Don Chief is one of the cornerstone of Texas music. Hailing from Dallas, the legendary Texan release 30 studio recording albums to date. He’s collaborated with many premiere artist to include Rick Ross, Jim Jones, Chamillionaire, Nate Dogg and Yo Gotti. He’s been totally consistent since the release of his first album.
I was able to learn more about him as a person and his extensive career in the music industry in my interview with Don Chief.
EB: How have you been under the world’s COVID-19 pandemic?
DC: I been in a social distancing mode since before the pandemic even started. It didn’t really affect me like it might have affected everyone else. It just gave me more time to work on myself and what I had going. It wasn’t a pandemic for me, it was just life.
EB: You have been a mainstay in Texas music for 30 recording albums. What is your most memorable moment in being an artist?
DC: To be honest, I got too many memorable moments being an artist.
I can’t specify one single moment. I have a lot of proud moments I just can’t single one out.
EB: Can you take me through the process of putting together a successful album? Do you come up with song concept first? Or, do you arrange the sound with key producer(s)?
DC: To each it’s own. With me I been doing it a while so it’s different. I gotta be in a certain mode. It’s all about what mode I’m in and it transitions out into the album, and which mode the producer is in and his emotions. I normally don’t work hands on with the producers, I basically let the producers create what their emotions are telling them and then I put my emotions and that’s how it come together.
I feed of the production but I also go off what feeling and mode I’m in, in life.
EB: Who has been your hardest critic? What did you learn from that person?
DC: I’m my own hardest critic, there’s no other individual. I’m always trying to do better than what I did the last time.
EB: If you can change anything about the music industry, what would it be?
DC: I wouldn’t change anything, I would just add what I would like to add. I’m okay with everyone expressing their feeling and emotions how they would like. What I would add is more originality. I feel that people should show more of what they like in the music industry than instead of copying what everyone else likes.
EB: What’s next for you career?
DC: The next thing we can look forward to is just adding on to the legacy. Helping others bringing the city up way more, which is Dallas. My next thing is exposing my culture to the world. Exposing the Dallas culture to the world. Also I have a variety of things coming up a collage of things. I want to be bridge connecting my city to the world.
Sometime next month [December] I’m releasing a new album we can look forward to that. I also have a documentary and on the way, we are currently working on it.
