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Dead Sirius
DSB: Wassup, Can you introduce
yourself to our readers?
Dead Sirius: Most definitely……my
name is Dead Sirius…….Dead
meaning that, in order for there to
be a tomorrow, the old me had to
die. Sirius, as in the star Sirius,
the brightest star in the sky. If I’m
a dead star, that makes me a living
legend. It came from the people
that know me, and how no matter
what happens, good or bad, my
face rarely changes expression!
Anybody who knows me knows I
laugh all the time, but my face just
don’t move! It’s kinda funny…but I
am DEAD SIRIUS about my art
form, trust and believe. I am every
brother from every hood,
worldwide! I am just blessed to
have an opportunity to be heard,
that’s the only difference.
yourself to our readers?
Dead Sirius: Most definitely……my
name is Dead Sirius…….Dead
meaning that, in order for there to
be a tomorrow, the old me had to
die. Sirius, as in the star Sirius,
the brightest star in the sky. If I’m
a dead star, that makes me a living
legend. It came from the people
that know me, and how no matter
what happens, good or bad, my
face rarely changes expression!
Anybody who knows me knows I
laugh all the time, but my face just
don’t move! It’s kinda funny…but I
am DEAD SIRIUS about my art
form, trust and believe. I am every
brother from every hood,
worldwide! I am just blessed to
have an opportunity to be heard,
that’s the only difference.
Louisville, Ky
www.myspace.com/169286819
www.myspace.com/169286819
DSB: What city do you hail from?
Dead Sirius: Baltimore city! B-more careful, Murdaland! I am from the Westside originally, but I came of age in the
burbs, the hood, the streets period. Shout to Park Heights, Walbrook Junction, Sandtown, Pigtown, Sykesville,
Westminster, Southern Pennsylvania. I am my mother’s son, and a product of the environment. These days, I
reside in Louisville, Kentucky. The desire to not succumb to that lifestyle led me on a journey through Richmond,
Virginia, and finally to Kentucky. I will always rep my hometown, in all I do, but I got love for the Ville!
DSB: At what point did you realize you wanted to pursue music?
Dead Sirius: I was like 9 or 10 when I would get in the mirror and rap the songs I heard in my father’s truck. I mean, I
remember the cover where Kool Moe Dee was rolling over LL’s Kangol! When I was like 12, maybe thirteen, I
figured out the maxi-single cassettes had the INSTRUMENTALS on the back! So I would listen, and mimic the
patterns, but write my own words, matching the syllables. The first joint I recorded on a karaoke machine was to the
Kool G rap and Nas song “fast life”! I was so geeked off that! As time went on, I just knew, you know? I wondered
where the musical genetics came from, but I found out: my grandfather Del Roy was the lead singer of the doo-wop
group, The Twilighters. They say it skips a generation.
DSB: Now you had a rocky past, how has that made you a stronger person and better artist?
Dead Sirius: They say the conscience is the guide, but experience is the teacher. My choices in my childhood,
weren’t choices: they were decisions based on a lack of options, get me? So much of what I did as a child was done
trying to fit in with everybody else, but the hit to that is, everybody loves you when you up, but when the law, or the
bottle, or the drugs bring you down, nobody shares those consequences with you! What you live, you learn, what
you learn, you practice, what you practice, you become, and what you become has consequences. So when I sat
those years out in the penitentiary, I realized then the way I was living wasn’t really living. Still, I came home and
endured more self inflicted misery, and that mixed in with life showing up, drove me to that point where the pain was
great enough that the pain of changing was less. So I asked God for that help, and He’s always on time. Today is
different, I use the time I don’t rhyme to work in a drug and alcohol facility, I work with the local youth in social
program, and spread the message of the alternative to the life we come into. What made a better person of me, is
the fact that in order to truly know the light, you must walk through the dark. And I have. The harsh realities of life
soak my lyrics, however it’s not one-sided. I deal with emotion, I deal with pain, the vulnerability factor most artist
won’t touch. I deal in the truth.
DSB: Who have been some of your biggest influences?
Dead Sirius: Notorious B.I.G-for his wit, and the fact I could identify with his size and origin. Nas-every ghetto kid
doesn’t have to be stupid, and Nas showed me that early on. KRS-One- he showed me that true Hip-hop is timeless,
Pac-he recorded so much material that he is still on Billboard today!, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth they just brought
that flavor to it, that soul.
DSB: What category of music would you place your style?
Dead Sirius: Hip-hop. I branch from the boom-bap all the way to Southern style, because I am a hip hop baby. Rap
is the child of hip-hop, whether you agree or not. So all the various mutations, from Hyphy, to Crunk, all derive from
that dude in the Bronx who set up them two turntables, and that nasty mic, and got it popping! Shout to Herc! I
believe Khadifi said it first, call mine INTELLIGENT HOODLUM music
DSB: Do you write your own lyrics?
Dead Sirius: Most definitely! I wouldn’t know how to READ someone else’s patterns and thoughts. Not to mention, I
don’t believe in what the next man has to say, I didn’t live it! I will listen, and learn, from those around me, but I can’t
learn FROM you, if I’m trying to BE you. I’d only be, at best, a number two you. But I am the best me, period.
