Promote This Artist: Deco D

His ability to vividly capture real-life situations and raw emotions resonated deeply, allowing listeners from all walks of life to relate to the compelling narratives in his music.
Deco's passion for hip-hop was truly ignited at age 11 when his 10-year-old friend showed him a karaoke machine that could loop beats. Collaborating for the first time, Deco unleashed his freestyle rapping abilities, spitting lyrics off the cuff over the looped rhythms created by his friend. This moment unlocked a newfound creative force within Deco, setting him on his artistic path.
Around this same time, the young rapper crossed paths with Andre Nikitina, aka Dre Dog, an older artist from the neighborhood who had achieved some local success after signing with the RBL Posse record label. At just 12 years old, Deco was in awe of Dre Dog's polished skills and respect in the Bay Area scene. Dre Dog took Deco under his wing, serving as a pivotal mentor. He taught the hungry young emcee the fundamentals of constructing rhymes and writing 16-bar verses - the basic building blocks to craft fully structured hip-hop songs. While musical peers like the revered Dre Dog helped mold and refine Deco's lyrical abilities, he credits his grandmother as the spiritual anchor and moral compass that kept him grounded.
It was after relocating to Kansas City that Deco's talents as a songwriter fully blossomed.
Drawing from the skills Dre Dog had instilled in him, the 16-year-old Deco penned his first eight complete songs. His raw, precocious songwriting abilities caught the attention of local label Jackpot Records, who were impressed enough to offer the aspiring teen rapper a $30,000 record deal to record those first eight tracks.