

Hi Desmond, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Desmond Cohen. I go by Des. I was raised in south oak cliff. Growing up, I was raised by my father while my mother was incarcerated. During that time, we lived with my grandparents in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house with eight people from pre-k up until I was in the 6th grade. Every day when my father would pick me up from school, we would listen to music and I would tell him that one day I would be rapping my own song. Years After my mother was released from prison, she got a job working at def jam records. I was able to met celebrities but the most inspirational & motivating artist I met during that time was Alicia Keys. During my teenage years, all I would do was freestyle & I even started going by the name Rico D.
At one point, I stopped freestyling in front of people because I was told I couldn’t rap by peers and my siblings. One of my brothers even told me that my friends were lying to me, telling me that I could rap. That really lowers my self-esteem when it came to rapping. A few years later, my father ended up getting remarried. At his wedding, I gained my confidence back after freestyling during his reception. The feedback I got that day made me realize that I am talented and to this day, I’ve never let the negative comments stop me from rapping in front of anybody. I started writing songs & performing at local clubs every chance I got. I would sign up for contests but never win so eventually, I stopped cause I felt the competitions weren’t fairly judged & my music was on a different caliber than the other artists that would perform. I decided to get my songs together & create an EP entitled Family Over EveryThing. In which I have over 27,000 streams & my song DYG Down bad remix ft lil Ronny MothaF has been in radio rotation on 97.9 the beat was thanks to a Dj by the name of P Skillz.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road of life is never easy but I take the negative and turn it into a positive. I take the negative feedback I get on my music and turn it into constructive criticism.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Music/locally known for making music. I’m proud of myself for making music from the soul. Everything about my music sets me apart from others.
What matters most to you?
My son because that’s my heart. My family/ circle
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/descohendyg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desmond.cohen.180
- Twitter: Twitter.com/descohendyg
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/eSuLEa3rHk0
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/mUSbaKXqD8XP11TQ7
Image Credits
Photo credit: Kiara Tucker