DSB: What doors have been opened since you signed to Ice Age Records?
Dead Sirius: The opportunities to get out and see what really goes on in the game. The dude standing outside the
record label doors with a CD with writing on it and a dream, he sees the whole thing one way. Once I got in the door,
I saw the business aspect of the game, and that gave me the know-how to make the game pay me to play it! So
today I get calls to do shows, to travel the Midwest and do songs with artists on the rise like myself, as well as the
connect factor! This game is not based on how nice you are any longer, every hood in America has a dude on the
corner who would eat 8 of 10 artist you hear on the radio, however, they won’t leave that corner! And dreams only
come to you when you are sleep! It comes down to who you know, and what you make of the opportunity once you
are in front of it.
DSB: Who in the game, would you compare yourself to?
Dead Sirius: That’s a tough question. Really, none. My voice has the East Coast in it, so my topic matter, and
versatility had me being compared to Nas, but as the game and artists change so do the comparisons. Now my
brother says I have the sound of a Lupe Fiasco type of artist, which I don’t agree with, although I do nod to his joint.
I would say I would go on the rack somewhere between Cool Kids, Lupe, Kanye and Nas
DSB: What are your other skills and talents?
Dead Sirius: I produce: I have few joints on the album that are entirely me. I have a few artists that I work with, and I
do the manufacturing, and promoting for them as well as myself. I would say that my skill is being able to walk into
any situation and increase it’s efficiency. My talents range from music, to chess, to being a social worker, meaning I
work extremely well with many personalities at once, which in this business is a asset!
DSB: Do you have any albums out or coming out?
Dead Sirius: I have released street albums through the years. But as the game grows up, so does the person
playing it. My first national release” Death and Taxes” will hit stores Aug 4. 2009! And of course, I will be continuing
the “invincible mixtape” series all through 2009. Part 2 just hit the street the first of April, and we passed 2000 last
Saturday! Shout to the street team, y’all made it happen! I also have the concept album “heartbreak, hardships,
and Heaven” coming out in July with my producer Ghost Mob. The first single from that is “Leaving…..” I think I’m
gonna give you the scoop on that, so you got it first!
DSB: Are there any new shows or events in the making?
Dead Sirius: I will be anywhere and everywhere in the Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio tri-state area. For the album release I
will be in Las Vegas. The first week of August! Check the website for more info!
DSB: Can you let our readers know how they can stay updated on Dead Sirius?
Dead Sirius: No doubt! For album updates, go to iceagemusicgroup.com, or just to get up with me, hit me on
myspace music under Dead Sirius. I go harder than that, if you need me hit me 502 650 7674! I do talk with the
people non-stop real-talk! If you need to get me something to look at, or listen to, hit me at d.sirius@hotmail.com.
DSB: Thanks for the interview, any last words for your fans?
Dead Sirius: Aint nothing in life certain but death and taxes: you will die, and you will pay taxes. Everything else is
subject to change. Remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions! Aug 4 hit the store, and I will be giving
away a free code to a internet exclusive mixtape!
Interview conducted by Stowie
Email: stowie@DaStreetBuzz.com
Dead Sirius: Baltimore city! B-more careful, Murdaland! I am from the Westside originally, but I came of age in the
burbs, the hood, the streets period. Shout to Park Heights, Walbrook Junction, Sandtown, Pigtown, Sykesville,
Westminster, Southern Pennsylvania. I am my mother’s son, and a product of the environment. These days, I
reside in Louisville, Kentucky. The desire to not succumb to that lifestyle led me on a journey through Richmond,
Virginia, and finally to Kentucky. I will always rep my hometown, in all I do, but I got love for the Ville!
DSB: At what point did you realize you wanted to pursue music?
Dead Sirius: I was like 9 or 10 when I would get in the mirror and rap the songs I heard in my father’s truck. I mean, I
remember the cover where Kool Moe Dee was rolling over LL’s Kangol! When I was like 12, maybe thirteen, I
figured out the maxi-single cassettes had the INSTRUMENTALS on the back! So I would listen, and mimic the
patterns, but write my own words, matching the syllables. The first joint I recorded on a karaoke machine was to the
Kool G rap and Nas song “fast life”! I was so geeked off that! As time went on, I just knew, you know? I wondered
where the musical genetics came from, but I found out: my grandfather Del Roy was the lead singer of the doo-wop
group, The Twilighters. They say it skips a generation.
DSB: Now you had a rocky past, how has that made you a stronger person and better artist?
