Donny Goines

Donny Goines
Born	Donny Scott
Occupation	Hip Hop Artist

Donny Scott, better known by his stage name Donny Goines, is a rapper and a businessperson hailing from New York City.

Early life

Goines was born in Manhattan, New York City and spent the first years of his life there. At a young age his father was incarcerated for ten years, and he moved with his mother and siblings to Philadelphia. The kids were eventually taken in by their grandmother.^[1] Goines grew up in the boroughs of the Bronx and Harlem, New York City.^[2] Despite his tumultuous childhood he was able to develop his artistic talents with poems and freestyle raps, which eventually led him to his professional career.

Early career

After a brief stint in the US Navy, he began his MC career in 2006. In January of that year he produced three songs for distribution on MySpace.^[3] He took the stage name Donny Goines—a take on the name of the author Donald Goines.^[2] Goines began working for the late producer Disco D in the summer of 2006 as a production intern and assistant.^[4] He met Disco D through a hip hop message board in early 2006 while looking for his first part-time job within the industry, in order to learn more about it and make connections. Disco D contacted Goines within 24 hours and invited Goines to his apartment for an interview, upon which Goines was hired. His work included both production work in addition to errand running for both Disco D and the artists he was producing—artists like 50 cent, Trick Daddy, and Kevin Federline. When Disco D was travelling for business, Goines was given permission to use his equipment to record his own personal tracks, including the use of Disco D's production beats.^[5]

Recording career

Minute After Midnight by Donny Goines, album cover

Prior to his start in 2006 Goines had no formal training, so spent his first few years developing his skills as an artist, focusing most of his attention in online distribution and recordings.^[6] In 2007 he released the album The Non Fiction,^[7] and in 2008 he released the online album Minute After Midnight, executive produced by New York producer Dame Grease.^[8] He found his first national success that year in the viral online video series BARS, featuring freestyle rap.^[2] He was also a featured performer at that year's Underground Music Awards in New York City,^[9] where he was awarded the 2008 Buzz Factor Award.^[10] He was also featured on hip hop radio networks including Hot 97,^[11] and his music videos were featured on the websites of hip hop magazines including XXL Magazine.^[12]

In 2009 he released the album The Breakfast Club, which featured collaborations with artists including Kwamé, Statik Selektah, and Planet Asia.^[13] In 2010 MTV UK called Goines "your favourite MC's favourite artist".^[6] In a two-part interview with the television outlet, Goines opined on his reasons for remaining in the underground hip-hop scene instead of altering his music to obtain a major record deal. He stated that, "I might not be the richest rapper; I might not be the most famous but honestly speaking just having that respect and admiration? You can’t buy that. That is something you can never purchase, you know?"^[14] That year he released a six-song EP with Rocksmith Tokyo entitled 20X.^[15]

In 2011 he released the album Success Served Cold, which MTV reviewed, labelling Goines an "independent powerhouse".^[16] Goines stated that the album was a compilation of work he had done over the entirety of his career.^[2] Soon afterwards he was interviewed for VIBE Magazine, where he spoke about the importance of the team around him in creating his music and that his reaction to career disappointments was to work on and release new music.^[17] He was also interviewed by MTV U.^[18] On November 7, 2012, Donny Goines was filmed breaking the world record for longest freestyle rap, lasting twelve hours and twenty minutes.^[19][20]

Business career

Goines is also the CEO of the company Ink Different.^[21] The company, originally developed as a creative marketing and strategy fusion for artists worldwide was incorporated in Atlanta GA. The company reported gross earnings of over $250,000 since its inception. Impressive for his first company. He has employed dozens of creatives and helped hundreds of clients succeed in their artistic goals. Currently he is restructuring Ink Different Inc. and creating a new company he hopes to launch in early 2015.

References