David Hodges
Montréal, Quebec, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
Check out the interview with David on Global News Morning Show with Camille Ross - Global News
"MONTREAL- For David Hodges, it's all about inspiring and empowering kids to stop bullying.
The Montreal teacher and rapper has combined his talents to benefit young people.
He uses lyrics that send positive messages to speak out against violence.
Bullying is an all-too-common situation, and the substitute teacher said he's on a mission put an end to violence in schools, and he does it in terms his students can connect with.
"There is a whole culture of music with meaning and positive messages and I want to be one of those people at the forefront of the battle line," he said....."
- CTV News
"The West Island’s David Hodges is local hip hop’s conscience. The prolific producer, MC, community organizer, teacher, showman and promoter follows 2010’s introspective, concept-driven How to Become a Resilient Garden with a lighter touch: an overtly poppy rap record, lavish with catchy, hit-worthy hooks and easily ingestible rhythms deliberately designed to take the edge off the lyricist’s penchant for deeper thought.
Hip hop struggles daily for its credibility on many battlefields at once: commercial vs. underground; conscious vs. irreverent; a played notion of “real” vs. any variety of callout stating otherwise. One false move and you’re done, no matter what lane you play in.
Hodges has the balls to run through that traffic and the sincerity to thumb his nose at such archaic analyses. His sound has changed but his voice remains the same. While many will surely waste their breath calling out a calculated jump at radio play, Hodges will honestly be going about his business." - CULT MTL
"The West Island’s David Hodges is local hip hop’s conscience. The prolific producer, MC, community organizer, teacher, showman and promoter follows 2010’s introspective, concept-driven How to Become a Resilient Garden with a lighter touch: an overtly poppy rap record, lavish with catchy, hit-worthy hooks and easily ingestible rhythms deliberately designed to take the edge off the lyricist’s penchant for deeper thought.
Hip hop struggles daily for its credibility on many battlefields at once: commercial vs. underground; conscious vs. irreverent; a played notion of “real” vs. any variety of callout stating otherwise. One false move and you’re done, no matter what lane you play in.
Hodges has the balls to run through that traffic and the sincerity to thumb his nose at such archaic analyses. His sound has changed but his voice remains the same. While many will surely waste their breath calling out a calculated jump at radio play, Hodges will honestly be going about his business." - CULT MTL
“The first of the three videos worth watching, and created by David Hodges and Stefanie Parnell, was performed live at one of the UN Peace Day / Jammin4Harmony concerts last Friday. David Hodges is Montreal's favorite hip hop artist. He and Parnell wrote the song "Secrets," which condemns domestic abuse, and depicts an angry father beating his teenage son. His sister -- played by Parnell -- pays witness to her father's vicious behavior. Unlike other videos that depict abuse, this video doesn't end on a negative note. In fact, the abusive father is confronted by his older son as the song draws to an end. Spoiler alert: for those hoping for a justified moment of revenge will be disappointed. Instead, the oldest son of the father walks into a bedroom, where the father had been screaming at his other son, looks him straight in the eye, touches his chest, and shakes his head. In the doorway, Parnell stands ...” - The Huffington Post
The musicians were Montreal-based feel-good hip-hop empowerment artist David Hodges and his guitar-playing partner, Milan Bornell. They played ballads. They kicked it freestyle. But what they mainly did was hold the crowd with positive songs about people trying to do positive things. One song chronicled a single mother working in a schoolroom cafeteria. If that’s not Greenwich Village, I don’t know what is. For more on the Path Café, go to pathcafe.com. They have events almost nightly. For more on Hodges, check out hodgesmusic.com. He’s also a music producer and motivational speaker who uses hip hop to inspire children. QCGN, a Canadian not-for-profit organization, commissioned him to create an anthem for Quebec, to be played at the 2013 Canada Winter Games.” - New York Daily News
A new album came out this week and hit an unexpected number nine on the charts. N’we Jinan Eeyou Istchee is the first release to come out of an innovative tour through 10 Cree communities in Quebec, and yesterday, it appeared in ninth place on the top albums chart on iTunes Canada (and even made it to number one in the Hip Hop/Rap category)
Commissioned by the province’s Cree Nation Youth Council, the N'we Jinan Eeyou Istchee Tour is a collaborative project aimed at creating a space where youth can express themselves musically in a safe, supportive environment. Grand Chief Joshua Iserhoff and Montreal hip hop artist and music educator David Hodges travelled with a mobile studio to teach Cree youth about recording, music production, songwriting, performance, marketing and design.
