Dot Demo and 1000WORD$ Discuss The Bronx
WORDS WITH WORD$ INTERVIEW #31
Yo, it’s the Pope, 1000WORD$. Welcome to WORDS WITH WORD$. Today, I am joined by rapper and artist Dot Demo. Like myself, Dot was born and raised in The Bronx. In this exclusive interview, we discuss our elementary school experiences, our recent visit to Harvard University, and the iconic Bronx movie theater Whitestone.
In addition to being a rapper, Dot Demo is closely associated with music video and marketing agency Daily Gems. As a longtime friend and collaborator of Daily Gems owner Frank the Jeweler, Dot’s credits include the recent “Peppas” music video for Westside Gunn and Black Star.
Dot Demo is set to appear on an upcoming album that I recorded while I was at Harvard. He will also be performing on Sept. 1 as part of my show, The Cookout 2. Until then, you can tap in with Dot Demo’s latest album, “93HUNNIT,” which he released in March.
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1000WORD$: Yo, what's going on man? This is WORDS WITH WORD$ this is the substacks I'm here with the fucking Bronx legend Dot motherfucking Demo what's going on? We both some natives from the Bronx and shit so salute to you, my brother.
Dot Demo: Ah man, likewise.
1000WORD$: What elementary school you went to?
Dot Demo: I went to PS 100.
1000WORD$: Yeah, cool. I went to PS 66 over there on Jenning Street. The reason I asked you this is because we both went to public school. Right?
Dot Demo: Right.
1000WORD$: When you went to public school, like, how was it in school? Like how was the culture in there?
Dot Demo: I mean, it's crazy, you know, I'm 30. And, I guess age-wise compared to now. I mean, but 2009-10, or whatever that was… it was a different time. The culture was definitely a bunch of boot-cuts and Kellys. And you know, Nike boots. You know, a lot of grey brim fitteds, all bent…
1000WORD$: Foamposites.
Dot Demo: Foamposites, facts… it was a lot of that. Yeah, that I guess was the era when I was coming up. Well, I mean, I guess that was high school for me.
1000WORD$: Where I'm trying to go with this is, you recently visited Harvard, right?
Dot Demo: Yeah.
1000WORD$: Growing up going to the public school did you ever think you was gonna go to Harvard one day or from high school? Anything like that?
Dot Demo: No man. So I played ball coming up, from elementary school. I mean, I was kinda like going to school doing like, what I should do, you know, aside from just outside, up until probably about like, eighth grade. And I was playing ball before that point. And I was kind of pretty good, right? Well, I went from PS 100 to a subsequent Harriet Tubman Charter School. And in Bronx Prep, I was getting kicked out of a lot of schools ain’t gonna lie, probably like four of them, you know. Well I went to PS 100 and then I moved to a school called Harriet Tubman Charter School on 3rd Ave near Washington, I think maybe. I forgot where exactly it’s at, but Harriet Tubman Charter School. I got kicked out of that shit, ended up at a school in Atlanta, sixth grade, Marietta Sixth Grade Academy. Never forget it. I fucking ended up getting kicked out of that shit. Got kicked out of school in Georgia sixth grade, couldn't go to school in Georgia for a whole year, so I ended up having to come back to New York and ended up going to school at Bronx Prep. And then yeah, I think that's where I finished out, like up until I had to go to high school but the whole time you know, it was like behavioral things that was going on but I was always you know, academic, like sharp, and more importantly, like I said, I was a sports guy so I play basketball everywhere I went and I was really good so I was supposed to go to St. Raymond’s l up until eighth grade and then some shit got fucked up they didn’t have the money to go to it, I wasn't gonna get a scholarship. They gave it to somebody, you know, somebody who didn’t have some behavioral problems throughout the past years and so I ended up having to go to my zone school… all of this being said, rambling to get to the point where I ended up having to go to Stevenson High School, which is literally in my area. You know, my mom's and my pop’s met each other in that same school. Ended up having to go to my zone school.
1000WORD$: Recently, I was going through the album and shit that you and a few others helped me lay down over there after the whole Harvard thing… Buda said he know you from Stevenson.
Dot Demo: Yeah well I mean I don't remember that far back though, back then as a kid, but I know him. I definitely know him from years ago though, you know what I'm saying? Like I just can't pinpoint, it was definitely a face like going by each other seeing each other a lot you know, especially like if you in this area, a lot of areas are like that, like you know, this whole Soundview area is like a whole city, for real. Like, people that is from here kind of know each other? Like, for the most part. So definitely if he has been by, I have definitely been by Buda that’s my dog. He's amazing.
1000WORD$: Did you feel discouraged when the scholarships couldn't go through and the money wasn't there for school and shit? Did you feel discouraged like man, ‘Fuck school, like, I'm gonna just…’ you know, do this or do that?
