http://lifeonwax.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=626&Itemid=58

Dezz sits down and gets deep with this fresh South Carolina MC!

Dezz LoW: Your latest mixtape is called "rebirth of a dying breed". What do you consider the dying breed is and how are you bringing that breed back?

DanJohns: In so many ways, pure hip hop is the dying breed. I don’t mean east coast hip hop, or west coast hip hop; I mean any form of the art that is genuine and sincere. Today’s music is done with ulterior motives. True, we all want to make money off of it, so the ones making music for the money aren’t being targeted here.

Everywhere you turn, the ills of the world are being associated with the rise of rap music’s popularity. This has struck a nerve with many artists, myself included. So, this mixtape is my way of showing that the demise of sincere, non-destructive hip hop has been greatly exaggerated.

I’m not on a mission to save the culture, but I do want to wave the flag for my brand of rap, and show fans that there is another alternative.

Dezz LoW: Being from South Carolina, I know that SC has been slowly appearing on the map in the mainstream and underground hip hop world, what has the journey been like starting off in "uncharted territories"?

DanJohns: Well, in 2008, it is a lot easier being an emcee from SC than it was in 1998. The internet has made the world a lot smaller, and communication with fans and artists worldwide is a lot easier. So, I find that the pressure of being from “uncharted territories” isn’t as great as the pressure to reach the people that are checking for music like the kind that we make, but aren’t yet aware of our work.

Daily, we are all bombarded with emails and myspace messages saying “come check out my music,” so its hard for fans to filter through all of that and determine which artists they should check out. So that’s a huge challenge.