Today we’d like to introduce you to Dex One.
Dex, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Usually, I’d have trouble figuring out how to start such a broad subject but, a recent conversation has resonated so well that I feel as if I have the perfect response. Some people worry about socialism and others worry about purpose. I’m a purpose person. My whole life, I have excelled in any way I sought to. I’ve always been told I was special and the evidence is there. From winning oratorical contests to camp scholarships, honestly, I’ve always known.
I lived with my grandmother till around age eight and she often had a lot of foster kids living with us, so I learned how to be selfish early. She was very disciplined and she always pushed me to understand what I was doing and why I would do it. Around eight, I moved in with my mom and stepdad and he was an army guy but also one of the smartest guys I know. I have great male role models in my life. I’m thankful for that. I’ve always been close to my actual dad; my parents just went there separate ways. My dad is the principal of an academy and was a teacher most of his life. He is also very smart; both dads have mastered it. My mom dropped out of school and never graduated but has always maintained good jobs. She’s a little wild, to say the least but she’s great. They have all always believed in me and it seems as if everything just falls into place. I’ve been all over the country with my dad and I’m from Richardson, which is a very diverse area of Dallas and it helped me understand that people live with completely different Norms and it’s taught me how to be observant of particular actions.
I was in a STEM Academy which incorporates technology and a lot of project-based or “hands-on” learning. I literally checked the box to be in the lottery for the academy right before I handed it to the teacher and got in. In high school, I played sports. I was part of clubs and was pretty engaged with my peers. My sophomore year in high school, my Spanish teacher walked me down to the avid teacher and said: “put avid on his schedule for next year, this boy needs to go to college.” I joined avid the following year and my avid teachers were amazing. They saw so much in me that they BEGGED me to fill out scholarships. One day before the Dell Scholarship application was due, Ms swim cane to see me outside of my art class. She said Tyler, the deadline is tomorrow and if anybody will win, it’ll be you, please go apply for me and I did. On the very last day, the application was due, I ran a couple of miles to school around 5-6 in the morning to use the school’s WiFi to fill out this application because we didn’t have WiFi at home. I missed practices, typed through lunch and stayed after school till 630 to fill the scholarship out.
A few weeks later, I check on the application and find out I’m a semifinalist. I ultimately won and went to college for a couple of years. In my opinion, college only works if you want something in a specific field. America is a capitalist country and we have the opportunity to make as much money as we want. I feel like I got a pretty good head start to my life and I’ll probably go back to school in a few years. I still have three years to use my scholarship. I currently have a pretty good job with plenty of vacation time. I don’t work a lot of hours and plenty of time to work on my business outside of work. I often tell people I’m more of an inventor than an innovator and I feel like people should try to first understand outlying factors and then apply what they know and or how they feel.
In saying all of this, I do not feel like I brag or boast about living such a great life. I feel like the greatest thing about me is that I’m so aware of my blessings and how great I truly am that I don’t let it affect how I treat others. I’m ok with taking a loss if it helps someone else feel like they won because you never know what someone is going through. Growing up with foster children coming in and out of the house, hearing how they had been treated, and just knowing that somebody could always have it worse is humbling for anyone and is deep-rooted in my beliefs. I believe in myself enough to know that I can help others believe in themselves just as much. A child, given what seems to be everything while always being told that they are special, just to live a humbling life, is purpose. That, to me, is my why. To show that ironically, the greatest thing special about me is that I believe That I am. I want everyone else to actually believe that they are too.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been smooth exactly because my mom separates from my stepdad and doesn’t have the best foundation but, I am fortunate enough to be in a position to keep her and my siblings stable. I was asked at 18 what I want in life and I said to be able to keep my family stable. I’ve been at it since 21 and I am forever grateful. The struggle is the beauty that drives us to work. I often ran miles to work in the heat in high school but I just see it as the reason why I’m so in shape. Life is what you make it.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I’m currently just a rapper. I mean, as far as rapping goes id probably give you a top 2 verse in a room full of 50. (Probably not #2) I’ve recently started producing and am about to release a beat store, so that’s exciting. My company Le’ Rico is currently getting certified and I don’t want to get into too much detail about the concept but it’ll be something to be on the lookout for sure. It’s something I think is genius and it’s a basic concept that everyone else is using just engineered a little different. I can say that it will be very “people-friendly”.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I went to a Young Life camp in my junior year in college and we were in the mountains in Colorado for a week. We rode a bus there with our school and another school in our district. As we pulled up, our leaders took our phones and we repelled off the side of a mountain as soon as we got off the bus. That camp was amazing. There were schools from all around the country. We talked about god, played games, rode horses, won volleyball tournaments, the food was great, the pool was great, and the view was better than the rest combined! One of the best weeks of my life for sure.
Pricing:
- $50 For feature
- $25 Instrumental lease
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/therealdexone
- Email: dexonemusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/therealdexuno
- Twitter: Twitter.com/therealdexuno
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