Dot Demo: At that time I’ll be honest with you, not really, you know, like, it did discourage me because I would look forward to go to St. Raymond's and like really playing basketball and getting a good education. And really, you know, there's so many people that I knew, like some of my friends and people who I know just about the area that went to see St. Raymonds so I’d kind of look forward to it, but it just was definitely like, you know, a little crushing if I can remember back that far, but all I can remember though, is like, figuring out see– so I was still running around doing dumb shit. Right? And once I had to figure out what school I had to go to, and it came down to certain schools from the Bronx to Brooklyn, you know, for schools I obviously chose the Bronx because I felt just a little bit more, it's just crazy to say, but safer in the Bronx and then, you know, to even go deeper than that I felt even safe in my zone school. Like hell yeah I’m going to school on my block– to the point where I was going to school in slippers and basketball shorts at Stevenson, you know what I'm saying? Waking up you know, you got to wake up in there like an hour and a half before you go to school, get ready in the shower and you know, get out and get to your transportation and go to school, but this is like two blocks away. So I used to like get up in the morning like, right, like 45 - an hour before school actually started, taking a little quick shower throw on some Bodega gear, you feel me, like basketball shorts, tank top shirt, fitted, sandals, some sneakers in the bag, man different other shit in the bag, and sometimes didn’t even come with a bag. But I didn't really feel discouraged at first because again, I just felt comfortable. But to be honest with you, I started to feel discouraged after a while because I started to realize it's just kind of a done deal for me. But you know, ignorance is bliss. I was going to start that motherfucker early in the morning just to catch anybody before they go to school to sell bud and to the security guards type shit and then not going to school. Or go in there, leaving at lunch. It’s a super lenient school, so…
1000WORD$: …So fast forward. What led you to start creating the music that you create?
Dot Demo: I mean, my pops, he’s a rapper and singer in my area, my aunt, my uncle, I got a lot of people in my family that do music. You know, it was never really my thing. I’ll tell you a story too since you’re my brother. So this is how I really wanted to start rapping. So I have a bunch of uncles– I’ll keep this short too– so I have a bunch of uncles, so basically hanging out with like a few of them. They used to live in Brooklyn, they moved from Castle Hill to Brooklyn. My grandmother, my uncles used to be inside of there about four or five of them used to be in different rooms and shit. Like the different rooms in the morning, I used to be tight because I was trying to go outside and all these walls or whatever I never really realized what they was inside the room right and for until like, a few days of being over there. I don't really know Brooklyn that much but I know these n****s used to go down to battle n****s and it would fuck my head up. I knew these n****s was nice, but I never really put two and two together like what they was writing for. One day I was there and these n****s battling n****s it was a little cipher killing me because my uncle's was next. I'm saying real shit, I couldn't make this up on my kid. At the end of one of them rapping I started rapping, right, I started rapping old Cassidy shit. This is real like, humble beginnings. I don't think I've never even told the story, but I started rapping some old Cassidy song that I remembered. It was the weirdest moment though. First and last time I'd ever do some crazy shit like that. But I ended up doing that. And nobody ever heard this Cassidy shit before. So after I was done, they just thought I was the illest n***a right? Because it's like, “Yo, I ain't even know yet, get your nephew rap. yo, yo, your whole family– them n****s is the Jacksons, the fuck?!” They like “Yeah yeah yeah blah blah blah…” Once we slid out and them n****s wanted to fuck me up you heard. They were like “Yo, bro, don't you ever do no shit like that again. Like, we know that that's not you, bro,” I'm like, “Yeah nah but I thought–” they like “Nah bro that’s some goofy shit. Like, now you know what? track that that's not true that you with us.” Now everybody looks at all of us, like oh boy. That was the first big lesson that I ever learned like, not even just some rap shit, but also just like, you know, interaction.
1000WORD$: Facts I know what you mean.
Dot Demo: Valuable life lesson and just doing certain things but not being too hasty you dig. So ever since that day, that day after that, it was so ill because I ain’t gone lie. Like even though I was wrong, That was the first time I got like the taste of like, wooing the crowd, you know? Like, saying some shit– because even though it wasn't my shit, it was weird. And I felt so bad. And how to like redemption that day so much that was like I had to be one of the illest. And from that day on, I started just write and write and write and write and write and write. Like a real crazy pianists like type shit like I was obsessed with this shit. And yeah it just started. That's how I really started I had to be 15 all this that I’m saying. 14-15 maybe.
1000WORD$: Wow so like basically 15 years ago?
Dot Demo: Yeah for sure..
10000WORD$: Wow, that's… So do you remember constructing your first bars? Like when he was like…
Dot Demo: I don't – I don't know. I don't know the rap but it was definitely to “slugs for snitches no love for bitches,” the Big L and Jay Z.
1000WORD$: Oh yeah.
Dot Demo: Yeah it was definitely to that beat.
