♫♩D Eazy a.k.a. Da DeMyN♬♪

D Eazy was born André Calloway August 6, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois. By instantly being exposed to music and its creation process as a toddler, it became inevitable that Eazy would become the songwriter/producer/performer that he is today. The nephew of famed songwriters/producers Reggie & Vincent Calloway, Eazy was accustomed to studio recording sessions and live concert performances of a large magnitude by the time he was 10. At the age of nine, Eazy began playing trumpet in his school band, learning the intricate concepts of reading and playing music. At 11, he began writing songs, which he considered more like poems, due to the fact that he did not begin recording until 14 years old in 1999. The summer before his freshman year of high school, him and childhood friend Troy “T-Fly” Evans formed a rap group formerly known as Deep Souljas (now Da Villain Camp). They were in their first talent show that very same year performing an original song called “4 Sho” which gave them exposure and recognition in their community. After the positive response received from the talent show, the two took their show on the road to perform in Cincinnati in the summer of 2000. “This show was totally a different story compared to the first one,” Eazy remembers, “Because the first show was in front of people we know, and people who knew us. The Cincinnati show was in front of total strangers but yet we still got the same positive feedback as the first show.” From then on, Eazy knew what his purpose in life was, to create, distribute, and perform music. “1999 was a big year for me. I was getting used to being a teenager, I was starting high school, and coming into my own as person…that was also the year I started putting my hands in music production.” Eazy’s uncle and mentor, Stanley “Smoove G” Shannon, founder of Smooth Flow Productions, began training him in the ways of digital music production. “The first pieces of equipment I remember learning how to use were the KORG Trinity & Triton. They taught me the concept of bars and how to format and arrange music,” Eazy recalls. Beginning in 1999 Eazy, then going by the moniker Shorty Cee, recorded countless songs and albums to polish his style and delivery. In 2003, upon graduating from high school, his father bought him his very own KORG Triton, which he still uses to this day. “Throughout high school I had to rely on other people for studio time and I never had a job so I couldn’t pay for it, therefore I had to work around people’s schedule just to get a track down here and there. So by the time I was out of high school, I came to the conclusion that I would start taking matters into my own hands and start putting together a home studio.” In 2005, Eazy created his own production company, 3NP Productions, and has done production for a wide range of artists. In 2006, D Eazy released his first “authentic” (as he refers to it) studio album titled “D.E.Z.” He recorded the entire album and produced the majority of it himself. “2006 was the second stepping stone in my career, I would have to say. I just turned 21 and there were a lot of changes in my life I was going through. I had recently moved out of my parents house right before my birthday and was in the process of ‘finding myself’ as a lot of people would say. I was learning to live on my own, and I felt at that point in time, I had a lot of good material and enough substance to create my first official album as an artist.” The 21-track effort featuring founding Villain Camp members, T-Fly & CG, his cousin/protégé Vertigo, and more, was received with positive reactions and gave Eazy the confidence boost to continue in his endeavor to become a mainstream rap artist/producer. This year, Eazy said he plans to release his sophomore album, tentatively titled “Thiz Iz Eazy.” “This time I’ll be using a whole new lineup of featured artists along with some new producers. The feature spots on this album will be from artists that I didn’t get a chance to record with on the previous LP such as Villain Camp members Presha, Mz. Ladi, and G $tak. Of course T-Fly and CG will be back. I can’t do an album without them because if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t take music this seriously. I’m still going to produce the majority of the album because I feel my delivery and style is not just confined to my lyrics, but is reflected in my production as well.” He is hoping for a summer release though he is still playing it by ear. “I got a one year old daughter now so I can’t get as much recording done as fast as I used to. I’m also working on Mz. Ladi’s solo debut, which is sounding real good so far. But being a father has definitely given me a lot more inspiration for my material on this album.” This young man has definitely got his stuff together and clearly needs to be a part of this music business. In a time where the recording industry is in a recession as well as the economy, D Eazy is the stimulus package that the rap world needs.