In case the name Dwele is still as foreign to you as a warm December in the T-Dot, think back to the dope hook on last year's Slum Village hit "Tainted." That's Dwele. This twenty-five-year-old Detroit disciple dropped the bomb on us with his debut, Subject (Virgin), on May 20th, and people are definitely diggin' it.
And don't get it twisted. Far from the calibre of those in the one-hit-wonder category, Dwele has been working hard to parlay his classy blend of R & B, jazz, spoken word and hip-hop into what became Subject for almost three years, and the proof of his perfectionism is in the product.
"I've been signed to Virgin Records for about three years. The album has gone through a couple of facelifts; a couple of tucks and a couple of nose jobs, you know. But it's done, and it's ready to come out, so I'm happy."
Dwele was born and raised in the 313 in a very musical family. Misfortune struck at the age of ten, when Dwele's father was fatally shot outside their home. So, as artists do, he channeled emotions arising from his sour situation through his music and, inadvertently, transformed them into sweet success.
"The loss of my father really inspired my creative side. By getting into music, it provided me with a way to cope with his death," says Dwele.
Studying both the piano and the trumpet from the age of six, Dwele has never been one to follow the leader. He's been listening to greats like Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis and Donnie Hathaway, who he credits for influencing him as a musician since his elementary school days. Hip-hop innovators such as A Tribe Called Quest moved him to explore emceeing, and by high school, he had earned himself a rep as a local emcee. Dwele might have been emerging from the exploding Detroit hip-hop scene right now, rather than its soul scene, had it not been for comments from friends and early fans who heard his tapes and said, " 'I love the rap joints, but the ones you were singing on were real hot!' So I just sat back, and I was like yeah, you know, I'm gonna try my thing with the singing. I'm gonna take it a little bit deeper. I'm gonna get a little bit more serious with it," he explained.
So, in 1998 Dwele created a demo he titled Rize. "It was done in my bedroom, and we only made 100 copies, because I didn't know how it was going to sell. It sold out in a week!" Taking it to the next level still, "it got bootlegged like ten million times." Unfortunately, for those just picking up on the vibe, efforts to cop the Rize album nowadays have proven mostly fruitless.
Although devoted to the Motor City, Dwele has dubbed Toronto his second home. Not only is he an annual patron of Caribana, but his music has also been the motive for more frequent visits lately.
"I worked with (Toronto-based singer) Ivana Santilli and also did a couple of spot dates with Slum Village, and every time I come out here, I love it. I love everything about it. The whole vibe of Toronto is cool. I love the clubs; I love the women. It's great out here."
Most recently, Dwele was in town for a show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre with Slum Village and Frank 'N Dank, where I had a chance to speak with him about his thoughts on what sparked the influx of neo-soul artists, this nu-soul revolution, in the urban music market.
"I think it was just time for it. I think the "neo-soul" movement came at a time when the radio was full of a lot of, for lack of a better word; it was full of a lot of cheap music. It sounded kind of cheap. I think the neo-soul movement is kind of like bringing the music back into the actual industry, and I think it's a great time for it."
What sets him apart from other members of the neo-soul movement are his fresh, sincere approach and his aptitude for a number of disciplines of the business: he's not only a skilled vocalist, but an accomplished instrumentalist, writer and producer as well. Besides his musical adeptness, Dwele's lyrics are less erotic and more quixotic, reminiscent of his old-school mentors.
While the underground soul scene has shown Dwele love since 98', he's just beginning to develop a mainstream following, especially since his first single "Find a Way" hit the airwaves. The cut is an upbeat, 70's-influenced track that flows like butter, hyped by smooth vocals and production (which Dwele was heavily involved in) that's right on point.
So, what can we expect next from Dwele? "My second and third albums are already done. I did it like the Matrix. I've got too much music... and we're going to do a video. It'll probably be two to three months from now."
Working with seasoned performers such as Slum Village, Ivana Santilli and Gilles Peterson, being chosen by Entertainment Weekly as one of "10 Artists on the Brink" and more passion and natural ability than you could muster from the average BET top-ten; all signs point toward an explosive career for this dynamic Detroit native. Watch out now.... this one's about to blow!
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