Meet Unorthodocks or Docks for short

Today we’d like to introduce you to Docks.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was always drawn to lyrics in music so it was natural I gravitated towards rap. Since rappers always had the most to say and also the best way of saying it. To me, dunking on someone, crossing someone over and saying some fly shit on the beat was the flyest shit in the world and as early as I can remember, I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be Allen Iverson. All day, I ate up all the AND1 mixtapes and Lil Wayne mixtapes I could find. I mimicked both and started putting words together around ten years old. I started to get a serious- recording and performing- at 15. I left school around that same time. I was rebellious and sports became too structured for me by high school, so I knew I needed to do something with my music. Another two years of white-washed history and algebra, that I’ve still never used, wasn’t going to get me any closer to those goals so I left. That enabled me to live a lot and learn a lot. Sometimes, you find the path laid out isn’t at all the path for you.

Schools overrated.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Never. When you’re a rapper or any kind of artist, I imagine and decide to make it more than a hobby, you have to be responsible for driving your success and be fully invested in yourself. Because no one else is going to be, no matter how much raw talent you have. A lot of people don’t understand that. Cats want to be given something just for their talents like it’s the 20th century, where you get your music in front of someone and hope they put you on. You have to build your brand yourself now. Once you have a sustainable brand, that’s when people start approaching you and want to be involved. And often by that point, you may or may not need them anymore; a lot of people will look to eat off you and your operation without bringing anything of value to it. It’s a complicated game but despite what people love to tell you, nothing you do is more important than your art. All the business savvy and connections in the world will do you no good if people don’t connect with your music. The music is always the main course and always the most important. Don’t let people tell you the sides and table setting are more important. Those are things you rely on when that entree ain’t hitting. Ideally, though, you want to give everyone the 4-course meal and just keep feeding everyone, doesn’t matter if they know they’re hungry.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m a hip-hop artist, these days, that means I wear many hats-both literally and figuratively. I record and mix myself from home, dabble in some of the artwork and graphic design and right now, I’m editing two music videos. Also, steady building a movement showcasing the best talent in AZ hip-hop. I got tired of being on wack shows that didn’t fit my sound; I knew if I started throwing my own shows, ain’t no way they would be wack and I want to wake people up to what we got in our backyard. There’s just too much talent and great music flying under the radar.

But above all else, I’m an emcee. It’s a lost art, more cats rap now than ever but few are emcees. I didn’t grow up around other rappers, so I had to learn from the greats like Nas, Mos Def, MF DOOM, and many many more. And I wouldn’t be satisfied until I reached that level. That’s what’s wrong with rap now. Everyone just wants to rap because the minimum skill requirement is so low. No one takes time to study and master their craft, like a trumpet player or athlete or actor any other artist does. A lot of the artistry’s been lost. That’s what sets me apart and is evident when you hear me rhyme.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have been blessed to have my share of proud moments from music. But the moment I’m most proud of recently was earlier this year when one of my songs played on Shade45. For the uninitiated, that’s Eminem’s radio station on Sirius/XM and the biggest hip-hop station in the world. It was a shock; I had never contacted them before. Shade45 is like a mecca to rappers and def was to me as a teenager. To hear something I made in my bedroom played on it, on DJ Muggs show, was like the final validation to prove I’ve developed my craft to the highest level and got everything it takes to be where I want already. It’s something people have to respect.

Contact Info:

• Website: docks.bandcamp.com
• Email: unorthodockshiphop@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/unorthodocks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unorthodocks/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnorthodocksMC
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/33jqeYubyJJy8gg1be4XlP?si=TRznjlS0TlqAY0bIFZAx9g

Image Credit:
Samantha Littlefield

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