The tour's goals are to empower Cree youth, as well as provide schools and communities with resources for a music program and to encourage school attendance. During the tour's three-day residency in each community, two to three original songs were created. The result: a charting album of 19 tracks.
One of the tracks is sung by 13-year-old Angel Baribeau, from Mistissini, Quebec. "I believed that I had a nice voice, but I never really believed it was that great,” Angel said in one of the many videos documenting the tour. "I heard myself and I was like wow that’s actually me?"
Angel credits singing with helping her come out of her shell, but for Jason Swallow, also of Mistissini, it had a different impact. "Music is the only way to escape my problems, you know. Before I started music I had drinking problems, drug problems. So ya, basically music saved my life."
The N’we Jinan Eeyou Istchee Tour will be travelling to other Cree communities across Canada. For more on the project, see this CBC News article about the tour's stop in Whapmagoostui. - CBC
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
David Hodges is a respected hip hop producer and gifted MC active in the culture for over a decade, Hodges blends soul, funk, rock and gospel in a fashion that combines the best of their individual elements, as his insightful rap narratives compel the listener not only to live life, but to craft it as thoughtfully and carefully as he does his music.
Furthermore, David is a music educator and program director. He encourages creativity and passion and has been actively building his social enterprise for 5 years. David travels to 50 schools yearly and provides a sustainable music program that offers youth the opportunity to create their own songs and market them into the public world (http://www.notrehome.ca). As an extension to his educational approach for young Quebecers, David works with the Cree Nation Government and has built a platform for young Native youth to be heard. His project N'we Jinan Eeyou Istchee Volume 1, which brought together 9 communities and over 70 artists, went number 1 on the iTunes Charts in Canada and was also featured on CBC's The National. David continues to bring his mobile studio to communities across our nation and is now venturing with several non-profits, sitting on the council of a shared charitable foundation and has started operating as a label with major distribution.
He is currently backed by his band called "The Honest Family", a collective of musicians and artists brought together through the love of music. They've shared the stage with many hip-hop legends such as Phife Dawg, Tech N9ne, Guru, Raekwon, Kardinal Official, De La Soul, Swollen Members, Master Ace, Shad K, K-Os, and more.
Hodges runs a local based studio and has extensive knowledge in analog/digital sound recording and music production. He works with Cubase 5, Fruity Loops 10, Cool Edit Pro 2.0 and Reason 4. He can play the keyboard, guitar, saxophone and drums.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS / ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Singer/songwriter specializing in hip-hop and urban music.
- Recorded and released 10 full length albums and has collaborated with over 50 artists across the world.
- Music production company owner that offers high quality instrumentals to independent artists. The company has sold over 700 beats and continues to grow in its reputation and relationships.
- Sound recording studio owner that offers recording services at competitive rates. The studio has served over 50 artists since its conception. It offers mixing and mastering services and caters to all genres of music.
- Full time performer and band leader. Toured locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. 10 years of experience. Biggest highlights would be the Just For Laughs Festival with Kardinal Official, Osheaga 2010, 7 touring dates in the Netherlands and opening for Phife Dawg of Tribe Called Quest.
- Co-creator of nationally recognized anthem "Notre Home". The song served to encourage Anglophones to identify with the Quebec culture while helping youth find their voice. The project received a $20,000 grant from the provincial Government and plat formed a 40 school tour across 10+ regions in Quebec. The tour received national media coverage and reached over 15,000 students.
- Co-creator of a monthly hip-hop showcase that offers local artists and musicians, a place to perform and grow artistically. The event serves to teach young artists how to be professional, organized, respectful and entrepreneurial. The showcase brings in over 200 spectators on a monthly basis and continues to grow the hip-hop culture in the West-Island of Montreal.
- Extensive music catalog in all genres of music. Specialization in songwriting and working with other singers, musicians and producers for collaborative projects with budget and direction.
Band Members
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