make any of these things happen. I feel like your hustle has to be really strong, and in my mind, that’s what separates the "successful artists" from the "failures". And I’m independent by choice, not because I can’t get a deal.
D. GOINES: Thank you, first and foremost, I appreciate it...Honestly speaking, the inspiration is right outside my window. I still live dead smack in the middle of the ghetto, I still see the crack fiends, I still see the victims of violence, and I still know the issues of my community. As a person that has a voice, I feel it’s only right to speak on the behalf of others that can’t speak, and my environment is not really a safe one all the time, nor is it a place where anybody really wants to be. And the bottom line is, I’m just speaking about my life.
S.T.I.L.L.: NOW, I LOVED THE SAMPLE ON "HEAVEN IS WITH YOU"! I LIKE THIS SONG A LOT BECAUSE IT’S KINDA LIKE AN ODE TO YOUR SON FROM A PROUD FATHER’S PERSPECTIVE. CLEARLY, THE LOSS OF YOUR SON WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS TRACK, BUT HOW DID YOU LOSE HIM AND HOW DID YOU USE THAT TRAGEDY TO FIND THE COURAGE TO DO THIS TRACK?
D. GOINES: Thank you, again. First and foremost, I speak from my heart when I make music. And that topic took me a long time to address publicly. Basically, my son was born premature, and he just couldn’t survive. I never even got to see my son. And essentially, it took a lot out of me, but instead of using the pain in a negative way, I decided to make a song that I felt would be uplifting. And I spoke about my son as if he were here, and I imagined him growing up, the life that he would’ve lived, and it really brought a smile to my face. Although he isn’t here with me physically, I know that he’ll always be with me in Spirit, and he’s in a great place, which is Heaven. God bless his soul…
D. GOINES: There’s a quote that I like to say, which is "You must be the change that you wish to see within the world" (Gandhi). That really entails how I really feel about the whole situation. If I’m going to complain about the problems in NY, then I need to be the solution because it starts with ME. One of the biggest problems that I see with New York City is the lack of unity, and that’s why I did things such as my "Bars Serious" because that showcased me rhyming alongside other NYC artists. The initial thought process behind that video, "Serious", was to showcase the unity within my city. A big reason why the South won is because they know how to work together, and for the first time, New York became the followers. But, I think that people are starting to realize the error in their ways and are working to repair the scene within New York. And as time goes on, I believe that people will start to see New York the way it should be. I just feel like, New York, we just need to be ourselves, point blank. No offense to any other region, but we just don’t do certain things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just as we stick to our own teams, other areas do the same because there’s nothing wrong with loving where you’re from. But there’s room enough for EVERYBODY.
D. GOINES: First, and foremost, I want to thank you for this interview, and I want to thank all the readers of S.T.I.L.L. Magazine who read this interview. Please support my new album "The Breakfast Club" by just listening to it. If you can appreciate the work that I did, then it was well worth it. And if you would like to know more about me, you can find me on any social site online. All you have to do is spell my name correctly. Just look for me on any site, "D-O-N-N-Y G-O-I-N-E-S". Much love, and God bless!
"What Happened" Directed by John Colombo from Donny Goines on Vimeo.
Check out Donny Goines on MySpace @ http://www.myspace.com/donnygoines