Life & Work with Donte Feaster of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Donte Feaster.

Hi Donte, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started rapping at the age of 10, freestyling with other kids in the neighborhood, getting a name through the rap battles and ciphers I would do, eventually getting a record deal in 2000 with Hilltop Entertainment, a label that was coming up also which is where I got a lot of my knowledge on the music industry. The label folded before it could take off unfortunately so while nothing professional came from me yet, it gave me what I needed to take my career futher independently in respect to knowledge and insight. Built my own studio and began putting out mixtapes, “Black Market” being the first release in 2005. The versatility I show with my wordplay, punchlines, delivery, cadence, melodies/harmonies, and the subject matter I speak on as it pertains to my life and my listners further solidified me in my musical career as I continued on from the platform I was able to lay out for myself.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not for the most part, Akron didn’t really have too many studios back in the day to record until we got later in the 90s to memory so that was one thing immediately. Dealing with anything competitive like hip hop altogether, especially battles you’re gonna run into a lot of egos and politics which will bring its own set of issues your way. Doing anything independent also means you’re your own machine, meaning you put up your own funding too, and even with all that’s available now versus the 90s or early 2000s it’s still expensive. As is with anything if you’re not willing to invest in yourself you won’t go nowhere. Those were a few things generally, everyone will have their own set of struggles in their journey but for the most part I can tell you accessibility issues at the start if that box hasn’t already been checked, learning the business, and dealing with different forms of opposition/push back at times are guaranteed to show up once you decide to take it on.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a recording artist, songwriter, and producer from Akron, Ohio. I can say apart from everything in respect to my skill-set I built and the subject matters, I’m known a lot for my individuality . My being a multi-layered person is a major contributor to the versatility I put on in the bodies of work I make. I have a strong belief that just as life itself isn’t one-dimensional, your music shouldn’t be either. On top of that nobody can beat you at being you, as long as you stay true to yourself you will always be a 1 of 1. I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do to this date because there was a point to where I was just a kid doing what i liked, imagining myself in the position I’m in now and continuing to go. The destination is always a great place to reach – it’s the objective of course – but the landmarks you create along the way are just as great if not even more so.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
For collaborations/features and bookings you can e-mail me at xcursion.online@gmailcom. For everyone who wishes to follow and support me I’m available on the following:

Instagram: @xcursionmusic
TikTok: @xcursionmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XcursionOnline
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@xcursionmusic
SoundCloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/xcursiononline
Bandcamp: https://xcursion.bandcamp.com

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xcursionmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XcursionOnline
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/XMusic330
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@xcursionmusic
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/xcursiononline
• Other: https://xcursion.bandcamp.com