1000WORD$: Yeah I remember downloading that on Limewire, that whole instrumental the whole the whole fucking freestyle the seven minute shit?
Dot Demo: Hell yeah I know that shit front to back. But what’s crazy is the way I rapped on it at that time. I mean, maybe like maybe now looking at it honest I probably like used some of the flows and I don’t even remember what the fuck I wrote a how I sounded. But I specifically remember not like wanting to sound like genuine like this or writing in a certain kind of pattern in a way, but I used to rap way faster back then. So, it was definitely my first encounter. And my first beat, you know? That’s how that shit went about.
1000WORD$: You know, I want to share an idea with you. And I'm probably going to release this interview whenever I get closer to releasing the details on like the first part of The Cookout 2. You know what I mean? Now, what I want to ask you is, you know, the first part of The Cookout 2 this is an idea that I got because I'm going to turn the building that I live in into a gallery. You know what I mean? I got so many artists creating pieces that they're going to hang up in the in my building from the first to the fifth floor, and I'm going to have people perform in front of my building.
Dot Demo: That’s fucking crazy.
1000WORD$: Yeah, so that's why I told you it's gonna be even bigger than The Cookout because I'm gonna get some real people. As far as the community, like the people that live around the Bronx, the kids that go to school, I'm gonna get some real good eyes on this… I'm trying to get a lot of eyes on this because you never know what this could turn into, you know what I mean? So that's why I wanted to ask you if you want to participate in performing in front of my building bro?
Dot Demo: Absolutely. You already know how our history goes anyway, I don’t think I ever told you no but this right here for sure. Of course that's an honor to even actually be part of that for sure.
1000WORD$: Because this is going to be real big for the Bronx, you know what I mean? I got Squad Death Face flying in from fucking Australia, he's gonna do a couple of pieces, I got so many people hanging up pieces all over my building man and you know this is something sacred to me and only people that are sacred are getting invited to something like this.
Dot Demo: Thank you I appreciate that, hell yeah.
1000WORD$: Now back to you. Oh my brother– what are you working on now?
Dot Demo: I got a few things coming out before the year’s out, probably like four projects. Shout out to my brother Don the Jeweler, with him I got something that's coming up very soon. Then following that me and my brother Bo.
1000WORD$: Okay.
Dot Demo: And then my brother, my real brother at the end of the day, got some work too, but definitely a plethora.
1000WORD$: Did you ever get to go to Whitestone movie theater?
Dot Demo: We used to do some shit called Soundview Spoilers and… First off, it’s probably way passed statute of limitations over, but I think maybe when they started to close it– and this is maybe way before they actually closed it but n****s used to run up the side of it like 30 feet and like ransack the whole theater type shit. Like you know Castle Hill. But the funniest thing besides that, you know, rascal juvenile activity… n****s used to say some shit called Soundview spoilers at Whitestone movie theater– n****s don't even know about this legend right here. N****s used to go inside the movie theater right? Before the movie started the n****s who had seen the movie used to just yell out what was about to happen.
1000WORD$: Damnnnn.
Dot Demo: Soundview spoilers.
1000WORD$: That's legendary.
Dot Demo: But that happened in Whitestone movie theater that's where I heard it from. Used to go inside of there, be watching a movie. “Hey yo, this n***a about to die and the whole shit’s about to, ‘Boom boom boom boom.’” They used to just sit there and n****s like, ‘Awww damn.’
1000WORD$: The last movie I went to go see at Whitestone was Hangover right? And bro, they had a party in there bro. Like every song that came on in that shit they were partying in there it was kind of wild.
Dot Demo: Like I smoked during the movie there though, I smoked during the movies.
1000WORD$: Yo this shit goes way back though. If you look up Whitestone there was a shooting in Whitestone like the first day Batman came out. The day that Batman came out these two dudes were standing in front of a popcorn line and one dude skipped the other dude and other dude came back and while the dudes sitting down eating his popcorn, the dude pulls up in front of it and pulls out his gun and then the other dude pulls out his gun they both shoot at each other in Whitestone.
Dot Demo: Do you remember how that would look, like you walk inside you go to the concession stand, the concession stand is right there you won’t see it right? You walk past and it shows like the big posters, and there's like this big ass lobby and right in the middle of the lobby where you have like the popcorn shit at? I think it was steps maybe going up I want to say
1000WORD$: Oh steps? Oh outside going up right on the side?
Dot Demo: Yeah it was but that was when you leave the movie theater when you come out the movie theater and it's like steps like the entire shit for your car type shit if I’m not mistaken.
1000WORD$: Getting in the Whitestone was dangerous bro– I was a little kid sneaking off from a BX. It was either the BX five bus and that shit was leaving me under like the Bruckner like right on the leg where Home Depot's at you gotta cross all those streets that shit was crazy.
