“Even though the concrete can’t talk the streets tell stories, all the folks that done died and all the gangstas before me… if you know me we can chop it up and kick that’s real, if you don’t, then its f*ck you…that’s just how I feel.†{Lyrics from 2007 Knowledge Keeps Album: ‘Headbusta’s & D Boys’}That’s just a sense of the lyrical intensity that has evolved from a life of living and learning. Born into a family of 11 as the second oldest and raised from the streets of Milwaukee, WI: murder capital of the U.S., to the even more death defying streets of Riverside, CA, William Osley…better known as DUB to his fans, has gained a wealth of knowledge on just how real, reality, can be. A stick up kid coming up, he’s had his share of ups and downs throughout the 80’s and 90’s at a time when Tupac, Biggie, Run DMC, TOO Short, Snoop Dogg, Jazzy Jeff, and Scarface ran the rap music industry heavily concentrated on the West side of the U.S. Having such influential, in-depth and in your face artists to listen to as a teen at a time when he was really just beginning to embody himself, sparked him to gain a love and appreciation for music and it’s messages. “Those artists weren’t just talkin’ about killing someone or gang banging…yeah they had their moments where they would go off…but that’s the entertainment value…they really just spoke to me. Especially Pac, everything he went through, I could relate to, it was my life at the time. It was knowledge bein’ spit on some laid back sh*t. They sent a message and I picked up on it.â€A message that he has molded and shaped into the heart of every rap he creates. His mind works like a novelist, telling a story in all his lyrics. Every song gets you closer and closer to the mind set of Dub and what he’s all about: from shooting to being shot at, from dealing to knowing better, from never backing down, but still holding his ground in a respective manner. Dub speaks to his fans letting them know that respect can be gained from mere vocalization of one’s point and realness in one’s heart, without the need for violence and deadly shootings. “An old school with a rag on the rear view don’t make you real, it’s 12 for a key, but only 5 to get ya killed†{ Lyrics from 2007 Knowledge Keeps Album: ‘Where We Stay’} Gang banging and affiliations were once a thing of great importance, but as time carried on and many of his homeboys, close friends, and relatives were carried by pallbearers into the earth where they so peacefully rest to this day, Dub realized that lifestyle is not all its cracked up to be. Lyrics from the 2007 track ‘Old Head’ emphasize this point so amply:“And it’s clear to me that things will never be the same, indictments dropping like rosters on a football team. Shattered dreams of the hardest G’s, n*gga please, ten ain’t nothin’ to you, but it something to me…15 years into your long bid, a grown man still payin’ for the dumb sh*t that he did as a kid. God forbid you ain’t learn much, all the homies that you rolled for done lost touch. And bein’ stuck behind them walls will drive a n*gga mad, day after day lookin’ at pictures of the life he had…years passed calloused his heart, and now them days getting cold…respectin’ everything they told me, now that I’m older.â€And so with the growth of his heart, mind, and life experiences, Dub has been cascading his music over the entirety of every city and state he comes in contact with. His words are sending subtle messages to today’s youth, without being preachy. Most producers describe his sound as a mesh between Tupac and Scarface that maintains uniqueness, unheard from any of today’s rappers. With this, comes Dub’s trademark…his voice. Inside and outside the booth, on or off the mic, he’s the same person. He doesn’t rap about things he doesn’t have or things that would make him sound better than he is; he simply emphasizes what he’s been through and how he’s learned from it.He initially started his music career in the 1990’s and has been writing and free styling on countless occasions with a multitude of other rappers and artists. Gaining experience from battle rapping he’s able to shoot spit fire lyrics about anything, at any time, with any one who dares challenge his lyrical abilities. And being the person he is: never backs down from a challenge. Since 2005 he’s been collaborating, engineering songs, and maintaining his public image in studios, clubs, and the streets pushing his music into the cd player and hands of almost every person he comes in contact with. His plans for the current time and future are to keep making songs and keep writing, keep gaining exposure and collaborating with any artist who is lyrically, up to par. His long term goals include starting his own production/ record label while maintaining his own career, touring not only the U.S. but other countries, and securing his future by making a name for himself in the rap industry, in the years to come. With an elite fleet of artists under his wing, a strong willed woman/manager by his side, and a beautiful family…Dub’s philosophy is: “The sh*t don’t stop, till the casket drops.â€I just want to thank everyone for hittin' up my page. Thanks for the comments. What's an artist with out his fans?I wanna send some shout outs the ones doin it big out here. My n*gga Big Key: Good lookin' out on that tracks, can't wait to work more wit cha. Thanks for holdin' it down wit me.Much love. ONE.Big shots out to the homegirl SERENITY: good lookin' out on the real. She's an up and comin' R&B artist. Hope to collab more with cha some upcoming songs.K-Reez, B-Money, My white n*gga Chris: Big ups ya'll n*ggaz is off the hook. "My Life" was one for the ages! 'Preciate the realness on that. ONE.