Daniel Payne (Musician)

Daniel Payne known professionally as Daniel Payne (formerly KD), is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, gained popularity among the underground scene as a result of releasing 14 original mixtapes and albums independently since 2007.[1] He is a pioneer of hip-hop for Birmingham, Alabama in the digital era.

Daniel Payne
Also known asKD
OriginBirmingham, AL
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper, Singer
Years active2007–present
LabelsHollow Entertainment
Associated acts
Websitedanielpayne.store

Early life

Daniel Payne spent his youth in and represents the Birmingham, Alabama neighborhoods of Ensley, Forestdale, and West End. He grew up middle-class, he stated in an interview with DJ Smallz, but Birmingham was plagued by violence in the 1990s and 2000s. He revealed that he had been shot at before but never hit, the first time being at 16 years-old. He moved to Atlanta at age 18 and played football at Clark-Atlanta University before moving back to Alabama after a year. He hustled in various ways and worked jobs at McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Target before pursuing music.[2]

Musical career

2007–2010

The first song that he recorded, "Polo & Nikes" was discovered by DJ Burn One on MySpace in 2007, right after he had just finished Chicken Talk with Gucci Mane. "Polo & Nikes" was featured on several mixtapes around the South and eventually led to KD releasing his 2007 mixtape Last Man Standing. He was offered record deals after the release of Last Man Standing, but declined every deal due to the fact he wanted to stay independent. He then, went on a run releasing the Playa Prezident in 2008, Untouchable and Soul Inn in 2009, and the best of KD in 2010. After the release of these mixtapes he was able to go on the Trunk Muzik tour with Yelawolf.[3] "KD is yet another underrated Alabama artist in the music industry. This time he's hitting you with his second street album titled "The Playa Prezident" presented by DJ Burn One. The production on this album is what the south been missin!", wrote Whitefolksgetcrunk.com about 2008's The Playa Prezident.[4] Untouchable featured the song "Luv It", of which The Fader wrote, "As the latest stars of Alabama's Got Talent, Birmingham's KD and H.A.M. try on flows like fancy clothes over a B-Phlat spaceship rattler, each verse outclassing the last. The chorus is as formidable as it is inspirational."[5]

Soul Inn featured a guest appearance by Pill, and was released November 2009. Steady Bloggin described, "We sang the praises of Untouchable earlier this year, and Soul Inn continues in the tradition of excellent beat selection and smooth rhyming. Mick Vegas, B-Phlat and B Kirk crush the production here. This is big."[6] In 2010, he and DJ Burn One released, The Best of KD, a compilation of KD's best songs to date. London, United Kingdom based hip-hop website Southern Hospitality wrote, "Birmingham, Alabama’s consistently soul warming KD teams up with one of the world’s foremost country rap music connoisseur’s for his ‘Best Of’ collection."[7]

2011–16

In 2011, he released what many consider his magnum opus, G-Fluid. G-Fluid was critically acclaimed by hip-hop purists and featured the underground classic with Freddie Gibbs, "Let Me Ride".[8] Justin Ivey, Kevin Nottingham Editor-In-Chief, described the album as "vintage country rap tunes".[9] French blogger Abcdrduson wrote the following, "The combination fits perfectly in the revival of the genre "Country Rap Tunes", bathed by the classics of UGK, the Dungeon Family or 8ball & MJG. The pace is hopping, the bass ready to lift the chest, the hat accelerates to infinity and the soul invades us gently, a little more each snare. Burn One is a goldsmith in the field, drawing from this rich culture of the South American to bring out its essence between the bagpipe of Pimp C, the originality of Outkast and the charisma of Scarface.....by making this life-saving album, they are a worthy successor to these great legends of Alabama. Nate King Cole, Percy Sledge, Pickett Wilson, Eddie Kendricks, these names resonate like immutable figures, untouchable that KD and his team brush with the fingertip. Returning in the wake of their elders".[10] This album also helped land him in SPIN magazine's November 2011 issue as a rising star of raps new underground.[11] The following year, he partnered with Dirty Glove Bastard, DJ 5150, DJ Burn One and mixtape website LiveMixtapes to release Crown Me, a free album.[12] In 2013, he released his first digital retail album Diary of a Trill Nigga on Hollow Entertainment.[13] The Smoking Section wrote, "Alabama’s own KD brings his own version of street knowledge mixed with a little spirituality", to describe Diary of a Trill Nigga.[14] He released Space Age Southern Playalistic Country Rap in 2015 and Green Acres in 2016.[15]

2019-Present: Daniel Payne

He formally announced the stage name change from KD to Daniel Payne with the release of the Tuxedo Junction album.[16] When asked about the name change he stated that "with time comes change and with change comes growth and I've been growing and kind of changing my outlook on things and I thought Daniel Payne would be a good transition into this next phase".[17] His first release as Daniel Payne was an EP on April 19, 2019 entitled 3rd Coastin' On Purple Waves. "I've been living in Houston the last few years so I've been taking in those vibes and that sound and that culture, so I think that this kind of the first project where I've been in Houston for so long that I've recorded this and put it out and its kind of like an ode to what I've been on the last few years. And then, with Daniel Payne, people have always like how I've been singing so I've been trying to make it more 50/50", is how he described 3rd Coastin' On Purple Waves.[18] On May 8, 2020 he released Purple Onion, his first LP under the Daniel Payne moniker. The Source magazine wrote, "Track 2, his self titled track “Daniel Payne” is a story of his upbringing and how the things he faced growing up in the south help mold him into the man he is today. When asked about what inspired this album, Payne had this to say,” I like to make music that reflects my thoughts and experiences at the time. This album reflects what’s been going on with me in the last 4-5 years.”[19]

Discography
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References
  1. "SXSW biography". SXSW.
  2. "Daniel Payne On Birmingham: It's A Rough Place, If I Made It Up Outta There I Can Make It Any Where". youtube.com. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  3. "KD". Spotify. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  4. "K.D. "The Playa Prezident"". whitefolksgetcrunk.com. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  5. "Freeload: KD & H.A.M., "Luv It"". TheFader.com. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  6. "KD 'Soul Inn'". steadybloggin.com. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  7. "DJ BURN ONE & KD – 'THE BEST OF KD' (MIXTAPE)". southernhospitality.co.uk. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  8. "KD". Spotify. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  9. "KD: G-Fluid". kevinnottingham.com. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  10. "CHRONIC KD G-Fluid". abcdrduson.com. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  11. ""An Insanely Obsessive Infographic Tries (in Vain) to Diagram the Hip-Hop Galaxy"". spin.com. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  12. ""KD x DJ Burn One x DJ 5150 – Crown Me"". dirty-glove.com. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  13. """KD – Diary Of A Trill N*gga (Deluxe Edition)"". itunes.com. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  14. ""KD – Diary Of A Trill N*gga Mixtape"". uproxx.com/smokingsection. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  15. "Green Acres". itunes.com. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  16. "Tuxedo Junction". itunes.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  17. "Daniel Payne Talks Name Change From KD, Country Rap Tunes, Trap Music Museum & More". youtube.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  18. "Daniel Payne Talks Name Change From KD, Country Rap Tunes, Trap Music Museum & More". youtube.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  19. "HOUSTON'S DANIEL PAYNE RELEASES 'PURPLE ONION' ALBUM". thesource.com/. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
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