The Break Presents – DC The Don

Some people have multiple callings and talents, but there will always be a passion that just sticks out a little more. If someone has to desire to entertain, as DC The Don did as a child, that feeling must be cultivated and worked on until it grows into something tangible. Writing songs since he was eight years old, and dancing to Michael Jackson songs at home for his family in Milwaukee, DC The Don loved the spotlight. And considering he'd grow up to be 6 feet and 7 inches tall, would also grow used to garnering attention.

From his teen days as a AAU basketball player who played for Lavar Ball and befriended the future NBA and professional basketball playing Ball brothers—LaMelo, Lonzo and LiAngelo—to now, when he chose the booth over hoops, DC The Don has experienced it all. Nowadays, he's a Rostrum Records signee, most well-known for his diverse music that traverses rap, punk and pop. His biggest song so far is the 2020 single "Worst Day," which has been streamed over nine million times on Spotify.

A skilled basketball player, he moved from Milwaukee to Long Beach, Calif. under his mother's insistence. There, he ended up building a relationship with the Ball family, including future NBA players Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, plus their father, Lavar Ball. It was only right that when Lonzo got his first signature shoe in 2017, the ZO2, DC The Don's song "Everything 1K" was the commercial's soundtrack. From that huge look, he continued dropping music, with a string of videos on Worldstar that took off in 2018, like "Meet Whitney" and "Kill Streak." Back then, his music relied on energy and catchiness, but his feel for making songs connect was already there.

Since signing to Rostrum Records in 2020, he released his debut album, Come As You Are, that year, then followed up with 2022's My Own Worst Enemy, which he released in February. On that album, he juxtaposes two sides of himself, Donny and Rag3 Kidd, the first being his nicer, more pop-aligned alter ego, and the former being where he rages.

For this week's The Break: Live, he talks about blending the two styles, always being drawn to music, and his elite ping pong talents. Check out DC The Don's interview below.

Follow DC The Don on SoundCloud and Instagram.

Standouts:

"Worst Day"

"PSA"

"I Want You"

My Own Worst Enemy