Ever since the grimy award winning documentary Welcome To Durham was released a few years back, people living outside of the Bull City have developed a sense that nothing exists here but gang members, whoo riders and cap bustas. Every time I tell folks I’m based in Durham, NC people are like “woah, how can you live around there son?” Granted the city does have a recent history of unsavory activities but to quote the always eloqent Shawty Lo, “Must Be Two Sides.”
In Durham, NC there exists a thriving and rich music scene in both the hip hop and r&b/soul communities. 2010 Grammy nominees The Foreign Exchange, vocalists Yazarah and Carlitta Durand, emcee Pierce Freelon {son of Grammy nominated jazz singer Nnena Freelon–who is also based here}, hip hop band The Beast {NC’s version of The Roots}, The Bull City Slam Team {one of the nation’s top ranked poetry teams} and vocalist Darien Brockington are all based in or have been based in the area. Despite the negative light Durham is bathed in, The Bull City continues to rise.
D. Brock hit the scene back in 2006 with his debut album Somebody To Love. Before and since then he’s worked heavily with Little Brother, The Justus League, The Foreign Exchange, Detroit’s Zo! and many others. The Cold Case Files is his latest album to drop; as expected is pure dope and features production from local producer E. Jones. You can stream the full album on Darien Brockington’s website and purchase an e-version for $5.
Run That Back: D. Brock on Zo!’s …Just Visiting Too EP.