Bio
Let's accept it as fact…. music's greatest duos have been delivered
courtesy of hip-hop. Each one of these duos has been a case of chemistry.
Take legends like Eric B. & Rakim, EPMD, OutKast, Black Star or even
Black Sheep. No one can deny the supernatural effect of two like minds,
mics, turntables and personalities blending at the perfect moment. That
paranormal science has shaped peak moments in music's history. Balance
is an essential component of any great chemical equation, whether it be
life, nature or music. A healthy heap of friendly competition, mutual respect
and a vital element of hunger... that very formula can yield magic. Think
a minute about the duality of Ghostface and Raekwon, Black Thought and
Malik B., or Q-Tip and Phife. They might all go down in history as shining
examples of what can happen when chemistry and balance take center stage.
As you read this, a new day has arrived for the duo. It's evolving into
an entirely new being, where the days of "you-do-this-and-I-do-that" Old
World chemistry is dying. Now the blend is becoming more organic. Imagine
giving each member of the aforementioned pairs the gift to both make beats
that are universal and innovative. Now, give them both veteran status on
the turntables, a knack for playing instruments and a confident swagger
on the mic. Finally, mix in the x-factor of them both being raised atop
the red clay of the South, and you have an unprecedented concoction. What
you have are two young gentlemen with an album called ABBRACADAMN!!!, a
charmed answer to the question "where can underground hip-hop possibly
go next?" The gentlemen are AmDex and DT, and it is our esteemed
pleasure to introduce you to music's next great duo, Clan Destined.
Some words one could use to describe the meeting of musicians
AmDex and DT might be 'fate', 'yin and yang', or 'synchronicity'
- but 'destined' is the best fit. Both have strong roots in North
Carolina, and DT has no qualms shedding light on his small-town
upbringing. The 22-year-old describes Hickory, NC as a place
with nice neighborhoods, pleasant parks and decent schools, but
definitely a city racked by the crack epidemic and poverty. The
two scenes are never far apart, and he did his time in both,
gaining a sense of perspective at an early age. After discovering
his gift for fierce rhyming during a New Year's Eve party at
12 years old, DT eventually started DJing. The road eventually
lead him to Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he would not
only learn the particulars of the Black bourgeoisie and murder
just about everyone on the battle circuit, but run into his future
crew-mates, AmDex and Felix of The VJC. AmDex paints a mirroring
image of his neighboring hometown of Raleigh, a bustling yet
segregated city in the Research Triangle of North Carolina. Searching
for something better, his mother moved to Atlanta and worked
hard to give him wider perspective and better options. Young "Dex" started
playing with rap when he was about seven years old and DJing
when he was 16, right around the time he met DJ X-Ro, founder
of The VJC, an offspring of the celebrated Project Blowed. Before
long, DT and Dex met on the AUC strip and started sharing ideas
on music, DJing, beat-sampling techniques and rhymes.
That conversation has evolved into Clan Destined (or, Clan D
for short), a funk-fest of rolling, rumbling, revolving, relentlessly
soulful beats with an electronic sensibility. The vibes can range
from loungey and chilled-out to all out trunk-rattle. You might
catch Dex singing on a chorus on "Read
The Signs", or both of them scratching in their own vocals over live keys
in "The Language". The Yin and Yang aspect holds strong, with
DT being the more outspoken on the mic. You get the feeling he's
just a raw channel of verbal energy in a constant state of explosion,
while AmDex weaves a cool, thoughtful spell that's never short
on a clever word. The youngest members of The VJC are poised
to make their debut excursion with their album ABBRACADAMN!!!,
set for a January 16, 2007 release on Domination
Records/VJC Recordings. With an arsenal of visionary beat-craft and an uncanny
physics at their fingertips, Clan D is on the brink of giving
Atlanta yet another claim to one of the landmark pair-offs of
this generation and raising the bar for the hip-hop duo. From
now on, alchemy must be part of the equation.
Join the mailing list
Clan Destined
