Dizastah

Dizastah was born in Chicago, Illinois. After elementary school, he moved to Southern California, the place he calls home, where he discovered his knack for poetry, and eventually rhyme. He later moved to VA where his professional career began as a member of an unnamed 4 man hiphop group. Dizastah later branched out as a solo artist and was offered his first professional deal with a major label at the age of 14. Due to lack of parental consent, the deal was declined and he continued independantly. His career carried over when he moved overseas and became a member of a 3 man hiphop group known as the Untouchablz, based out of Paris, France. The Untouchablz built a large fan base in Paris, flooding the underground by doing multiple concerts and radio shows and releasing the single "Nu Dehli". However, Dizastah decided not to sign a contract abroad, due to the difficulty to break American markets from overseas. He later moved back to America to begin his college career, where he founded the companies Katastrophic Productionz and Mastahmyndz Entertainment. In 2003 he assembled the hiphop super group Tha Kartel, including himself and 2 other artists, J and E. He is currently working on a solo album, as well as a group album with Tha Kartel. Throughout his years in the industry, Dizastah has encountered many offers from labels and artists, but remains independant. He maintains, " I know God has a plan for my life, and I'm happy that things have turned out the way they have. I like to take my time with things, and I don't feel like rushing things would have yielded a better outcome.” Dizastah has done shows in venues all over the world from clubs in Paris, France and Belgium, to some of the biggest venues on both the east and west coasts of the United States. A few of his career highlights include hosting his own radio show in central Virginia ; doing shows with Afroman, Masta Ace, and Wordsworth, and of course, 2006’s West Africa tour including Ghana’s Independence day celebration at Lagbadi Beach. Known by his fans as the West Coast AND West Africa’s crowned prince, Dizastah has long been the subject of scrutiny due to his tendency to ride the fence. He has often been lauded for his ability to bridge the gap between American and West African music. As the child of an African American mother and Nigerian father, his influences range from Fela to Flipmode, from Shina Peters to Sean Paul. “I just try to enjoy myself and make music from the heart” he says when asked about why his music is so diverse, “The human mind is diverse, sometimes we are happy, sometimes we are reflective or upset. A musician should have the freedom to express each of these states of mind through his or her music.” When asked about his sound, which many say is a fusion between underground hip hop and African music, Dizastah maintains, “I make MY music. I am truly half African, or Halfrican as I like to call it. I don’t have a process or really think about it, I just do what feels right.” After graduating from the University of Virginia in May 2006 (with a degree in Engineering), Dizastah has been able to focus more time on his budding career in music. A brief West Africa tour in June compelled Dizastah and his label Mastahmyndz Entertainment to record an Africa-oriented release. “We toured West Africa, man, and we just got a lot of love. The industry is a lot smaller and therefore talent plays more of a role. I put together a real feel good album that will only be released out there. It will be in stores in mid November. Please go out and support it, it’s entitled ‘From Westcoast to West Africa’. I’ll do my best to keep my online supporters in the loop, so if you want to help just send an email to [email protected] and we’ll add you to our mailing list. Thanks.” To check out the music and for some free downloads go to www.soundclick.com/dizastah and click music. For further information on Dizastah, check out www.myspace.com/mastahmyndz.