Dremon

Albuquerque New Mexico artist Dremon has been working hard during this pandemic. Today he released his dope new visual for “No Exaggeration”. Checkout the video below and make sure you stream/download the single too off Spotify or Apple Music!! And after you watch the video, checkout his latest interview with HipHopSince1987 below the video!! - Rick Dange

New Mexico's Own DREMON Drops Debut Hip Hop Single "Gravity" & Already Has Over 100K Streams (633 hits) - LaMar Blackmon

I’m a freak for listening. If it’s new I want to hear it. If it changes direction or makes something simple baroque, then I want to know. I tell people who ask how I’ve lived so long that it’s possible as long as you’re waiting for the next great song to come along. The record that will finally quantify the allatonceness of the womb when it gets tangled up with the infinite void. That’s what keeps me alive, I am sure of it.

With that sort of vampiric attitude—though don’t get me wrong, I do love the light as much as the dark of night—it’s no wonder that I spend hours per day poring over every sort of music currently available to the human race.

Of course the interwebz helps, it’s all global and shizz, cuz. But what helps more is the fact that this, after all, is a small town. People know people who know you. That’s always going to be a thing around here in Dirt City, especially in the art and music communities.

That freaky fact was made clear to me just the other Friday, when I told our staff photographer that I was planning to interview the rapper named Dremon for the next issue of Weekly Alibi. Of course Eric Williams knew the dude. He worked with him on some promotional photos a few months ago. Besides making it relatively easy to set up a killer in-studio photo shoot with these cats, I reckoned Eric might already have some heady shots.

Those two agreed to meet on Monday. You are looking at the results right now. That and a transcript of the words said between an old-school rocker who made a pact with hip-hop nation back in the ’90s and the latest and potentially greatest of the local artists currently rising—fiery, fierce and poetically and musically fecund—in the midst of Burque’s music scene.

Besides a slew of recent recordings including the beginnings of a concept album trilogy, Dremon hopes that upcoming performances—March 23 as part of the Hart of the City performance at the Ramada Hotel (2020 Menaul Blvd. NE) and as a featured artist at the third annual NM 420 Fest happening April 20 and 21 in the middle of Downtown—will bring his sound within reach of more listeners interested in groovy yet gritty observed emanations distilled though a seriously spring-wound post Tupac West Coast trap aesthetic.

Weekly Alibi: Hey Dremon, tell me, tell our readers a little bit about what you do...

Well, I am Dremon, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I guess you could say I come from a musical family, a family where the joy of music is ever present. On my mom’s side, it’s nothing but musicians. They were the first to strive to do something with music. I’m still learning about my family and myself, now that I’ve gotten back in contact with them. There’s also a lot of influence coming from my dad and my uncle. My uncle was the first artist I really listened to, in getting to know hip-hop.

And who is your uncle?

He goes by the name Revelation.

That’s a cool name.

His work has a lot of substance to it, he’s one of my favorite poet-lyricists. Before that, I was really into Michael Jackson.

Like everyone in the known universe who grew up in the ’80s, right? When did you start making your own music?

The first project was with my cousin. He just happened to have a microphone and a computer with a recording program. It was just all freestyle. I don’t think it was very good. But he told me he could hear something that would grow later on. I had potential, in other words. I’ve always been inspired to make something better, I’ve always had a musical inclination.

What happened next?

The next project used a similar recording process but with GarageBand or something like that, on an Apple Computer. It was a little more complex and I was actually producing some of the beats and samples, so I started to get hands-on experience with that sort of thing, too. It expanded from there. I started working with more people, different producers.

Are you mostly making the beats and choosing the samples for your own work now?

I give some suggestions, but mostly I’m flowing, supplying the words and the rhymes. I love freestyle, but I really dig writing songs.

What are you writing about? Where do you get your inspiration?

I get all of that from real life. And actually, that’s the name of the latest album I put out. Real life inspires me. Like talking to the people next to you, the people that you see, not even the ones in music. I just gather my energy from the world.

So do you feel like a conversationalist; someone who is out there in the world, observing and connecting?

Observing and absorbing. It’s kinda the way Tupac put it: his music wasn’t necessarily about him, it was a representation of his culture, his family. There’s poetry there.

Yeah, people who dismiss Tupac as gangsta gangsta are missing out on some very deep work.

He talked about so much, it was a trip to me. Especially on “Thugz Mansion.” That’s real life.

Well artists like Tupac really brought the genre full circle.

It’s a powerful message. That’s my inspiration. That sort of point of view, or somebody else’s point of view, people going through stuff. That’s what my flow is all about. What you are experiencing, what your mom or your brother or your sister are going through. There are a lot of things that everyone has in common, experience-wise. It’s like watching the whole world go by.

