Congratulations on the release of “Self Love (Frequency)” how does it feel?
Thank you. It feels absolutely AMAZING! I’m very thankful for the tremendous outpour of support the song has received at this early stage of its campaign, and really looking forward to seeing more success at it continues to grow and pick up steam.
What’s the story behind it?
Well, at the time I came up with the concept of the song, I was going through a pretty rough time in my life. I had just recently lost two close family members in my uncle and my Grandfather, and other personal tribulations were taking place as well. I kept finding myself looking for comfort and understanding from others, but ultimately told myself that the only person I need comfort and understanding from is myself. I need to be ok with who I am, and not look for validation from others as I have in the past. From relationship issues with love interests, to taking a hiatus from the spotlight within the music industry, I knew deep down that none of these things would get back on track until I start giving myself the attention I needed from MYSELF, nobody else. So me being a writer, and music being my ideal choice of expression, I wrote Self Love (Frequency).
You collaborated with Aria Marie on this single, how did that come about?
In life, there are some things that words cannot express to give it the rightful justice due. With that being said, I’ll attempt to do my best when responding to this question. The Universe has an interesting way of inserting individuals in your life when it knows you need them most, and that’s exactly what took place here. While it is true that Aria Marie and myself knew each other years prior to this collaboration, The Universe chose to allow our interaction to increase enormously and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Aria Marie is like a piece of heaven on earth. Her presence is like that of a Goddess, and looking into her eyes is like staring into the Galaxy. Her Aura, her energy, her everything, is so unique and breathtaking, that she resembles a shooting star streaming through the clear nights sky. When I originally came up with the song, I ultimately felt like it needed a strong female singer on the chorus, then lo and behold, The Universe blessed me with what I believe to be one of the greatest women on our planet. At the time of our interaction, ironically we both had been going through some similar situations in our personal lives, and this song seemed like a therapeutic gateway of positivity we both needed. I asked her if she’d like to collaborate on the record with me, and once she heard it, she accepted which made me very ecstatic and truly grateful. This song was meant for her apart of it, without me even knowing who would be on it in the beginning stages. But that’s how the universe works. You just let it guide you and before you know it, you now have a song with a Beautiful, talented, spiritually inclined R&B singer/Actress named Aria Marie. By the way, she has a movie out right now that she’s starring in titled THE AFTERMATH. You can view it on Prime Video as well as Tubi. It’s a great movie and she did a fantastic job.
You’re an artist from Marietta Georgia how did it all start out for you?
Marietta Georgia is just North of Atlanta. There’s a lot of pride and tradition in that area. Home of the Big Chicken KFC, and now the Atlanta Braves, it has gone from small town overlooked, to a prime location within metro Atlanta and I personally feel I played a part in shedding light on the area from a musical standpoint. Years ago, my family and I migrated from Illinois to Marietta GA, where I became apart of a rap group that had multiple members from the area. We made an anthem song for the city titled MARIETTA H*E. At the time, not too many people from other sides of metro Atlanta really respected what individuals were doing musically and in general period from our part of town, but when that song dropped, it ended up being a large statement basically saying We Are Here Now regardless of who respects it or not, We are here and we will continue to be here and continue to remind you that we are here. Everytime the clubs would play that record, it would result in pandemonium and mayhem for lack of better words. Ultimately it brought my group at the time and the area as a whole, an enormous amount of attention. Fast forward to now, it’s become a talent hub for artists and producers who came up from there to the mainstream.
What did you listen to growing up?
I listened to a wide range of music growing up. Of course I was inspired by rap genre musicians such as Twista, Ludacris, Kanye West, and others. But the elders in my life would play a lot of old school records that ranged from the 1960’s to the 1980’s so I was equally if not inspired more by acts like The Temptations, Bob Marley, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Earth Wind & Fire, and PRINCE.
You were in the group C-Side, how did that come to be?
I’ll keep this brief. As stated earlier, I migrated with my family from Illinois to Marietta GA in the middle of my Highschool era. I met one of the group members and he asked if I did music. I said yes. He heard my material and ultimately asked that I be inserted into the group. Upon my insertion we started having local success, which turned into national success as I continued to write hit records.
What are your favourite moments from those times?
My favorite moments were the checkpoints along the way.
Achieving local success with the song Marietta H*e.
Becoming the first song to go viral in the history of music when I wrote our song Myspace Freak originally produced by Hit James aka BrickZ, which was then re-produced by the legendary Jazze Pha.
Then charting on Billboard Chart’s Top 40 with the song I wrote titled Boyfriend/Girlfriend featuring Keyshia Cole
You’ve collaborated with some of hip hop’s royalty, what were the lessons that you learned?
I learned to always stay focused on the task at hand and never let ones celebrity status become too overwhelming for me to deliver. I have written for and collaborated with artists I grew up listening to and borderline idolized. But when I worked with those individuals, I had my game face on because I knew what they expected of me. Hit Records.
Is there anyone you’d like to collaborate with today?
I recently got a chance to collaborate with the legendary Busta Rhymes on a record titled HOOP DREAMS. That was a pretty big moment for me as I have looked up to him from an artist viewpoint for quite some time. As far as anyone else, I think doing a song with a country music artist like a Darius Rucker would be cool. We both share the same first name and when I tell someone my name and they can’t pronounce it, I say, “My name is Darius, like Darius Rucker…..” then all of a sudden they understand. So yeah, KingDarius TheGreat featuring Darius Rucker has to happen. Lol 🤣
COVID impacted the creative industry as a whole, what kept you motivated?
I think what kept me motivated is the fact that even though things slowed down, it was actually good for me because I was able to analyze things more from a marketing and public relations aspect. This industry is always evolving and if you aren’t paying close enough attention to the logistics, you can get left behind fairly quickly. So in a weird way, things slowing down kinda worked in my favor because I was able to catch up mentally and construct a wonderful team based on what I was missing.
2020-2021 was a time to reflect what did you learn about yourself?
I learned that SELF LOVE is the best love.
Did you pick up any new skills?
Honestly, learning how to do some Public Relations related work for myself is definitely something I’d consider a new skill I picked up. It’s so vital in today’s industry so without it, music is just a hobby. To me music is a business, so I had to surround myself via clubhouse meetings, and conference calls with people I trusted to instill me with the right information.
Being from Georgia what are your top 3 favourite things about your state?
I like that in Georgia you have right to bear arms as long as it’s being done legally. There’s a lot of evil in this world, and it’s important to me that citizens be allowed to protect themselves.
I also like the musical environment it has turned into over the years. You’ve heard about Motown (Detroit Michigan) and Nashville Tennessee when it comes to being big on music, but Georgia, specifically Atlanta, over time to me, has become the music Capital in America.
Lastly, I enjoy the weather here majority of the time. Though it has been a bit colder than normal during winter season, it’s nothing like the Mid West which gets almost unbearably cold during winter season.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Self Love ( Frequency)
By KingDarius TheGreat & Aria Marie
What are you looking forward to next?
I’m looking forward to where the music industry is headed next. The industry has covered a lot of ground in favor of the artist when things went digital, and from my research it’s only going to get better as the world gets even more advanced virtually. From NFT’s to Virtual Concerts within Virtual cities and more, the industry is about expand, which means more streams of income for artists and I’m totally up for that!
