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“I guess I keep on trying”: David Dotse ’13 speaks about being a rapper, and what inspires his music

David Edem Dotse '13David Edem Dotse ’13 is a Computer Science student with a unique ambition: he wants to be a rap artiste. David, known more by stage-name D.E.M., has already released one mixtape, Midnight: The Darkest Hour, and the positive reactions to the album proved to him that he was on the right track.

“I can’t remember a time when I did not love music. I grew up in a family that appreciates art. I mean: my mother was once a stage performer, and my brother intends to be a novelist, focusing on science fiction. It only makes sense that one of us became a musician.”

David’s decision to become an artiste was made during his time in high school. His performance at a music show stunned his peers, and the feedback he received convinced him of a talent he had not yet discovered he had. After coming to Ashesi and receiving similar response to his music from students who, in his opinion, had very high standards, he was even further persuaded to take his music to the next level. It was then that he got started producing his first mixed-tape. But the project stalled when a sudden illness took his father away.

“It was the worst moment of my life, and naturally, as an artiste, it translated into my music. Initially, my mixed-tape was supposed to be called Midnight, because my preference to work on my music at night. After my father’s passing, I renamed my album ‘Midnight: The Darkest Hour’, to signify the difficulty I was going through at the time. Now, my father continues to be an inspiration to me in my music. He may be gone from the world, but he still lives in my heart.”

David’s father is one prominent inspiration amongst others in his music. Strange as it may sound, David’s music is actually more heavily influenced by soul and jazz, than it is by more conventional forms of rap.

(Click here to watch David’s Slot Machine video, which he shot entirely on campus with his classmates)

“I love musicians like Corinne Bailey Rae. I always have, I always will. Her music contains soul and a certain earnestness that I relate to, and try to put into my music as well. I’m also influenced by the local artiste Mensa, who is excellent at mixing Ghanaian dialects with jazz instrumentals.”David Edem Dotse '13

With these influences, David is trying to mold a new genre of music that is not only uniquely Ghanaian, but is more introspective and reflective than Ghanaian music typically is. His new mixed-tape is expected to contain songs with content quite unlike any of the music he has released before. From all indications, it seems David’s journey, as a rap artiste, is well under-way. The biggest question that remains however is: how does he intend to reconcile four years of studying Computer Science with rap music?

“I get that question a lot. The truth is that I’m not sure myself what I’ll do with Data Structures and three Programming courses after graduation. Not to say they have been entirely useless. The beauty of the courses I’ve taken at Ashesi, is that they open up your mind to new perspectives and new ways of thinking. My stay here at Ashesi has been a major reason for the difference between the kind of music I wrote in high school, and the kind of music I write today.”

David expects to release a second mixed-tape by the end of the year. He hopes that much like Ghanaian artistes Efya, E.L. and Blitz the Ambassador, who he says inspire him also, he can help raise the standards of the music scene in Ghana. His ultimate aim is to change the Ghanaian mindset about art, and to help increase its appreciation in the society.

“Maybe one day, when I’m through performing, I will build a music school,” David laughs. “Who knows? There is so much out there that needs to be changed. It’s a cliché but the sky really should be the limit.”

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