Dot Demo: The 36 and the 39 those were treacherous bus loads.
1000WORD$: For real.
Dot Demo: The 39 leaves you at Orchard I think, right?
1000WORD$: Yeah, and the five only in the summertime like the five usually…
Dot Demo: …Takes like a shuttle over there.
1000WORD$: Yeah cause the five usually drops you where the Old Navy was at with Blockbuster was at. That was like the last stop but then the summer came through.
Dot Demo: Where the Blockbuster was at you know that area crazy with the Autozone too, that’s an Autozone now, but I remember going into that Blockbuster all the time for games, to rent games.
1000WORD$: That's where I got my first CD at bro, my mom bought me Mase “Harlem World” from there.
Dot Demo: Get outta here that’s crazy.
1000WORD$: For real.
Dot Demo: I remember how that whole shop looked.
1000WORD$: Me too bro.
Dot Demo: You ever went to Parkchester movie theater?
1000WORD$: Hell yeah. Yo, Parkchester movie theater was like four bucks.
Dot Demo: Yeah, filthy.
1000WORD$: I brought like Chinese food in that movie theater with like a three-liter soda like
Dot Demo: Chinese food and soda?
1000WORD$: Yeah that shit smelled like chicken and broccoli with garlic sauce. Yo, but that was a crazy movie theater to go to bro it was like flat screen TVs and shit yeah, it was like little projectors and shit.
Dot Demo: Yeah, I ain’t gonna lie that was the illest. I used to do a lot of old n***a weird shit when I was younger. I used to go to matinees deadass by myself, that was some shit that I used to do either with the homies or dolo, when Parkchester was going on. That speaks a lot because that's just been there for like what seven joints? It’s been a little minute that shits been gone.
1000WORD$: Also like, now that you said like, when you got the experience of rocking the crowd for the first time, when was the first time you remember rocking the crowd?
Dot Demo: Faces in the Crowd, remember that? Yeah. Shoutout Miriam, or Maryanne something like that. The lady who runs a lot of stuff at SOB’s, but she was a big part of that. That Faces in the Crowd. Shoutout Cat.
1000WORD$: Oh, shoutout to her. Yeah shoutout to Cat, word.
Dot Demo: Yeah, man. That's my twin man. I know for a fact I was the first guy Cat was like working with in general. Cat was uh– I don’t want to tell people the stuff because she’s working doing dope internal stuff, dope A&R stuff. Really like getting out there and shit early early on and we had known each other since kids. She got me that show and hit me up one day like yo. n****s fuck with your music. It came from Cat so like I said, love her, shout out to her, my life. I ended up doing that show and then some time later we ended up selling SOBs down low but crowd reaction you know– because that was the first time I really got on stage and perform. Obviously I ain’t gonna sit here and sell it like definitely a little shaky and timid the first time we do it but you know definitely, probably, a year maybe two years later I ended up selling the shit out by myself though like extra spaces with the crowd was like almost like I want to say talent so it's not really a talent show because I want to sell it but it was definitely some shit like that like up and coming artists you had to sell your own tickets you know so on and so forth but ended up taking off doing my own shit after that. But to answer your question that was the first shows that I did. Shout out to people I said, for sure.
1000WORD$: You got any shows coming up next?
Dot Demo: We’ve set up some stuff like after I drop this tape. Right now I've been trying to stay away from to many feature shows except, you know, of course yours, that shoutout Bub some stuff out there with Bub recently.
1000WORD$: Oh yeah fire, that Chinatown Sound show which is fucking fire as fuck
Dot Demo: Hell yeah.
1000WORD$: I remember the first one I think u was at the first one right
Dot Demo: For sure for sure I think the first one with Chyna.
1000WORD$: Chyna, I think Chubs and everybody else. I think Emilio…
Dot Demo: Emilio.
1000WORD$: So when you plan on dropping your project, this new project that you got?
Dot Demo: I want to say, shit… shoutout Spanish Ran too man, I know this is random too man whether it plays another big part of just a lot of production that I had just in general. At the past, a lot of A&R work and shit.
1000WORD$: Shout out Spanish Ran.
Dot Demo: Shout out Daily Gems as well.
1000WORD$: He’s your brother, right?
Dot Demo: Yeah in a way it's not my blood brother, but it's Frank the Jeweler that owns Daily Gems, who is like my brother. You know, he's a big part of Ultra Nostra, to build companies like simultaneously he definitely took off. He’s doing a lot of videos I think you'll see, this behind the scenes shit.
1000WORD$: So yeah, man, it was dope chopping it up with you my brother.
Dot Demo: Likewise.
1000WORD$: Thank you. Can't wait to see you September 1, bro, but we gonna see each other way before that. Hopefully, the people that read this will pull up on September 1 and witness history man. Appreciate you man.
Dot Demo: Oh man, love bro. Appreciate your time.