D.Julien
D.Julien: The Experiment Trio
My mindset was programmed to make just a single post today and it was meant to be Freeway’s verse # 22 from the ongoing month of madness. I was still searching for a suitable image for Freeway when Google Talk notified me that D.Julien has signed in. His AIM ID was what caught my attention “3 NEW joints!! Peep. D.Julien. Remember it. The Experiment!!! Hit the blog up: djulienn.blogspot.com .” meaning he has just finished preparing soon chemical BARS in the laboratory. What’s next? Oh y’all want some sort of review on each of the tracks? No I won’t do that ‘cos his BARS are too self-explanatory for me to be trying to breakdown a DJ Premier production. Enjoy D.Julien’s chemical BARS…however you want to define “chemical bars” just add it to urban dictionary.
Dowload/Listen: D.Julien - Thinking Out Loud (Prod. by DJ Premier)
Dowload/Listen: D.Julien - Can’t Be Life (Instrumental Modified by Elilane)
Dowload/Listen: D.Julien - Loving You Was Wrong
D.Julien - Falling/Conscience Speaking
2 new tracks (Falling & Conscience Speaking) from D.Julien off “The Experiment” produced by Premier Williams and Submit respectively.
D.Julien - Treat Me Different
D.Julien is getting the celebrity kind of treatment because of his lyrical prowess that should come as no shock for those that downloaded his premier mixtape “Let Me Introduce Myself” or read the interview I had with the Brooklyn kid a while ago. Without wasting so much of your time with my “blablabla” hit the link below to give D.Julien’s latest work a quick listen.
Download/Listen: D.Julien - Treat Me Different
D.Julien Spittin’
D.Julien - Understand Me
D.Julien did it for the bloggers, shout out to D.Julien for this dope joint…
Download/Listen: D.Julien - Understand Me (Prod. by Teddy Roxpin)
D.Julien and Dru Freestyle Chypher
D.Julien killed it till the camera was bunged and Dru was tight too. Two thumbs up folks, keep it coming…
XCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: The Man Behind The Curtain “D.Julien”
The Nigerian Hip-Hop Blog had the opportunity to interview the young and sensational lyricist from Brooklyn, New York “D.Julien”. We wanted unveil the man behind the curtain, the one that has been the talk of the blog-o-sphere in recent time. We did just that and our discovery was pretty astonishing because “D.Julien” is only 17 years old but he is versatile, humble plus his style of making music is so refreshing and unsullied.
This is what D.Julien has to say:
Name/Age/Hometown
I’m D.Julien. Just turned 17 in June and I’m from Brooklyn, New York.
Where does the name D.Julien come from ?
Well actually it’s as an authentic name as I can have. D is the first letter in my first name and Julien is my last name. So go figure.
Which of the pioneers of hip-hop influenced you ?
Ahh man. We can be here all day. Just to name a few though: Biggie, Jay-Z, Rakim, Nas, Eminem, etc. I mean the list goes on.
Your first project was titled “LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF”, how did you come up with that ?
This was my first mixtape that everyone would be able to hear. When it’s your first of everything, you’re basically introducing yourself to that. You know? So I’m introducing myself as an artist to the world with this mixtape. It’s just a warm-up for my future projects man, trust me.
If this is a warm-up, will you like to give us an insight into what to except from your next work ?
Just expect even better music and more of a positive message for the future man. I didn’t want to leak any information that I’d have for my next mixtape but you guys can hear it first. Might have a track with A Smash which will be dope and others for my next project. So you can already see I’ll be working with some great artist.
Indeed brother, A Smash is sure a good look. Do you have any other artists in mind that you did like to work with ?
A lot of guys man. I just wanted to work with the best upcoming artist. It’s all about unity for me. Some artists that I’ve contacted for my next joint is Curtains, F.A.M.E, Donny Goines, etc.
D.JULIEN GOING HARD ON MICKEY FACTZ “INCREDIBLE” INSTRUMENTAL
…Back To The Interview…
As a leader of the new breed of artists, what role do you intend to play being the leading horse ?
I just think music needs new ideas, new sounds, and more versatility. I’ll provide that. I understand that music is evolving and I also understand people don’t like some of the same things they might have a decade ago. I’ll provide a versatile artist, an eclectic artist that fuses all genres of music into my hip hop culture while still keeping my lyricism.
