DeLon

Producer, rapper and DJ DeLon might have cut his teeth at rap competitions in Compton and South Central. But he’s a son of Sri Lanka at his core.

“The kings and queens of Sri Lankan lineage has been written down and quantified over the last 4,000 years,” DeLon says, proudly talking up the island nation off the coast of India, where his family is from. “Most cultures have kings and queens, but to have it written down and quantified is a different story.”

Though born and raised in Los Angeles, DeLon's Sri Lankan culture is what makes him a unique, next-generation member of international hip-hop culture. In today's cultural landscape of global diversity, DeLon's music embraces influences from R&B, hip-hop, electronic and house. He's even fluent in Spanish and became the first Sri Lankan artist to place a single on the Billboard charts with his 2005 hit "Calor de la Salsa," a fusion of salsa and hip-hop.

Even growing up in the cultural melting pot of Los Angeles, DeLon's Sri Lankan heritage sometimes made him the target of racist barbs. “After high school, I ran track for USC and was around everybody black, calling me Indian and a nigga in the same breath. I was so confused, 'cause I’m not even Indian, I’m Sri Lankan.”

Hip-hop allowed him to overcome some of those racial barriers. “One of my friends back then owned a record label called 306 Records and he’d go up to Oakland every weekend to record his friends," DeLon remembers. "I’d be up there a lot and we would talk about ethnicity and race. We thought it was just so interesting that a form of music could bring together a Sri Lankan guy and a black guy who both just loved and related to hip-hop.”

After the success of "Calor de la Salsa," which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B Songs chart, DeLon scored another hit with the song "Nasty Girl," from his second album, 2008's Unstoppable. That same year, he decided to use his music to shed light on ongoing terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and his opposition to fellow Sri Lankan artist M.I.A., whose music and imagery supported a Sri Lankan separatist group called the Tamil Tigers, who have been responsible for many terrorist attacks.

DeLon did a diss remix of M.I.A.'s song "Paper Planes" and posted it on YouTube. Within hours, the video drew more than 100,000 user views and comments; it's up to 2 million so far. (Earlier versions of the video have since been removed.) The story hit the online front pages of BBC Entertainment, Billboard and Pitchfork. The video was polarizing; it made DeLon both a voice of the Sri Lankan people and the target of an online smear campaign orchestrated by Tamil Tiger supporters.

With his new EP, Awake, DeLon continues to develop his voice as a Sri Lankan living in America, trying to stay true to his culture while making hip-hop with mainstream appeal. Slated for an independent release this fall on MJW Records, Awake's first two singles out this summer, “Head High” and “Middle Earth,” start to tell DeLon's story with his most personal lyrics yet.

“When my dad came here, he used to live on the streets," DeLon says. "He built everything that he had from the ground up, from nothing. We used to live on Hollywood and Highland when it was a dump and [then] we moved to Pasadena. ... I was watching us move like Mario Brothers, going from one level to the next level."

But for a young Sri Lankan kid, moving up the economic ladder sometimes brought other challenges. "It wasn’t till we moved to San Marino, around white and Asian people, [that] I started to experience racism. It was around that time that I started to feel very alone, almost like I was trudging my own path in life."

Music became his refuge. "The first hip-hop album that I ever heard was Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik by OutKast and that first song asked, “Are you an OutKast?' It was like, 'Bing!'

“I come from a place where we had no running water or modern medicine," he continues, referring to the poverty his family rose out of in Sri Lanka. "When we were kids, we’d go there and stay for months. My grandmother didn’t have a bathroom and we had to shit in the outhouse and all the electricity for the house ran on this one outlet. When I started as a hip-hop artist, this is the stuff that I would talk about. There wasn’t much of a difference from what I saw on the streets of the ghetto here and in my native hometown in Sri Lanka.”

Early in his musical career, DeLon was able to give back to his ancestral home. In 2004, a devastating tsunami hit Sri Lanka, and DeLon’s single “Jeevithe” (which means "life") became one of the featured tracks on an official tsunami relief CD. Later, the Consul General of Sri Lanka, Dr. Hector Weerasinghe, praised him for his efforts in speaking out against the Tamil Tigers and the country's ongoing civil war, calling DeLon an “artist of peace,” and stating that his music was “instrumental in bringing global attention to our country and our efforts to rebuild and re-establish democracy.”

