Marquavis Goolsby, better known as Dae Dae, is an American rapper based out of Atlanta’s Boulevard Fourth Ward. Applauded in the hip-hop scene for hit singles such as “What U Mean (Aye Aye Aye)”, “Spend It”, and “Dej Loaf”, the young rapper continues to exhibit his lyrical expertise as a rising hip-hop artist. In a recent interview, RAPStation uncovered DaeDae’s beginnings as a humble musician growing in Atlanta.
How the name “Dae Dae” came to be?
“I used to tell my friends that my family calls me ‘Dede’, but they’d mistake it for “Dae Dae” and kept calling me that. I ended up getting tired of correcting them, so the name stuck”
Thoughts on his father being his greatest supporter,
“My father actually made me buy my first studio; I wanted to go out and buy dirt-bikes with my first income pay, but my father was like, ‘Why don’t you buy a studio ‘cuz you always rapping?’, I considered it and said ‘you’re right’ so we went out and we ended up with a studio in our house—SO, I started learning to use the programs, how to record and stuff. I’d have my music playing out loud and my father would listen to it, and when I’d be working on music late night he’d wake up and see what I’d be working on. My dad played a really big part in my career”
Support from the family,
“My mama always supported me, she was one of those who really liked to sing. I mean she’d always be singing whenever we were at her house—and that’s why you’ll hear me singing sometimes on my mixtapes. My mama inspired me to sing too. And my cousins, they all support me, and my grandma she’s really proud—she even does a little dancing of her own to the records. And now, my kids too—but now I’m trying to make sure they grow up with that kind of support too”
How were you discovered?
“Well the first thing I did was I always let my friends hear my record, but I basically wasn’t pushing my [them], I’d just let my friends and family hear it. But then I ended up meeting with this girl, Antoinette and said, ‘why don’t you go to an open mic?’ And at first I didn’t want to do it, but she ended up convincing me to go and I ended up performing “What U Mean”, and got a great response from the audience. I also ended up meeting DJ Playboi, and we ended up playing at the same club for a while. From there I met my manager now, and a whole lot of new people”
How you felt when the record first played on the radio?
“We were actually at 107.9, and they had this thing called The Battleground—which was a competition where two to three songs are played and fans choose which is the best. I ended up winning, and that was when it started getting a lot crazier—I mean I started getting a lot of feedback everywhere”
Thoughts on the Dae Dae dance,
“When I first started doing the dance, I was just dancing and enjoying, trying to connect with everybody through the song. I was trying to make the song connect with anybody—I guess it did in a way
Interesting facts behind Dae Dae’s “What U Mean”
The young rapper was doing flooring and concrete work when he began writing on his first hit single. While at work,Dae Dae would start freestyling mentally, working with apps on his iPhone, before contacting his producer about recording the song.
By Jods Arboleda for RAPstation.com