You are talented and conscious, do you have any plans to branch out into other fields in the nearest future ?
Definitely. Music is often used as a platform for other ventures. The people who realize that are the people that will most often see the most success. Guys like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, etc. are perfect examples of this.
Commercial hip-hop as you know makes the most money, why have you decided to stay conscious ?
I see it as music man. What I mean is, I don’t believe in tags. Commercial hip-hop and the term conscious rapper have really been taken out of context. Tupac was one of the most “conscious” rappers of all time. He sold outrageous numbers while being that. You just have to know how to balance it, I believe. Keep it real but make it fun for the listener so that they can relate to you and enjoy your music all at the same time. It can be done, I’ll show that!
JOKES
[Nigerianhiphop Blog: You have it all figured out haven't you ? lol]
[D.Julien: You can say that man lol]
D.Julien being a new face and respected means you must be doing something right. What do you have to say about that ?
It’s honestly just a humbling experience. I feel great to know that my music is being appreciated by older artist; people in general for that matter. Me watching myself in blogs, videos, etc. is just a great feeling. I still have a long way to go and I still have big plans so I know that the exposure can only be better from here on out.
What is your response when people say New York Hip-Hop isn’t as strong as it used to be ?
I think so much pressure is put on New York artists because it is the mecca and so many great artists have derived from here. Some people just aren’t ready for change. There won’t be another KRS-One or Biggie or Jay-Z. Those guys were the best during their eras. As I said, music is evolving and people may not be ready for that but I think New York Hip Hip or Hip Hop in general for that matter is becoming stable again.
If you are to pick a track off “Let Me Introduce Myself as a fan, which one will you single out as a classic ?
Well obviously I like all the tracks there. I’d have to say “Last Hope” honestly man. I like all the tracks on the mixtape obviously but that track is the track that I think everyone can relate to and really feel. It’s filled with raw emotion and the message of the track is basically everyone has a purpose for the goal that they are trying to pursue or have pursued. How hard you work is what will determine if you can achieve your goal which will ultimately help you reach the satisfaction you seek in accomplishing your purpose.
Random Questions…
3 Words that describe your fashion style ?
Unorthodox, Vibrant, Sane. lol…
3 Favourite designers/brands ?
Christian Audigier, Nike(Dunks), Polo.
Any Shout Outs…?
Shout out to you guys for the interview, Buzz, Dru, Hardyworks Ent.
Thank you! You have heard it all from the horse’s mouth. Now you know why he is called D.Julien and I am sure by now you know this young talented MC has so much to offer the industry. Make sure you check D.Julien out on his myspace page, show him some love and spread the word. Finally, click the image below to download his mixtape, the tape is also available for download on his myspace page.
Download: D.Julien - Let Me Introduce Myself
It Was All A Dream, The Nigerian Hip-Hop Blog & D.Julien.
D.Julien - Let Me Introduce Myself
Track Breakdown
1.Matrix Introduction
2. The Warmup
- The Warmup was very close to not being on the mixtape. I recorded that a week before the drop really. I always envisioned it as the introductory song though. I wanted to make it short but real good at the same time. But it was meant for yall to hear it and say “O ok we’re in for a good show.” It was something light.
3. Introduction Defined
- The tape REALLY starts here. What I mean by that is, from here on in I locked in to DESTROY mode lol. As I said the Warmup was just something light to start you guys off with. In this track/speech, I just wanted to prepare/introduce you guys to an intense tape.
4. Introduce Myself
- I actually had this track on myspace(www.myspace.com/djulien) for a little while. As you can notice when you hear the tape, the version on the tape was different from the one on myspace. The reason for that is, I re-recorded it with a new twist! I made a couple people hear it, they LOVED it! Also its the full 3+ Mins track as opposed to the snippet online.
5. People Talkin’
- I wrote this track rather quickly. I was in the zone that day. I wrote like 6 songs that day and only two made the tape! Anyway, I like this track a lot. It’s a chilled track but somewhat agressive at the same time. I wanted to connect with you guys when you listen, so I rapped as if we were having a convo kind of.
