DaVinci – It’s On Me Prod. By Blunt

Next In Line, The Fillmore’s Own Releases New Song In Anticipation Of Forthcoming Debut, The Day The Turf Stood Still

DOWNLOAD: DaVinci – It’s On Me Prod. By Blunt

Up and coming emcee DaVinci is hard at work making a name for himself. Recently signing with Bay-Area label SWTBRDS Creative Collective, DaVinci will soon unleash his music onto the masses with his debut album The Day The Turf Stood Still – scheduled to hit the streets on March 9, 2010. Building momentum for the release, in addition to releasing material from his upcoming debut, DaVinci will be releasing three bonus tracks not on the album. Rather than throwaways, all three are album-quality songs, simply completed too late to make the final cut. Up first, DaVinci offers us “It’s On Me,” and with this initial offering, gives listeners, both familiar and unfamiliar with DaVinci’s prior work, a window into his prior life – telling his own story of struggling his way out of a lifestyle of crime, taking big steps to help himself move up in the world. Raps DaVinci, “I’m at the bottom with the roaches and rats, but I’m climbing to the top with the snakes and cats.” Hoping to affect a greater change in the world than merely tell his own story, DaVinci looks at “It’s On Me” as a way to both inspire and prove his own merits. “I came up wit the concept to inspire people to take initiative for their hustle,” says DaVinci. “The message here is, ‘If I don’t do it, nobody else will,’ so I felt the need to convey exactly why I think people should give my music a chance.”

The slick production is courtesy of Vancouver producer Blunt, behind all three forthcoming pre-album tracks, perhaps most well known for his production efforts with Freeway – Blunt produced a majority of Freeway’s Month Of Madness. DaVinci was introduced to Blunt through a mutual friend over email, and was an instant fan of his beats: “The track was dope without anyone even rapping on it, so I just wanted to make sure that there was a marriage between the beat and my lyrics.”

The Background:

The Fillmore District has bred more rappers per capita than any other district in San Francisco, and although the older generations recall its rich musical history rooted in Jazz, the Fillmore today is rife with drugs, turf wars, and mass gentrification. DaVinci, a young MC raised in the Fillmore, is a prime example of the duality of this area, who at the age of 13 was homeless, hungry, and hopeful for a way out. Explains DaVinci, “My music has everything to do with my environment: from robbing, killing, pimpin’ to selling and abusing drugs,” he explains about his heavy content. “It’s a direct reflection of what my friends and family have been through and are still going through.” While his story is similar to many other young rappers’ upbringings, DaVinci was surrounded by an incredible pool of Fillmore talent and by studying with the greats, he was able to sharpen his skills and aim higher than most, cultivating his story-telling abilities beyond mere drug-and-gun-talk. Growing up in the same 10-block radius as Bay Area rap legends San Quinn and JT the Bigga Figga, DaVinci was content in merely watching the next generation follow in their footsteps, until he received overwhelming praise from his peers from a mixtape appearance, which then prompted him to pursue rap professionally. In 2006, San Quinn welcomed him onto the “Pressure Makes Diamonds Tour” with rap veterans Xzibit and Tech N9ne. Since the tour, DaVinci has kept busy appearing on numerous mixtapes and compilations, as well as preparing his official debut album, The Day The Turf Stood Still. The Day The Turf Stood Still will be available March 9, 2010 via SWTBRDS Creative Collective.