Bio
More musicians should act like the four rappers that comprise the
Glassboro-based group D.J.I.G.
Whether in the classroom, on the field, or in the studio, the four put in
hard work while maintaining an optimistic, yet unpretentious attitude.
The work ethic can be heard on D.J.I.G.’s 16-song mixtape “Still Not
Stopping,” which the group put together during last summer.
D.J.I.G. (the name being the initials of each member’s first name: Dan
Snyder, John Harris, Isaiah DuPree and Garrick Adamson) are attempting to
follow in the footsteps of Drake and Kid Cudi, who gained notoriety by
making their own mixtapes.
“We were really just trying to display our skill by rapping on other
beats,” said Adamson, a year health and exercise science major at Rowan
University.
The artists’ distinct flow and ideas take center stage, and the group’s
love of various forms of rap gives the mixtape a diverse sound. “We all
like rap, but we all have different influences, different kinds of rap,”
Adamson said.
The songs cover subjects that any 21st-century college kid can relate to.
Whether it’s shelling out “5 4 a Cup” at a party, reminiscing about
the “Old Days” in high school, or dealing with a “Wifi Gangsta” on
Facebook, the group’s writing is always grounded around ordinary real
life.
D.J.I.G. was formed during the members’ junior year at Glassboro High
School, primarily out of boredom. The four wrote a song about Glassboro and
although it began as a parody, they knew there was potential. “We started
realizing that we weren’t that bad actually rapping so (this summer) we
decided to take it serious,” Adamson said.
Two of the members, John Harris and Garrick Adamson, are students at Rowan
University. Dan Snyder attends Salisbury University and Isaiah DuPree
attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
When the four friends all came back from their freshman year of college,
they began writing and recording “Still Not Stopping” in June.
“We’d meet at my house, brainstorm, find the beat, come up with an
idea, start writing, and then the next day we’d record with the song all
planned out,” said Harris.
The tape was completed in in late August, and was finally released in
September.
“It took all summer but it was really fun doing it,” said John Harris,
sophomore business entrepreneurship major.
Though the band is proud of their work on the mixtape, they know it’s
only the first step and are gearing up for the next one.
“We’re definitely trying to take it further. We’re going to wait for
Dan and Isaiah to come back (from college) and we’re going play some
shows and send our mixtape out to some labels,” Harris said.
The group has been rapping since their junior year of high school, but they
are still in an early stage of development. With the completion of their
first mixtape, they are riding the momentum and looking toward the
future.
“We’re just trying to make people aware of us right now, get a fan
base. Then we’re going to try to do another tape, start doing shows, and
hopefully maybe get lucky,” Adamson said.
For more information on D.J.I.G. visit their Facebook page where their free
16 song mixtape, “Still Not Stopping” is available for download at
facebook.com/pages/DJIG/1058965861344382.
Written by: Matt Perez on October 20, 2010.
