9-to-9 With Datwon Thomas

Originally published for Destroy to Rebuild 3/2013. 

Datwon Thomas gets animated when talking about an artist he thinks is dope. His face lights up and a boyish grin appears as he highlights the reasons why he feels someone deserves your ear. He has a way of describing his experiences with music in a way that makes his love for the artistry palpable. In speaking of Nas and his music’s influence on his life he says, “When I heard him do ‘Live At The BBQ’ it was wild to hear how dope his verse was. Like the way he put those rhymes and lines together? Like..ugh…it was crazy man.” Unable to find the words to describe it, he just naturally progresses into reciting the opening bars to Nas’ verse with a smile that widens with each bar. Head bopping, hand weaving and sitting up in his chair he is back in New Mexico hearing the song for the first time again. Immediately, you understand why he was made for this.