Awake features a mix of funky electronic tracks, upbeat melodies and hip-hop lyrics about growing up, falling in love and chasing your dreams. DeLon feels it's the best musical expression yet of his true self.

“The album is called Awake 'cause I finally feel like I’m awake," he says. "People love you for who you are, not you trying to be someone else. Being in the industry for 10 years now, I’m just like, fuck this shit, I’m just gonna do my own thing. If people like it, they like it, if they don’t, press fast forward. I don’t fucking care anymore. I don’t have the same want or need to be famous anymore. I just want to be true to me.” - LA Weekly

DeLon is an ever evolving musical sensation in the US and across Asia. He is one of the first Sri Lankan artists to place on the U.S. Billboard charts, and won “Best Rap Performance” at the Derana Music Video Awards in Sri Lanka.

Today, he unveiled his first single “Middle Earth,” from his second EP “Awake,” giving the Electronic Music and Rap communities something they’ll both appreciate.

He writes and produces all of his own music across multiple genres including rap, acoustic, pop, and electronic music. DeLon strives to create powerful songs that consider social responsibility, while ripping the mic and having fun.

DeLon picture“Middle Earth” is the lead single from his upcoming EP – which is scheduled to debut this fall. The song features valuable lyrical content about topics like reincarnation and self-reflection.

Learn more about DeLon in the following All Access interview with him:

Thank you for your time for this interview! What’s a typical day look like for you lately?

Everyday is different for me right now, but typically I’ll go over my business ventures in the morning. I’m a partial-owner of LXR Coconut Water, so I’ll meet with my partner and discuss business items. I’m also a partner at a real estate company, so I’ll go over cycles, meet with clients and catch up. Then I head to the studio to work on new music. With the new EP coming out soon, I spend a considerable amount of hours in the studio everyday. Once I’m done there, I like to go to the gym and spend time with my girl.

DeLon2What’s it mean to you to be the first musician of Sri Lankan descent to be featured on the Billboard Charts?

This is an interesting question because it’s a big deal – I made history and I’m extremely proud to represent Sri Lanka, but at the same time I was only #22, so does that even count? Don’t get me wrong, it’s an awesome feat and I’m so happy that I’ve been able to show my heritage love, but the competitor in me says, “That’s great, next time let’s be #1.”

Tell me how you are creating meaningful songs? What are the important issues that you talk about in your music?

I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection and staying away from suppressive people, drugs and the rest of the vices that get you down. I’ve been writing music based on what’s going on in my life. It helps me work out issues I’m dealing with or have struggled with in the past. Songs are the most meaningful when they come from the heart or if they help someone get through something, so if I can do that with my music then I feel like I’ve made a difference. I used to be so caught up in all the Hollywood bullshit, I was so stuck in it, but I got out. My new music is all about soul searching, about life and what you go through. Most importantly, it’s about being yourself and not worrying about what other people think.

What was the inspiration for your single “Middle Earth”?

I’ve been spending a lot of time meditating and reflecting on my own experiences and what I’ve been able to unfold about life. I’ve come to the realization that you’re in charge of your own destiny, whatever it may be, so you need to own your actions. All of us came from a very powerful place and where we are now may not be as powerful, but if we take responsibility then we can gain that power back. That’s what the song is about – taking control of your destiny and living your best life right now.

DeLon3What artists today are inspiring you and your music?

I’ve been listening to a lot of experimental music lately – I like weird, crazy, really out there beats. Manufactured Superstars’ song “Like Satellites” is a great one. I think we’re in an era where good music prevails and it inspires me when I’m making my own music. I’ll listen to Pandora and Shazam for the songs I like. Right now I’m really into Lupe Fiasco, Ronald Jenkees, Dark0, and then Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift just because they’re awesome.

Growing up, did you always want to be a performer? If you weren’t an artist today, what else could you see yourself doing?

