Rapper's Delight: Geri D'Fyniz

posted in: Features • Urban

One of the toughest battles for any rising musician is the struggle to keep artistic control” not just over their music, but over their brand too. At some point or another, most artists will have to compromise and veer down a path that they hadn’t originally planned to. Let’s face it, it’s hard enough to micromanage every facet of your career when you’re small potatoes, but once you make a name for yourself it becomes downright futile. Unless, of course, you’re Geri D’Fyniz. For Geri, independence is the name of the game. On top of writing his own music and, obviously, rapping, he is also his own engineer, manager, promoter, publisher and occasional graphic designer. Oh, and he has his own label too. This jack of all trades has picked up all the skills needed to stand, independently, in an unforgiving industry.

We like D’Fyniz”it’s always great to see artists take matters into their own hands instead of idly hoping to make it big. He’s nothing if not hardworking, and the stress he puts on web presence can only help his cause. His site opens with a welcome video, which is a nice touch, and he links to fourteen other sites where he can be found. We also like how he has a list of radio stations and phone numbers where you can request his songs and a blog where he shares his personal and professional thoughts. Here’s some wise words from his blog: “Knowledge should be passed around not lock[ed] away in a safe as if it’s a secret. Some people who are wicked understand that knowledge is power and knowing that they decide to withhold it from people it can potentially advance. I don’t understand nor do I agree with that. If I have information that can help someone else then I know my living is not in vain.”

D’Fyniz dropped two EP’s this February to keep us entertained while he wraps up his debut album. B.A.M. (By All Means) delves into his experiences as an independent artist and the drive it takes to stick with it. Kwality Control, on the other hand, gets a little more personal and discusses things like God and love. We’re pretty excited about his upcoming release, needless to say, and he’s reportedly collaborating with J. Gram Williams on it.

Geri D’Fyniz is an icon for all indie artists with headstrong ambitions. Take a page out of his book: knowledge can save your career, hard work pays off and you can’t put a price on independence. Check out this track “Haterville (feat. J. Gram Williams)” to get a taste of what he’s got cooking up: