d.o.n.

I believe without doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of God, who was God manifested in the flesh, divested Himself from the throne to become a man that had a emotions, feelings, and a purpose, which was to die shedding faultless blood for all mankind for remission of sins, that through His righteousness, and bearing every sin upon himself, I and ALL men can freely be forgiven of sins past, present and future, through ONE sacrifice. It is only through belief in Christ's death, burial, and ressurection, can a person gain eternal life, not good deeds or intentions. I personally can't save myself, and if i could i'd go out of my way to mess it up. Because i'm ME. But, God mercifully did it for me. Thank you Lord!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------







----While the majority of hip hop these days narrows it's focus on money, gangster posturing, and precieved arrogance i.e. swagger, there are artists that are dedicated to the traditional, and more beloved forms of hip hop music, while maintaining content, subject matter, and credibility without compromising what the listener would consider good music. d.o.n. brings this to the table and more.

---Born in September at Kileen AFB near San Antonio Texas, d.o.n. is the only child of a military family. This fact, while seemingly meaningless, is a key element in his style, and vast subject matter as an emcee. After living in Savannah. GA, and Weisburg Germany, d.o.n.'s family moved to New Orleans LA, where he has lived ever since. Growing up around various forms of music found while digging through his dad's modest record collection, he listened to everything from James Brown, Otis Redding, Rick James, and others, but it was only when his father purchased the first rap record to memory, The Fat Boys Are Back! that d.o.n. got to experience rap music on a more consistent basis. With the inception of MTV, BET, (in the early years) and summer trips to South Carolina to visit his cousin who seemed to have more cassettes than anybody he knew, would d.o.n. become a certifiable hip hop head.



---In 1994, a year before graduating high school, d.o.n., born Donald C. Purvis Jr experiemented with writing his first rhyme. After reading it, he decided that he would throw the rhyme away, due to the fact that it portrayed him in a light that wasn't his own. d.o.n. would'nt attempt to write another rhyme until 1996. d.o.n. is not afraid to rhyme about his spiritual beliefs either. "When I first started writing, I wanted to be the dopest Gospel rapper that anyone had ever heard, but I ended up taking a detour toward a more secular direction, using a great deal of profanity and questionable topics in the process, which was a conflict of interest, and since then have recommitted my life to The Lord Jesus Christ. I veiw that period as part of my growth as an rapper, but I would'nt say certain things now so as to not cause anyone to get the wrong impression of me or my music."



---d.o.n. would continue to hone his craft while attending Delgado Community College to pursue a degree in dentistry, which he would later change to business. He eventually quit school to find a job, and focus on the music career that he dreamed of attaining. Through years of various jobs, and continued writing, and study of the music industry, d.o.n was fortunate to come in contact and build relationships with some very talented artists who were willing to teach him more about his craft, and the industry. Ace Lo, whom don met while attending Delgado, was also a local rapper in the New Orleans area, and was the first person to put d.o.n. behind the microphone.



---In 2001, after coming to terms with where he was as far as skill and content, d.o.n. enlisted the help of friend, and fellow artist Rami Sharkey professionally known as Ballzack to record his first demo. He would make beats using a Roland 909 Groovebox borrowed from an acquaintence who could'nt figure out how to use it. Despite sending the 5 song demo to various hip hop lables such as the now defunct Coup De Tait, Def Jux, and Sound Ink Records, it failed to make any real noise outside of his friends and family, he decided to revamp the five songs with different beats, having learned how to better utilize the machine, add on 5 more songs and make them an album which would be 2002's The Prologue, which contained a song called Night Life, which got the attention of A&R at Priority Records, but that would ultimately fall through and leave d.o.n. to go back to the preverbial drawing board.



---In 2004, d.o.n. began working, saving, borrowing, and hustling (legally) to purchase an Akai MPC2000XL from a pawn shop, and began working on his sophomore effort ,Employee 0387 which while having better production, and a growth in style, flow, and content, didn't get noticed by the lables like he hoped, but it did garner him more respect from his peers as an artist.

In 2006 after Hurricane Katrina, d.o.n was able to accumulate the equipment for a home studio, by way of financial blessings in light of losses incurred by the highly publicized storm, but God taking what was meant for evil and turning it around, enabled d.o.n. to work on the self produced/mixed/mastered/ album The Basics, which was the only album to be reviewed by critics. John Book of Music For America and former writer for Okayplayer Magazine, and Left Hip Magazine, a publication out of Canada, reviewed d.o.n.'s album, giving it favorable reviews. He began to do more shows in and around the New Orleans area. While he was able to move a few copies, he was still unable to make any real progress.



---d.o.n has worked with or shared stages with some of the most talented artists in the New Orleans underground hip hop scene such as, Ace-Lo, Ballzack, DJ Skratchmo, Guerilla Publishing Company (with whom, thanks to the gritty production of Prospek, he has made some of his best work to date)Impulss, SWAT Team, Caligula and Nomad the Butcher of Cult Flick, Private Pile, Dubla, Twen Bumbs, Majesty Sozey, ATM,Soapbox, Able Chris, Tony Skratchere as well as other artists not from N.O. such as MC Paul Barman, Crucial, MC Front-a-Lot and hopes to spread his net even further through collaborative efforts like the upcoming EP Commercial Free Broadcast with producer Dubla of Dubla Music, who has released work from such artists as Blac Kring, and Rosetta Stoned. d.o.n. has shared stages with such noteworthy artists as Wu Tang affiliate Killah Priest, Pigeon John, MC Front-a-Lot, and New Orleans underground emcees Truth Universal, Lyrikill, Impulss as well as others.



---Despite setbacks, and the struggles of everyday life, having the responsibilities that come with a family, and a job along with trying to be a premier rap artists not ashamed or apprehensive about sharing his Christian faith, d.o.n. will continue to push forward in his walk with Christ, as a husband, father, and an artist. He doesn't focus on bringing back "real hip hop" but d.o.n. by God's grace, just wants to be heardand buy a diamond encrusted flying saucer with the spoiler on the back like the vietnamese dudes be havin, and rims.47 inch rims you know how weeee do!.Holla at ya later on in the game!!!