6. Adrenaline prod. by Buzz
- Shout out to Buzz. He did a great job with this beat. This was actually taken(the beat) like a week before the drop. I heard the beat and had to annihilate it! It gets me hype listening to it all the time. The beat just has that feel. Listen to the lyrics guys!!
7. All A Dream
- I actually recorded this joint like 3 weeks before the drop. It was just me, Neek Rusher and my young boy Dru in the studio that day. They both liked it and I loved it so I decided to put it on the tape. This track is actually a true story and it’s one of my favorite joints on the project. This was also the transition from tracks 2-6 which were crazy beats/hard base with the exception of People Talkin’ to more mellow joints for the next couple of tracks.
8. Open Mic Live
- I let 9 people hear this joint before I put it on the tape. The reason why I had second thoughts about putting it on the tape was because I didn’t know if you guys were ready to get basically that REAL. What I mean is, I know most mixtapes yall listen to is hardcore, shoot, kill, etc. I wanted to be different and take more of an album approach. Listen to the words and Enjoy!
10. My Thoughts
- I wrote this the same day I wrote People Talkin’. So this was the other song that made the cut with People Talkin’ from that day. I only let Buzz hear this joint before putting it on the tape because I wanted to surprise everyone. I just wanted to keep it real on this track. Hopefully you listen(ed) thoroughly and you like it!
11. Acappella Fury
- This was actually a last minute decision. I let 3 people hear it. They said it was dope! I made it very shorty because no one wants to hear long acappellas. Never Fun! I also thought it was a good transition from the “My Thoughts” acappella. It marked the middle of the tape. So I wanted to make it real easy to the hear and get you guys ready for the energy on the next track.
12. Wanna Rock Live
- This track was perfect to pick the level of hype/energy back to the tape coming off the acapella. It was somewhat mellow from tracks 7-11 so I created somewhat of a show atmosphere like I did with Open Mic. Tried to keep the energy strong for the next track which was…
13. Stock In The Game
- Crazy! Everyone that heard this joint told me it was crazy. Thanks for the love! Now like “Introduce Myself”, I re-recorded it to make it a little more hyper/energitic and different for you guys that heard it on Myspace already. Enjoy!
15. Things Gonna Change prod. by Buzz
- This is my favorite song on the entire project. Real positive track and the beat/sample was real catchy. Buzz did his thing once again. I put this song on addictedtonoise.com and the people that heard it either on there or other people’s pages online, loved it! Real positive message. Hope yall enjoy this record!
16. The Draft
- Love this joint! I never heard an artist do this before so I felt like I would. Everything is in perfect sequence. In the 1st verse, he gets the news that he was drafted. Second verse, he arrives to the base to confirm, to train and get himself prepared for the war. The third verse is where I actually took you guys through the battlefield. Another positive joint. R.I.P to our fallen soldiers!
17. Say Hello prod. by Buzz
- From the moment Buzz played this beat for me, I knew I had to rap over it. The beat was mellow but energetic at the same time. I wanted to be different and not use Jay-Z’s Say Hello beat as an element of surprise for you guys. It’s all bout you listeners! I bet when you saw “Say Hello” you thought it was the usual Jay-Z beat. Well, Gotcha! lol. Peep the instruments. Crazy!
18. Goin In’
- Just what the title says. I just wanted to go in on this record. I love this beat! It’s just such a hype type of beat! This was originally going to be the last track but I figured I’d switch it up a bit.
19. Hear Me prod. by Buzz
- Once again, Buzz hooked me up with some crazy sh*t! I loved the sample. I heard it on “Moment of Silence” a while back and Neek Rusher let me hear the original song which made me want to rip it even more! I was real complex on this track but I still dumbed it down a little bit. Listen and Enjoy!
21. This was the first song that I put out promotion for my mixtape. I released this song on May 31, 2008 and I got 400 plays and 280 Downloads that day which is crazy! This is one of my favorite tracks and a lot of people love this record as well. Its real! And as I said, this is ultimately why I make music for, my family. I’m sure you guys can relate.
Download: D.Julien - Let Me Introduce Myself
N.B. - Interview with D.Julien coming soon when things has been finalized.
REVIEWS
MODENINE - THE PARADIGM SHIFT
INTERVIEWS
D.JULIEN
MIXTAPES
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