In just three years, Harlem rapper Donny Goines has made a name for himself online, among bloggers and hip-hop sites. Today, the rapper drops his first official album, Minute After Midnight.

After providing fans with countless hours of free music, his first album gives them a chance to support his hard work. According to the rapper, his album represents the truth.

"The [album title] derives from the Cinderella story. One day, for some reason, that story just popped in my head, and I started to think about how the principles in that story paralleled to hip-hop," Donny explained to BallerStatus.com. "For instance, the magical carriage is like the fancy cars, the ball is like the clubs, gown is like the jewelry, so on and so forth. What happens after midnight though? All those things disappear because they were fantasy and that's what the title means. This album represents the truth -- what's in my heart and reality. Not the fantasy you see portrayed in this game."

With the guidance of veteran producer Dame Grease, Midnight After Midnight is strictly Donny. Instead of reaching out to artists for numerous features, he keeps his album all him. He didn't try to pack it with radio singles either. To him, it's a "cohesive body" of his work.

"For the most part, an album. Not a compilation, not a project full of singles," the rapper said, explaining what his fanbase should expect, "but a cohesive body or work that really embodies what I stand for as an artist and a man. I stand by this album 100% because all the choices made were my own. And, for better or worst, it's what I felt people should hear from me at this time."

The 13-track album is released via Amalgam Digital online, in the same fashion he used to gain a buzz. Donny isn't ashamed of his internet hustle, and he's used that to his advantage. He's definitely cut from a new cloth of artist -- ones who utilize one of the only resources to give unknown artists a chance … the internet.

"I feel I am a new breed of artist. One that embraces the Internet and utilizes all of it capabilities to my advantage," Donny admits. "Some might see that as a bad thing. They say things like 'He's just a blog rapper' or whatever, but hey if the shoes fits right? Call me what you like, but the Internet is the future and I owe a lot to all the various blogs and sites such as yours."

The album's first single is "I Am Moving," which was recently featured on mtvU's "The Freshman" show. (Check out the video on YouTube)

Minute After Midnight is available digitally at AmalgamDigital.com.