Wow. I really relate to that and I think that it’s culturally significant that hip-hop deals with human experience in such a poetic way. Sometimes it seems like rock music glosses over the observed personal experience and how that experience shapes lives. How do the people in your life and family react to your work?

I think at first, they didn’t take it that seriously. But then they started listening and saw my music progressing. It went from ‘oh, this has potential” to “ I love this.” They’re on board now, but they’ve always been supportive.

What does your trajectory look like. Where are you headed?

Actually for this year, it looks like three albums, well not exactly this year, maybe the next year and a half. I don’t ever like to rush things. But I don’t like not doing anything, either. The first album I’m pushing is called Real Life. That’s out, and it was executive produced by SBM Global. The one that’s up in the air—which were just working and letting it come together naturally—is called Maximal. That one’s executive produced by Alejandro Gomez. The third album I’m pushing for is called Til Daylight. I’m workingwith Nike Boy on that one as well as a lot of other folks.

It’s like there’re a lot of people who want to work with you!

There’s this gentleman, Ant Glynne, outta Los Angeles, California, who is interested. When I was out at his studio, I realized he’s worked with people like Guns N’ Roses and Rick Wakeman.

But he’s a rocker!

We just started working together. Something grooved. Well for someone that’s into other genres outside of hip-hop, I feel like I know he has something, like we have something.

Yeah, I’ve noticed more and more rock producers getting behind hip-hop.

Yeah, if you’re in touch with the other genres, those are the artists that are really making it.

A fancy word for that is polymorphism.

They’re like all over the place.

Is Burque gonna get small quickly, given that sort of notice and awareness?

I’m going to always keep moving. But what I’ve done here, what I do here, there’s no place like home. When you’re making music you’ve got to be as comfortable as possible. I was able to do that in LA and on the East Coast, where there are very different vibes and imagery. That’s great. But there’s a huge difference here in Burque. It’s like looking at the stars in California’s desert versus our desert. In Cali, there are millions of them, all very far away in the sky. But out here, it’s like you can touch that sky. - August March

Rap is an art in itself, but hip hop is a world of diversity and connection to countless other subgenres. Dremon knows just how to tilt into influences like euro-house and trance, only to spring back with hip hop gold. Such is the case of Gravity. Gravity’s got a bassline that sounds vintage but modern. It’s got a beat that can act as backdrop for a rap verse or be exploited by DJs to get a club moving. Remix artists, this is someone you should be following.
Dremon approaches Gravity with no nonsense. There’s confidence and some direct themes in the lyrics that portray someone who’s not worried about the track. This helps the overall song achieve greater heights. Gravity feels unrestrained and that’s something that can lighten the mood in so many situations. This is a song to have in your repertoire when you need to put that smirk on and face conflict head-on. Dremon is an artist with a personality that’s inviting and enigmatic; a combination that we don’t see too often anymore. This isn’t someone you’d be too intimidated to talk to; it’s someone who you’d want to invite you over. More so, he sounds like someone who might just do so. - Paul Weyer

BUILDING A BRAND ONE RHYME AT A TIME “It’s a genetic thing,” says award-winning hip-hop artist Dremon (aka Dremon Haywood), identifying the source of his musical talent. “A lot of my family members were musicians, dancers, play instruments… I guess it kind of started from there.” “It” is a burgeoning career that has taken the award-winning Dremon from one coast to another, where he has been mentored by some of the biggest names in the business. His success is not just based on genetics, either. His laser focus on quality production, smart promotion through every channel of social media, and constant industry networking complements his considerable skills as a performer. Inspired by Michael Jackson—“The first thing I was listening to was Michael Jackson,” says the Cibola High School graduate. “That was the only thing I listened to”—and by the hip-hop that his brothers and father were into, Dremon began working on his moves when he was about 14. “I used to mess around with my brothers. Yeah, like, in the bedroom, door closed, music loud, parents at work,” he says. A few years later, Dremon was appearing in various freestyle battles and competitions and met up with “a gentleman by the name of Sage” from New Jersey, who mentored the young man. Sage’s connections with the hip-hop scene on the East Coast led to Dremon’s 2012 LP, Great Escape, catching the attention of respected hip-hop manager and producer Jimmy Kang, CEO of Str8up Entertainment and vice president of Wu-Tang Management. At Kang’s invitation, Dremon made the 22-hour drive across country to meet with him, which led to a three-year stint under his management. Eventually, Dremon found that he needed to go independent to make the music he wanted to make and to take advantage of the digital age’s “superindependent platform.” In 2015, while promoting
his album The Music, he was named a firstround winner in the Swisher Sweets Artist Project, winning $1,000, which he immediately invested in the production of more music. In 2017, with the help of a connected friend, he landed a full-page placement for his single “Gravity,” produced by the GRAMMY-nominated producer Mike Cee, in the 20th-anniversary edition of the hip-hop mag XXL. That same year, he also released the video for “Gravity,” directed by Omar Nadir, and appeared as himself in the video “Money Is King.” He followed those up in 2018 with his first film appearance in Busy Day. Dremon is currently working on his third album, Til Daylight, which he expects to release this spring. “I’m working with a lot of producers, Empty Pockets, Mike Cee, BDotSmokez, Scott Sena,” he says, and he’s especially excited about the animé video Nadir is producing for one of
the tracks. One album a year is not enough, though: he’s got two more on target for this year, with the next one, produced with Alejandro Gomez, titled Maximal. Dremon keeps his act fresh shuttling between performances in Albuquerque— where he’s been working with DJ Switch, DJ Pandemonium, and DJ Getright lately—and Los Angeles. The high-energy, in-your-face guy you see onstage—“Yeah, we’re hanging out, you know,” he says, laughing—is a world removed from the thoughtful and reflective artist you meet offstage. That’s the guy who is busy pulling all the pieces together to build Dremon into an instantly recognizable brand, based on an approach that blends a variety of musical genres with fiery rhymes into a quality, head-bobbing hip-hop package. Follow Dremon on Twitter and Instagram at @dremizzie. - Mel Minter of ABQ Magazine