Growing up, I never thought I was really allowed to think about whether music was a viable source of livelihood. I honestly never thought I would do this for the rest of my life, but now I can’t imagine not doing music. If I wasn’t an artist, I’m not sure what I’d be – maybe a painter or an actor. I’d want to do something that takes great skills, something that requires a lot of energy. That’s what I love about music. You have to be there emotionally, physically and mentally – you have to always be focused and the energy you get from the crowd, there’s nothing else like it.

How do you think being from Sri Lanka has influenced you and your music?

It’s given me a starting ground, like a lift-off point – that’s probably the most important thing. And it’s helped me continue creating music. If I was feeling discouraged, the amount of encouragement I received from my people was incredible. It made me feel like I was good enough to be an artist in America one day. My Sri Lankan core fan base is incredible and it’s so gratifying to make music that represented them.

So far, what’s been a favorite experience of yours?

Every time I perform, it’s an incredible experience, obviously. I love it. I love when the crowd’s so into it, the energy is insane. The other thing I like is when you’re in the middle of creating a new song and it’s starting to turn out awesome. When you first start hearing how it’s going to turn out, you can hear the hook in your head and imagine people listening to it. That’s a moment you can’t recreate – it’s brilliant.

DeLon4Who would you love to work in the future?

Eminem, Will. i. am, Leona Lewis, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. I want to do a rap with Ed Sheeran while he’s harmonizing and doing vocals. I think it would be awesome. He seems like a really fun guy, he’s such a character and he’s so fucking talented. He’ll be successful for another decade at least because he speaks from the heart and his songs reflect that. - All Access Music

DJ/Producer DeLon, born Dilan Jayasingha, is not your average hip-hop talent. Born and raised in Los Angeles, with roots in Sri Lanka, the LA boy grew up with music is his heart starting his extensive track record in the industry beginning playing hip hop with his brother at the age of 12. He started to DJ and things took a natural progression from there.

With influences from N.W.A, Eazy E, and more artists from the Bay, DeLon goals in this industry were to rise above the normal caliber of the state of hip hop and exceed into something much greater. Fast forward to today, the self-proclaimed “straight edge artist,” who has worked with the likes of YG, Ty Dolla Sign, and Frankee Razor, has a new EP, Awake, on the horizon, a new music video for his latest single “For Real,” and a force in this industry that is demanding recognition.

I spoke with DeLon in an exclusive interview with Glambergirlblog where we discussed his sound, new music, and more. Check out some excerpts from our chat below.

On being a straight edge artist: “It’s definitely hard to step away from that stuff in hip hop. I had to create my own oasis. Like my studio, I’ve had YG, Ty Dolla Sign, I had a lot of rappers right here from LA in my studio and they all know there’s no drug taking, no drinking in my studio. They kind of know me as the straight edge guy, but I have to create an environment that makes sense to me.”

On his sound/misconceptions: “I would describe myself, I’m kind of more like a Dre in terms of a rapper because I produce a lot of artists and I find that most people think that…here’s the misconception people have about me. One, that I’m serious, and I’m not that serious at all. Two, is that I just rap, that’s bullsh*t because I produce everything I make, and three that I’m from Sri Lanka, naw dawg I’m from LA, born and raised, don’t get it twisted I’m from LA. I use to go to Project GLOW and freestyle battle on Thursday night all the time. The thing is I talk about serious subjects. I talk about women’s rights and feminism. I talk about being real and not portraying something that you’re not and so when I rap you sort of get this aggressive voice from me, like an Eminem, you don’t a Ludacris vibe from me.”

Photo: Don Bodin
Photo: Don Bodin
On new music: “I released four singles recently. I released one called “Head High,” which was about being fed up with being put in a box and I shredded the mic on that one. I released another song called “The Echos of Pain” remix which was primarily for what was going on in India. There were a lot of Indian women being raped in India over the last couple of years. Ton of news coming out about that, so I got two Indian girls who rap/sing. I wrote a song for them, we did a video, and I released that song which was mainly for the South Asian public. Off my new project which is called Awake, I released a song called “Middle Earth” which is heavily embedded in spirituality and reincarnation and the body as it moves through lives from my viewpoint. And then I released a song called “For Real.” That song is about fake people in LA.”

