Many artists struggle to establish their musical identity, laboriously trying different musical styles like a piece of clothing, looking to find what fits. There are others that emerge fully formed and in full command of their craft, identity, and their music. Joliet D.O.E fits firmly in the latter category. His latest mixtape effort "Black Roses is a captivating and moving piece of work that heralds the prominent rise and arrival of a truly gifted and significant new talent; one whose music feels similar in the best way possible while striking out on its own territory.
As a small city, big dreamer who grew up in the Joliet and the Chicago land area, Joliet D.O.E started off singing as a child, but once in high school his interest turned into the act of hip hop, not really taking music seriously until his best friend and CEO of his label Kouple Grand Entertainment; Damien "D-Lo" Doughtery introduced Joliet D.O.E to Uprise Entertainment and also his first real studio recording. D.O.E explains ,"When I first started out I really thought there wasn't a way to record myself until I got into a major recording studio. But when given the opportunity that I was given with Uprise, where you're able to record free willing, I was able to dive into my rhyme patterns, different cadences, and style really just trying to find my lane. I found it fairly easy to write on the things that me and my crew were doing in our neighborhood and what I was seeing around my surroundings". Almost immediately he got with a crew but
really stood out as a solo artist. Performing at local clubs and bars in the Chicago Land area, winning talent shows and contests, then eventually opening up for established artists such as; Twister, Ja Rule, and Mobb Deep. " I was basically living the typical Joliet teenager life . I wasn't interested in anything else I was doing other than music, and I loved the openness of my life. "
Recording in various local producer studios and playing the song he was making for friends, D.O.E saw their excited reactions. "I played raps for couple of my friends and the quality of the recordings weren't that good, but the talent definitely was there and off that I got with my partners and pulled some money together to start our own recording situation. Now recording at will, D.O.E was able to hone his songwriting skills while taking influences from artists like: Notorious Big, Jay-Z, Nas, Wu-Tang, Outkast, and Scarface and using them to shape his own style. “I grew up on a lot of 80's music ,Jazz, R&B and I really got into to rap in the early 90's where the lyrical content was more important than the hook which is prevalent in today's music. I naturally gravitate to break beats and hip hop vibes, there's a timelessness to it that I've always loved".
As his name grew in his local Joliet area, the pieces started to fall into place for D.O.E. He moved to Atlanta, GA to further his music career, he started performing at Atlanta’s talent showcases catering to the interests of labels such as: Atlantic, So So Def, Grand Hustle and D.T.P. Recording continuously, D.O.E hooked up with longtime Producer and Engineer, Meiza J (17th floor, Flo-rida, Lilana, Nick Cannon) and the two recorded several mixtapes;( Lock up City and Dirty Money), at Sinelab Studios in Joliet. The mixtape sparked major interest and along with DLO, Doe decided to form his own label Kouple Grand Entertainment. "When working with my man DLO he really makes it easy for me to focus on making the music. He and Robert 'RB' Booker really carry the flag and drive the ship. I'm just the product when we touch down and that has given me freedom to be myself and make the music that we like to hear." says D.O.E
That freedom allowed D.O.E to create "Black Roses" as well as the space to experiment while making it. "There's a lot of emotion with this mixtape. My content and lyrics were a lot more detailed which showed my growth as a man as well as an artist.” D.O.E says. Some of the instrumentals used are from the '90's era and are sample heavy, harkening back to that sound that has been embedded in D.O.E's DNA. From the opening notes of " Parkwood As Usual", one sees the combination of '90's hip hop and lyrical incisiveness that has become Joliet D.O.E's hallmark.
D.O.E is currently on the grind, honing his live show and running as the flag ship artist of Kouple Grand. "It's gaining a lot of momentum. Kouple Grand were really getting excited about our buzz and seeing the residuals from our hustle. Doing music is something I've always wanted to do." says the rapper. Joliet D.O.E is doing exactly what he wants, creating a fully developed project that is a culmination of where he's been and where he's going and also one that is sure to win him notoriety that is demanded by the depths and quality of his songs.


Tat artist at home living life and doing things supporting all of my joliet rappers trying to make it out the struggle

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