DiGgZ McLeOd
DiGgZ McLeOd is hot on the scene with his new single and video No StOpPing. I love the song and its positive message. To me, the song is a combination of rock and hip hop with a splash of reggae. When I asked DiGgZ about the reggae influence, he told me: “My family is from the West Indies and the Flatbush Junction area of Brooklyn are heavily a West Indian community, so there’s no choice but to have that reggae Caribbean influence.”
DiGgZ other hit single WhAt YoU GoNnA Do is more rock-and-roll with a serious guitar vibe. I can’t sit still when I listen to it. To DiGgZ McLeOd, “That’s a good thing. Music, it’s supposed to make that energy move you. Yeah, dance.”
I then asked DiGgZ McLeOd how he describes his music: “I like to describe my music as how you would describe misfits or rebels. They don’t really fit in. They don’t really classify into any genre or clique or group. It’s just raw, not boxed in.” No boundaries!
DiGgZ credits Bob Marley first, from the time of Lee “Scratch” Perry, as his number one music influence. Then, he credits Jimi Hendrix. You can definitely hear that influence in his single What U Gonna Do. DiGgZ loves how Jack White is very abstract. He’s also very influenced by hip hop lyricists and artistry. “If I had to single out one hip hop artist, I’d have to say Brooklyn’s own Biggy Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.”
DiGgZ McLeOd has been songwriting since age 11 and started playing guitar in his teens. He has a wide range of music talents and styles. Believe it or not, DiGgZ is self-taught. DiGgZ shares, “From the age of 6, my pop played in a steel pan band. In my adolescence, I bumped into my producer friend Peanut and started playing acoustic guitar. From there, it was acoustic to bass and back to acoustic. I pretty much play by the ear.”
Right now, DiGgZ McLeOd works solo: “I don’t want to extend myself, because I’m really trying to decipher my sound. I do look forward to working with other artists in the future. I’d look for a feel for music and for music that reflects the artist, their goals. Not what people want to hear, what they’ve got to say.”
DiGgZ McLeOd extensively uses social media. “I post about things that are going on, especially in the studio. I keep the family up-to-date. I like to consider my fans as family. I heavily use Instagram.”
DiGgZ has big community of supporters that help him spread the word, and he gives #sOwL to: @1cryingeye, @Teamintrocmp, @TheQueenDyMe, @BabyGrlDmaRie, @Queenscorpio93, @vanessacholden, @LOVINGUBLUE, @sweetsexy_39, @olioextravergin, Silverapplezzz, QueenD007, @Darren4am, @mindy1414 @miami69zempt. He also uses the following fan hash tags: #BkLyN, #FlAtBuSh, #TeAmDiGgZ.
DiGgZ McLeOd has some excellent advice for other artists: “What I learned for myself is to stay true to what you’re about. Stay focused. Don’t sell yourself short. Once you do that and you keep it real, people will be able to connect with you. You’ll find your real fan base. Stay true to yourself and don’t let anybody change you.”
What’s up next for DiGgZ McLeOd? A lot of live performances. “I’m going to be pushing the No StOpPiNg and WhAt YoU GoNnA Do songs. The people want to see this in real time. I’m going on the live circuit, especially in the tri-state area. So, stay tuned. Within the next month, you should see a lot of things going up.”
Keep grinding, DiGgZ McLeOd.
Watch the complete video interview on the Amused Now YouTube Channel: http://youtu.be/1Q3hN6TRKQM
The Amused Now Featured Artist Series
DiGgZ McLeOd
Diggzmcleodrockz.com
@DiggzMcleod
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
@Amused_Now
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