(AllHipHop News) Brooklyn native Sidney “Desiigner” Selby III has become one of the most talked about new rappers of 2016. Desiigner has gained a lot of attention in recent weeks for his single “Panda,” for signing to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint, and for sounding similar to Future.
[ALSO READ: Brooklyn Rapper Desiigner Signs To Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Imprint]
While Future has expressed he is not too thrilled with the idea of having imitators and some fans take issue with a New York rapper sounding like he is from the south, Desiigner has received support from fellow NYC representative Smoke DZA. In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, DZA explained why he does not have a problem with Desiigner drawing inspiration from Future.
“Desiigner is 18 years old, so I’m not upset at him sounding like Future, because that was his influence. He came up in the era of Future, so that’s not something he’s just trying to do because Future is hot,” said DZA. “I think he’s adopting his surroundings. He’s 18. He was probably f*cking with it before there was this Future mania. I can’t be mad at him for that.”
The Harlem emcee is set to release his next album, He Has Risen, on March 4. The project features beats created entirely by Brooklyn producer Harry Fraud. DZA also dropped a NYC themed video for “Heard Dat.” The RFC Music Group affiliate discussed how some of the 1990’s era emcees from his city provided a musical road map for his own career.
“For me, I came up on Biggie, Jay, Ma$e, and Cam. I’m 32. I was raised in the 90’s. I ran the streets in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, so I know what it felt like pre-Internet,” added DZA. “So that’s what I’m trying to tap into. I’m not trying to be nostalgic or bring back what these guys already did.”
He continued, “I’m just trying to take it into 2017 and pick up where they left off. I’m not dck riding them either. Everybody has their own way of going about sht. I just have a different way of showing my love to the Golden Era of New York music.”
Read Smoke DZA’s full AHH interview HERE.
[ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Smoke DZA Talks ‘He Has Risen’ Joint Album With Harry Fraud, NYC Hip Hop & Expanding His Film Career]
Pre-order Smoke DZA’s He Has Risen produced by Harry Fraud on iTunes. Watch the video for Smoke DZA’s “Heard Dat” below.