We asked our next Swisher Artist Grant winner Drémon, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, how he started to pursue music, what inspires him and what he is going to do with his Swisher Artist Grant.
When and why did you decide to make music your career?
Out of high school, I wanted to pursue my dream as a career. I had such a deep connection with and passion for music that I knew this was what I’m going to do. After jumping in freestyle ciphers and recording for the first time at thirteen, the rest was history. I love this.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration from my surroundings, how I’m feeling, what I’m thinking, where I’m at in life, my friends and my family. I like to think music is an universal language for the world.
What artists do you admire (past and present)?
Michael Jackson, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., 50 Cent, Kanye West, Usher, James Brown. I could list so many names. That’s really unfair, but it’s all good.
Where do you hope to be in five years?
I hope to be a successful artist and entertainment company. There’s so many ventures in entertainment. I’m also getting into TV and films. Tours or releases, whichever it may be, it will be major. I’ll leave it up to faith and where ever the most high takes me.
What are your plans for your Swisher Artist Project grant money?
I’m dropping my next projects ‘Perfect Timing’ and #FeedTheWolves and this will help with that.
Where can we find your music?
You can find my music at (iTunes, Tidal, Google Play, Pandora, Youtube, SoundCloud and Spotify) or connect with me on Twitter @Dremizzie. - Swisher Sweets

DREMON RELEASES NEW MUSIC VIDEO “NO EXAGGERATION” CAPTURING 90’S INSPIRED ANIME FEEL DREMON’S UPCOMING ALBUM IS SET TO BE RELEASED MAY 28th, 2020.
May 28, 2020 (Albuquerque, NM) – Rising Albuquerque based hip hop artist, Dremon, has released his Neo Tokyo inspired, animated music video for his new single, “No Exaggeration”. The video is a throwback the to late 80s – early 90s anime, featuring grainy video, a red flying car, and a dark Neo Tokyo world. The video was directed and animated by Omar Nadir (www.omarnadir.com). WATCH THE VIDEO HERE. | APPLE MUSIC LINK: HERE
At the age of 28, Dremon has persevered through a long and turbulent music career. His 2012 ‘Great Escape’ street LP, earned him a meeting with Jimmy Kang, CEO of Str8up Ent and Vp of Wu-Tang Management. Eventually, Dremon would earn 3 years under their management. During this time Dremon learned valuable lessons about the industry and turned inward to refine how he wanted to continue his career. While pushing his album ‘The music’, he found his way into a music cameo for feature films “Money Is King” and “Busy Day“; Other notable accolades include, being a first-round winner of the Swisher Artist Project/ Grant 2016, soundtrack placement in the feature film “The Perfect Pickup”, and interviews with ABQ The Magazine, Weekly Alibi, A&R Factory, and The Colt Show. - Vintage Media Group

May 28, 2020 (Albuquerque, NM) – Rising Albuquerque based hip hop artist, Dremon, has released his Neo Tokyo inspired, animated music video for his new single, “No Exaggeration”. The video is a throwback to late 80s – early 90s anime, featuring grainy video, a red flying car and a dark Neo Tokyo world. The video was directed and animated by Omar Nadir (omarnadir.com). - xttrawave.com