There is a name ringing right now in underground music and that name is “Doon”.
We first saw Doon performing live back in November of 2013, when he was a featured performer at the Go DJs LA Bayou Urban Music Conference (B.U.M.C.). He caught our attention immediately after he took the stage. Let’s just say Doon is most definitely a force to be reckoned with – he is one of those lyricists who catches the crowd’s attention from the first verse.
We recently caught up with Doon and here’s what he had to say:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Tell our readers a little about yourself & take us through a day in the life of the artist Doon.
DOON: I grew up in downtown New Orleans – the 7th Ward. Grew up in a house full of women – I was raised by my mom and grandma. I’ve been rappin since I was about 13. My mom hated that shit. Me and Frank Ocean used to make songs on that acid pro shit (Laughs). My mom deleted them cuz it made her computer slow. Look how that turned out. A day in my life is always different. I’m a bit of a loner – rolling stone. I go where the wind blow. Studio. Smoke out. Partying. Performing. Traveling. Always writing. When I feel like it – kickin it with the homies.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What got you interested in music?
DOON: I had to be in elementary and my sisters had this hand me down clarinet, so when I wanted to join the band, that’s the only instrument I had to choose from (Laughs). I was taught by Paul Baptiste of the Baptiste Brothers. Then my big cousins were Fullpack Productions & BG. They had me believe this hip hop shit was real.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Are you looking to get into any other aspects of entertainment, besides music?
DOON: I took acting classes at Spelman College and displayed my “talents” in small doses in front of the camera. All of my music up until recently was engineered by myself and I’ve done a little mixing for others.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Growing up, who influenced you musically?
DOON: The greats – Biggie, PAC, Mac, The Hot Boys, Jay-Z, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Freeway, Mase, Scarface, and UGK. My sisters are 9 and 15 years older than me, so whatever I discovered on my own and what they were listening to.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Do you think the City of New Orleans & its culture influenced your interest in music?
DOON: It had to because I was introduced to music traditionally with jazz and brass band music, before I found myself in love with hip hop. It’s crazy because now I found a way to merge the two. I perform with this band The Big Easy Brawlers a lot on Frenchmen and I just got off the road performing with the Stooges Band.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What other shows have you done recently?
DOON: I recently started off on a tour when I performed at Frenchmen Fresh with DJ Jay Skillz. My 30- 35min set was sponsored by Cigar Factory of New Orleans. I toured wtih The Stooges Brass Band as a special guest performer. We toured West, North, East, and South. I left for the Tulsa International Music Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I did the Victoria’s Day Celebration in the Square in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I did show in Charlotte, North Carolina, a club gig down in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in Jacksonville, Florida (Delfayo Marsalis opened for us then we opened for Al Jarreau in front of 60,000-75,000 people – the largest crowd I have experienced in my career. I also did Unplugged in the Park (Atlanta Jazz Fest), Park Tavern in Atlanta, Georgia. During the tour, I decided to launch my own Forever Doon merch line. I was signing autographs and takings pics with kids and the handicapped. I was on the jumbotron for maybe 3 of the stops. In Canada I premiered this new song I have called “Free Fall”, available on all music outlets soon. My 2 music videos “I Got This Joint” & “Haunting Melody” are being played on TV in Houston for a show called “Patties Radio on TV”, and I have 2 commercials airing. I have done countless other shows, including at the Blue Nile. I have been blessed to be able to eat off this music. I have between a mixtape, an EP, and a LP and all are being worked on. I have travelled throughout the Appalachain Mountains , Detroit, Indianapolis, Toledo, Cinncinnati, Bowling Green (shoutout Corey B), St Louis. Dallas, Orlando, Tallahassee, West Virginia, Richmond, and North and South Carolina. The album is being produced by veteran producers Big Fess & Don Juan of Fullpack Productions, along with hitmaker M-16, underground Prospek, up and comers TwoFold Jr, Ruxben of Pavlov, & Josh Guidry. More notably, I performed on Sheba Turk’s The 504 Show accompanied by The Stooges. Off Beat Magazine also recently did a feature on me and Mighty Muzik did a video interview. The recent tour was my second time touring with The Stooges. The first time, we performed at The Cutting Room in Wilmington, Delaware (the Doors performed there),Manhattan and The Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NYC. I’m breaking through slowly but surely, making that transition from college radio/internet & AM radio mainstream (FM)/satellite format radio.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What new projects can we expect to see from you?
DOON: I released Forever Doon which featured G-Unit’s Kidd Kidd on my new website ForeverDoon.com last year and I have a new mixtape coming out, Under The Sun. I’ve started working on an album. I’m taking my time with that, but it’s coming together nicely. You might see a little EP with EF Cuttin. Collabs. I’m putting my own band together. Who knows? I just stay busy.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where will we see Doon in 2, 5 or even 10 years?
DOON: Hopefully with The Lord’s will, you can see me traveling the world performing in front of huge crowds making a living off what I love. If I end up on TV, that’s cool but not a priority. Definitely not on reality TV! I think we’ll see more people appreciating my music worldwide.
EDITOR’S NOTE: You can follow Doon on the net & social media
Twitter – @moonmandoon
Instagram – @d_oon
To book Doon, email contact@ForeverDoon.com. For beat submissions, TheDoonShow@gmail.com.
