R.I.P. Disco D
I gotta take a second to say goodbye to a good friend of mine that was lost last week when he took his life. I’ve seen a lot of reports over the last week about the death of Disco D (Dave Shayman), and it pains me to have to say goodbye to a person who was real influential in my
career.
Disco and I met through a mutual friend Joe Hahn back when I went to the University of Michigan. Joe was one of the first people in the industry that really showed me love out in Michigan back when me and my roommate used to throw parties and have a radio show. Joe would always
come past our radio show to bug out with us and bring us records from the label he was workin’ at, at the time. Joe and Dave grew up with each other, and Joe knew D was trying to get into production so he told me I had to meet his boy who was a producer. At first Dave was strictly a DJ, and had did a couple Ghettotech remixes to major label records. He came down to the radio station one night when I ended up battlin’ this local group who was a little too cocky. After that night D thought I was ill and told me he wanted to work with me. This was around 2000.
D was the first person to put me in a studio and a lot of people don’t know the first rap song D ever produced was a joint we did together called “Always in Control”. Rockwilder was his favorite producer at the time and it sounded a lot like “Da Rockwilder” from Method & Redman’s [Blackout] album, but it was crazy. That was just the beginning. One song that he and I co-produced actually ended up on Teairra Mari’s demo that got her signed. Over the years, me and D would go through our ups and downs and our times of not really talking to each other but somehow we always ran into each other or would randomly speak.
The last time I spoke to D was before the New Year, he told me he was proud of the moves I had been making with MTV, The Source and Scratch and the mixtape. We had our differences, but it kinda felt f**ked up that he wasn’t there to celebrate my success. I knew he was going through some rough times, but he had always bounced back before.
I know Disco is in a better place, and it humbles me to see how others have remembered him. I’m glad I knew him and we had a chance to work with each other. If it wasn’t for him, who knows where I would be. Rest in Peace Dave, thank you homie.
-Esso