Dead Sirius: They say the conscience is the guide, but experience is the teacher. My choices in my childhood,
weren’t choices: they were decisions based on a lack of options, get me? So much of what I did as a child was done
trying to fit in with everybody else, but the hit to that is, everybody loves you when you up, but when the law, or the
bottle, or the drugs bring you down, nobody shares those consequences with you! What you live, you learn, what
you learn, you practice, what you practice, you become, and what you become has consequences. So when I sat
those years out in the penitentiary, I realized then the way I was living wasn’t really living. Still, I came home and
endured more self inflicted misery, and that mixed in with life showing up, drove me to that point where the pain was
great enough that the pain of changing was less. So I asked God for that help, and He’s always on time. Today is
different, I use the time I don’t rhyme to work in a drug and alcohol facility, I work with the local youth in social
program, and spread the message of the alternative to the life we come into. What made a better person of me, is
the fact that in order to truly know the light, you must walk through the dark. And I have. The harsh realities of life
soak my lyrics, however it’s not one-sided. I deal with emotion, I deal with pain, the vulnerability factor most artist
won’t touch. I deal in the truth.
DSB: Who have been some of your biggest influences?
Dead Sirius: Notorious B.I.G-for his wit, and the fact I could identify with his size and origin. Nas-every ghetto kid
doesn’t have to be stupid, and Nas showed me that early on. KRS-One- he showed me that true Hip-hop is timeless,
Pac-he recorded so much material that he is still on Billboard today!, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth they just brought
that flavor to it, that soul.
DSB: What category of music would you place your style?
Dead Sirius: Hip-hop. I branch from the boom-bap all the way to Southern style, because I am a hip hop baby. Rap
is the child of hip-hop, whether you agree or not. So all the various mutations, from Hyphy, to Crunk, all derive from
that dude in the Bronx who set up them two turntables, and that nasty mic, and got it popping! Shout to Herc! I
believe Khadifi said it first, call mine INTELLIGENT HOODLUM music
DSB: Do you write your own lyrics?
Dead Sirius: Most definitely! I wouldn’t know how to READ someone else’s patterns and thoughts. Not to mention, I
don’t believe in what the next man has to say, I didn’t live it! I will listen, and learn, from those around me, but I can’t
learn FROM you, if I’m trying to BE you. I’d only be, at best, a number two you. But I am the best me, period.
DSB: What doors have been opened since you signed to Ice Age Records?
Dead Sirius: The opportunities to get out and see what really goes on in the game. The dude standing outside the
record label doors with a CD with writing on it and a dream, he sees the whole thing one way. Once I got in the door,
I saw the business aspect of the game, and that gave me the know-how to make the game pay me to play it! So
today I get calls to do shows, to travel the Midwest and do songs with artists on the rise like myself, as well as the
connect factor! This game is not based on how nice you are any longer, every hood in America has a dude on the
corner who would eat 8 of 10 artist you hear on the radio, however, they won’t leave that corner! And dreams only
come to you when you are sleep! It comes down to who you know, and what you make of the opportunity once you
are in front of it.
DSB: Who in the game, would you compare yourself to?
Dead Sirius: That’s a tough question. Really, none. My voice has the East Coast in it, so my topic matter, and
versatility had me being compared to Nas, but as the game and artists change so do the comparisons. Now my
brother says I have the sound of a Lupe Fiasco type of artist, which I don’t agree with, although I do nod to his joint.
I would say I would go on the rack somewhere between Cool Kids, Lupe, Kanye and Nas
DSB: What are your other skills and talents?
Dead Sirius: I produce: I have few joints on the album that are entirely me. I have a few artists that I work with, and I
do the manufacturing, and promoting for them as well as myself. I would say that my skill is being able to walk into
any situation and increase it’s efficiency. My talents range from music, to chess, to being a social worker, meaning I
work extremely well with many personalities at once, which in this business is a asset!
DSB: Do you have any albums out or coming out?
Dead Sirius: I have released street albums through the years. But as the game grows up, so does the person
playing it. My first national release” Death and Taxes” will hit stores Aug 4. 2009! And of course, I will be continuing
the “invincible mixtape” series all through 2009. Part 2 just hit the street the first of April, and we passed 2000 last
Saturday! Shout to the street team, y’all made it happen! I also have the concept album “heartbreak, hardships,
and Heaven” coming out in July with my producer Ghost Mob. The first single from that is “Leaving…..” I think I’m
gonna give you the scoop on that, so you got it first!
DSB: Are there any new shows or events in the making?
Dead Sirius: I will be anywhere and everywhere in the Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio tri-state area. For the album release I
will be in Las Vegas. The first week of August! Check the website for more info!
DSB: Can you let our readers know how they can stay updated on Dead Sirius?
Dead Sirius: No doubt! For album updates, go to iceagemusicgroup.com, or just to get up with me, hit me on
myspace music under Dead Sirius. I go harder than that, if you need me hit me 502 650 7674! I do talk with the
people non-stop real-talk! If you need to get me something to look at, or listen to, hit me at d.sirius@hotmail.com.
DSB: Thanks for the interview, any last words for your fans?
Dead Sirius: Aint nothing in life certain but death and taxes: you will die, and you will pay taxes. Everything else is
subject to change. Remember the road to hell is paved with good intentions! Aug 4 hit the store, and I will be giving
away a free code to a internet exclusive mixtape!
Interview conducted by Stowie
Email: stowie@DaStreetBuzz.com