Today we’d like to introduce you to The Royalty Statements – Dru & Dumi.
Dru & Dumi, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
We are producers, attempting to redefine the connotation the word carries. People hear producer and think its limited to making beats. When we say, producer, it carries much loftier goals.
We met in college. We are brothers of the same Fraternity, Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Inc.
Dru is originally from New Jersey and is of Dominican descent. He grew up playing viola in school, drums in church and a Salsa band.
Dumi is Haitian American, born in Brooklyn NY. Dumi decided to DJ in college after spending his youth involved in his parents’ Radio and TV stations in Haiti.
In college, Dru worked in radio in West Palm Beach and went on to intern with DJ Drama at Aphilliates music group in Atlanta. During that time he was the assistant on the promo run for DJ Drama’s 2nd Gangsta Grillz album (Atlantic Records)
Dumi wound up with a DJ residency in Shanghai China, where he would hone his DJing and cement relationships with future collaborators and tastemakers in the Chinese urban culture scene.
After Dumi returned from China the two of us continued a conversation that had begun while we were still in college. We wanted to work on music together, but wanted to figure out a unique way to do it.
The goal was to figure out how to create something that could be different enough to cut through but still grounded in our love for music production.
We decided to create a production company that would create not only music but also content based around our music production. Our first endeavor was a self-titled, scripted web series. Together with some of our other creative friends we wrote the script, shot the series, acted in it, and most importantly scored it.
We involved other local up and coming artists in the production of the series’ soundtrack which helped introduce us to the others in the local artistic and musical community.
From that experience, we decided to open up our own studio where we create new content and offer services not only to other artists but to our neighboring businesses in need of solid creative output.
We built Silver Slate Studios in plantation from the ground up out of empty warehouse space. Every nail, screw, and coat of paint was done with personal care from us.
Through the process of building, we consulted with local experts we knew, and youtube. Lots of youtube.
The goal is now to introduce and solidify our brand “THE ROYALTY STATEMENTS” locally and regionally as producers, through the creation of music, music-based content, and live events.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
The Royalty Statements is us. It is our brand. It is a brand that is built on Brotherhood, hustle, and culture.
The idea that we should be friends and brothers before the working relationship is key to building a successful work relationship that allows us to be honest and trust each other’s judgment.
Our mantra has been DIY or Die for since we started. The goal was never to isolate ourselves. On the contrary, we want to be able to empower ourselves as much as possible so as not to let reliance on other people slow down our growth. We believe the journey IS the destination and want to encourage others to start their own journey.
We want to bring value to the table, and be able to collaborate with other people, brands, businesses, and artists who work hard and want to empower others to do the same.
We believe self-sufficiency actually helps promote the spirit of community and increases positive collaboration because everyone at the table brings value to the meal.
We try to respect and combine in an authentic way all of the different cultural influences that make us uniquely US. Caribbean influences from Haiti and the Dominican Republic are mixed with sounds and flavors from gospel, American funk, disco, and hip-hop. We create art that tries to capture the essence of the different elements, without diluting them.
As a duo comprised of a Dominican American, and a Haitian American an important part of our brand is the realization of Dominican/Haitian collaboration in a way that feels unforced, and that can be impactful to Haitians and Dominicans in the future.
The Royalty Statements are a production duo! We make Music and Music based content. We use the content as well as live events to bring people into the ecosystem of the brand.
At our studio, we compose musical tracks and write songs. Use our equipment to shoot our own music videos, shoot visual content like vlogs, as well as write blog posts to give people further insight into our process. We started a monthly event at Stache called “Punch Drunk Love” that we are using as a testing space for some of the content and as a way to entrench ourselves in the local community as we gear up for a string of content releases in 2019.
We hope to inspire people to fight for their goals, to do the work needed to become self-sufficient, and to always reach out to potential collaborators despite their differences.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
Consistency is key today. The internet has opened the doors to exposure like never before. People can be seen, but artists have to be consistent enough to cut through the noise. If you as an artist are creating compelling, thought-provoking art, it will be seen. The challenge is creating enough of it to keep the eyes on your art long enough to become fans of your work and the story of your purpose as an artist.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Our website is www.royaltystatements.tv and is currently being restructured to serve as a hub for all of the different content we release.
We are very active on Instagram @TheRoyaltyStatements
Our youtube channel has music videos, blogs, and other content from the last year and half of our journey and will soon have more.
We also have our monthly event PUNCH DRUNK LOVE at Stache in Las Olas every 3rd Friday where we host, curate talent, and DJ. We welcome everyone to come to meet us, talk to us, and be part of our creative community.
Contact Info:
- Address: Silver Slate Studios “The Royalty Statements”
6561 NW 13th PL
plantation, fl
33313 - Website: www.royaltystatements.tv
- Phone: 954-368-4793
- Email: info@royaltyStatements.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theroyaltystatements/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theroyaltystatements
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryltystatements?lang=en
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/ryltystatements
Image Credit:
@TheRoyaltyStatements
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