Today we’d like to introduce you to Donnie Waters.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Donnie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a Mexican- American rapper born and raised in Long Beach, California. I spent most of my childhood on the Eastside of Long Beach. Later, I moved to the Northside. I’m fortunate enough to come from humble beginnings because it’s been a huge source of inspiration to me as an artist; through my music, I share stories of my own and some stories of the people closest to me. I started writing around my junior year of high school. Around my senior year, I started feeling a little more confident and began recording on my homies laptop through an earphone mic. That’s when I realized I had something to say. After a while of that, I upgraded, got some hand me down equipment that my brother had, bought some extra parts and started recording in my mom’s garage.
Now, I’m in studios with better equipment and friends that share the same goal as me, which I’m grateful for. The music I make is meant to be inclusive and ultimately it’s meant to inspire. I feel like I was raised at a perfect time, in which I was able to take in a variety of music from a variety of genres especially in my household where I heard both Spanish and English music. The reason I leaned toward rap is because I related to it more. Rappers were talking about the communities I lived in and situations I was experiencing first hand. This year (2020), I’m releasing an album that will give you my perspective as a Mexican-American. It’s heavily influenced by my Mexican roots and my American roots, a sort of fusion that hasn’t been seen/ rapped about in this way. I’d like to say more about it but I’d rather show ya’ll.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not, but I can’t complain. Nipsey Hussle says, “heavy price but it’s just the cloth you cut from, It’s alright it’s just life if you want one,” which epitomizes the idea of what life is to me, it’s not supposed to be smooth. Life has brought to me happiness, love, pain, and tragedy, but that has made me who I am today, so I’m grateful for it all. I have the best blessing in life and thats my little girl along with the ability to connect with people through my music. Early on, as an artist, I struggled with depression and well sometimes still do. However, I reached a point in my life, now, where my depression has sort of been pushed out, to a certain extent, probably cause I have a little girl now and I really have no other option but to get to it. I can’t let anything or anyone stop me from creating as smooth of a road as I possibly can for my baby and for myself too. Through my records, you’ll hear me express the struggles I’ve had as well as the better moments.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As an artist, I specialize in the lyrics of the song. I make sure to always write my own lyrics and be as honest as I can in every song. Donnie Waters is my business/ company and I refuse to sell a fake story to the people. I look at it like this, If I’m shopping for a particular brand at a store, and I came out with the fake version of that brand or find out they selling fake merchandise, I’d be heated, so I refuse to do that to the people that support me. The difference between other artists and me is that I speak from a Mexican-American lens. My perspective is similar in many ways but also different in many other ways and those differences is what I’m bringing to the table. Nobody has done it how I’m doing it and that’s something I’ll always be proud of.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
To a certain extent, I wouldn’t change a thing. If things didn’t play out like they did, I wouldn’t be here right now. My losses have been lessons and I have gained so much from them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fanlink.to/3AMinLongBeach
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @donnie_waters
- Twitter: @donnie_waters
Image Credit:
@sosadamephoto
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