On working with Frankee Razor: “First off Frankee is the sh*t, he’s f*cking talented. If I show you a snippet of the song we made you’re going to sh*t a brick cause it’s amazing. When you work with great people you get a great outcome. I sat down with Frankee and we talked about his life, what’s important to him, what makes him tick, what happened to him in the past. When I produce, I’m not a track guy. I don’t go sending people tracks, that’s not my thing. If I’m going to produce somebody, first I have to believe in them, second I have to belive that they have talent, and third I have to see that there might be a future for you in the music industry, so without any of those things I wouldn’t work with you. Frankee has all those attributes. We got together and spent a couple of hours in the studio the first day. The next day I wrote a chord progression he didn’t like it, he rewrote it, and he did his thing. He told me, ‘DeLon I don’t usually write with people in the studio but I’m very comfortable being around you and hanging out with you.’ He wrote the whole song in the booth while we were working as I’m helping him tweak the song to put it in the right organized manner and arrangement. He’s great, really a nice guy humble, with a great voice.”

On staying in the industry: “Number one advice is just keep making music, keep releasing music. Big mistake I made in 2010 I wasn’t releasing any music. I should have been because I had over 1,000 songs and like 10 albums that I could have released. I was scared that it wasn’t good enough. I was scared that people would judge me for it. And that was dumb of me to do that. I should have been releasing tracks every month. If you want longevity you have to produce products all the time. That’s my advice.”

Be on the look out for DeLon’s music video “For Real” debuting in a few weeks and catch him on tour with Eric Bellinger starting November 12 in Seattle. [For more info click HERE] Follow DeLon on social media @Delonmusic and visit delonmusic.com to stay up-to-date on all the amazing things he’s working on. - Glambergirlblog.com

DeLon is an American Hip-Hop Artist, DJ, Producer and the first Sri Lankan artist to place on the U.S. Billboard charts.
https://www.facebook.com/delonmusic
http://www.delon2025.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/delonmusic/videos


TAGGED AS

DJ Hip Hop Live Music Sri Lanka
Segment 1
DeLon performs live on the air the songs "More Power" and "Middle Earth" and talks about the inspirations for the tracks - meditation, Buddhism and reincarnation.
00:0014:59
Segment 2
DeLon talks about starting DJing at age 12, his musical development and making a transition from a more market-driven mainstream songwriting to a style more true-to-heart and encompassing deeper themes. He describes his early struggles with racism and cultural isolation as being the factors that drew him into music and the challenges of being a Sri Lankan hip hop artist, attempting to embody an adopted cultural dynamic. His perseverance as a DJ and rapper paid off and in 2005 he became the first Sri Lankan to place on the Billboard Charts with the song Color de la Salsa
00:0014:58
Segment 3
DeLon talks about some of the gear he uses for performance and in the studio. He discusses performing to backing tracks vs playing with live musicians and his approach of melding together DJ sets with live elements, live keys, and performing original songs. He talks about his new album and how he developed his production style, learning to identify elements of popular songs from years working as a DJ and creatively utilizing them in original compositions.
00:0014:58
Segment 4
We play the tracks “For Real” and “BustA Rhyme” from DeLon’s new album Something Out of Nothing. - http://wsradio.com

Does anyone know how to get Los Angeles rapper DeLon's day job? In his latest clip for "Pretty Girls," he's rhyming in an ENORMOUS mansion and wearing a super dapper suit, while his model girlfriend CANNOT decide which designer dress to wear (been there, girl... except for the designer part). With his rapid-fire switching from rapping to singing that reminds of Drake and vocals that recall John Legend, we can see why all the "Pretty Girls" would flock to DeLon.

Watch DeLon's "Pretty Girls" video after the jump.

In "Pretty Girls," DeLon's lounging on the couch while his girl models a flowing dress for him (#roughlife). After throwing on a suit and tie (and his lady finds the right dress following several attempts), they head to the estate's top floor for an exquisite, fancy dinner -- clearly this guy did not miss a single episode of "The Pickup Artist." When the nine-course (we're guessing) meal is over, DeLon and his lady find some space to dance, ie. a place where dude can bust out his best Omarion/Chris Brown moves. All and all, we have to say that's a pretty good date (as long as we're not paying). - MTV