Daily Inspiration: Meet The DHKC

Today we’d like to introduce you to The DHKC.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hey guys, Danny here. That is Daniel Hoyt Kenneth Coton, or just “DHKC” for short (or as I say, “The DHKC”, because I’m pretentious.)

I just got back into releasing music a year ago. I’d essentially considered myself “retired” from being an Independent Artist, figured I’d gotten too old, and missed my shot.

But after some personal events not too long ago, I figured life was short, and I’d regret it if I’d never tried, so here I am, putting out music with some really cool and supportive people in DTLA (where I’m predominantly active in these days, although I myself am from the Valley. 818 what up).

Creatively, I’m a singer, rapper, I play guitar, bass, keys and a few other things, and I also design in 2D and 3D and want to gravitate to more multi-media interactive experiences eventually. We’ll see how it goes. I’m told people like a redemption story.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We’ve all got our battles. I don’t like to delve too much into negativity (outside of perhaps mining those emotions in my music), but if I’d made all of the right moves, I wouldn’t be essentially starting over again at this age.

I’ve struggled with depression throughout a lot of my life, and that led to some self-destructive tendencies in my 20s. I’ve historically had some trouble connecting with people, and unfortunately I turned to things that numbed my thoughts and distracted me from my problems when I was younger, instead of confronting them head-on.

I’m happy to say that as of writing this, I’m over 10 years removed from that period of my life, but I’ve only just started -consciously- healing… and becoming a better version of yourself is a lifelong journey.

I just hope in time I can align with the potential for great and good things that I have, and in some way make up for a lost time, and for indulging my potential to spin out of control for so long.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Primarily, I’m a rapper. I just released an EP with my good friend and frequent collaborator Apollo Naps called Dark Night of the Soul, which has gotten a really great response. While mainly dealing in hip hop and trap sounds, I’ve also dabbled in many other genres, including Electronic and IDM, which are reflected in my August release, Science Friction.

I’d love to branch out from just Rap more often if I tell the truth, but I’ll always come back to it; it’s my strength as a vocalist. But as a musician, I’d like to make some pop songs, some instrumental stuff, something with a band, some more ambient music, a progressive album that seems together like Dark Side of the Moon. I know I could do that because my music already has elements of that.

But as far as the themes of my work, I think my strength is conveying emotion; expressing vulnerability in a nuanced way. It’s hard to outwardly be vulnerable when you make Rap music, and finding a way to make people nod their heads when you’re letting your wall down is a balancing act, and I’d like to think it’s a skill.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Books? I like “The Moorish Koran” by Drew Ali and “Alchemy” by Saint Germain. Also, “On The Road” by Jack Kerouac, which actually blends seamlessly with Google Earth if you watch it at exactly the same time while playing the Wizard of Oz soundtrack.

As far as apps, I’ve really gotten into VR technology lately. But as much as I love Bonelab and Blade & Sorcery, I’m too analytical for my own good. I’m kind of an amateur study in video game mechanics (cos being a game dev is lowkey on my bucket list), and I think there’s a gap in the market of Oculus games and such: most developers sinking into the technology are just focused on showcasing VR’s inherent physics mechanics. Which is great. Amazing and immersive and basically transports you (as per the goal). But Valve showed us what physics could do with Half Life 2. Decades ago. There’s a lot more that’s been invented along the way that could only enrich the experience now.

Buuut this isn’t the room for that, lol. Suffice to say I’d love to explore these ideas more in the future.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/the_dhkc

Image Credits
Apollo Naps Portra818