Scouting Report: Donny Goines

It's fall and he's feverishly making scratching noises against a white piece of paper with a ballpoint pen. His forehead is sweating, and his mind is racing, thinking about his next approach to wowing his audience, yet finding a way out of his sordid world. This is the only thing giving him pleasure. This scenario is all too familiar for up-and-coming rapper Donny Goines. Although he and urban fiction novelist Donald Goines share similar names, they are two different people in their own right. But there are two things they both share that are comparable -- hunger and passion. "Through my music, I see a way out," he says. "This is why music is so important to me -- it's the only thing in my life that seems to fill that empty void inside caused by years of depression, pain and problems."

Goines has been hungry for sometime. He's gone from a college campus to the Armed Forces, while trying to fill a void that festered in his belly since he was 14 years old. But nothing satisfied him like making music, which he exposes in his latest album, The Excerpt, Pg. 1. The project, which was released October 15th, is personal and tells listeners about Donny Goines the man, while giving them a better understanding of himself as an MC. "My album is based on my career from the start up until now," he explains. "It's the first part of a trilogy and this page focuses on 'the artist,' so every song on it has some sort of hip-hop based theme to it."

The Manhattan native found life hard at an early age. Goines' father was incarcerated while his mother battled a drug addiction, which forced him to become an adult at an early age. He knew he had to find a way to release his anger positively, yet avoid becoming another statistic in the newspaper. So Goines wrote his first rhyme at 17, and from that point, his quest to pursue music and fill the holes in his life began to take off. After a three-year stint in the Navy, Goines hooked up with the late Disco D (see "Producer Disco D Commits Suicide") who mentored and befriended him. Working with D, he gained knowledge of the business and develop his own unique sound. He says D taught him the importance of using his heart when making music. "...That's when my direction started to change. I stopped making records to please others and spoke from my heart."

Things took a turn for Goines in 2006 when he saw Jay-Z's "Fade to Black" movie. That's when he knew being an MC was his life's calling. The Manhattan native's words literally jumps off of his tracks, which sets his music apart in today's hip-hop market, where many rappers go for catchy hooks and singles. This approach has worked well for him, leading him to work with people like Kwame, Scram Jones and Bishop Lamont. Goines is also unapologetic about producing lyrically controversial music, like "F--- New York" and "N----s, Bitches, Hoes." The methods have garnered mixed reviews from listeners, but it hasn't stopped him yet.

Goines has not signed with a record label yet, which means that it's going to take a lot of work to push his music independently, yet be able to reap the fruits of success. But that's okay with him, because grinding (especially online) is how he's created his buzz. But while he's on his hustle, he's determined to revolutionize hip-hop music and take over New York. "Bottom line, I plan on helping to bring about a 'renaissance.' With the help of other talented MCs out there, this day will come. Sooner than most think," he says.

Scouting Report

Emotionally driven lyrics mixed with a grassroots following has taken Donny Goines far. He's careful where he steps when it comes to overall musical production, which has won over many listeners -- one may find themselves bobbing their heads or singing along with his catchy hooks.

Nowadays, many rappers tend to create lyrics that are predictable down to the next word, but Donny Goines hasn't entertained that route in reaching fans. He takes listeners on a lyrical trip mostly anyone could relate to, from summertime in the city in his song "Do It For Hip-Hop", to an insatiable love for music in "The Excerpt."