Meet Dylan Maharaj | Hip Hop Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dylan Maharaj and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maharaj, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve wanted to pursue my music career since I was 8 years old. Hip Hop is really all I had to keep me going as a child. I was always so fascinated by the artists I was listening to, and I was able to relate to a lot of what they were talking about. I realized then how powerful words can truly be, and I wanted to make that same impact that my favorite artists left on me. I grew up in a section 8 community, where everything around me was just very negative. Gang-related violence, people were constantly getting robbed, and you just always had to watch your back to go about your day accordingly. I never understood the poverty that a lot of us were going through until I heard it on a lot of different rap songs. That awareness really got to me, and it helped educate me on what’s really going on in the world. I listened to Tupac every chance I had, and his music always made me feel like I’m really not alone. I’m not going through any of this alone. I was just able to relate, and that’s when I decided that I wanted to use my platform to spread the same message, and to let my listeners know that I can relate to them and they’re not in this on their own.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The music industry is full of so many talented artists, and what I love about Hip Hop is how artistically different we all are from one another. While it’s hard to find the exact words to say what sets me a part from the rest, I will say that as an artist, I put 110% of myself in every song, and every project. Me being my own biggest critic, I don’t settle for short cuts with my songs. I want you to feel every single word I’m saying. I was taught to speak from the heart, and never give ’em anything less, so when you do listen to my music, you’ll know what’s up. It’s a lot more technical than just jotting down some bars, and rapping over a beat. I’m focusing on my cadence, my lyricism, my flow switch ups, my melodies, and more importantly I’m focusing on what story I want to tell at that very moment. There’s a lot of different sides to me that I’m able to project, because no one is just gonna be happy all the time. No one just wants to hear a club banger every time. I wanna make you dance if you’re in the mood, I wanna make you feel hopeful if you’re feeling down, I wanna activate your truest feelings through my songs.

It definitely was not easy getting to where I am today, and I still have so far to go. Even when I’m the most successful artist there is, with a huge following, I still won’t be satisfied. To get to where I currently am though, I networked A LOT. Reaching out to people all day and every day. Whether it be behind a keyboard, when I’m at work, or even at a grocery store. If I see a music artist on your shirt, I’m striking a conversation. Any challenges I’ve faced along the way, I overcame them by constantly working on myself. Being open to criticism, being open to learning new things. I was told to never be afraid of failure, and while that may work for others, my personal fear of failure is what allows me to be a perfectionist. And even then I’ve failed many, many times. My drive, and passion for music is what helps me to keep climbing. When I look back on how far I’ve come, I feel extremely proud of myself, and when I think about how far I need to go, that’s what excites me. It’s an everlasting chase.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sacramento is thriving! There’s a lot of fun things to do out here. I’m a sucker for a good craft beer, and good food so right now my go-to spot is Golden Road. From there, depending on the mood, we can either check out Coin Op which is a bar/game room full of retro arcades, or we’d hit up Flatstick pub to do some mini golfing. Maybe enjoy some live music at ‘Concerts in the Park’ (which is in the heart of downtown), or even check out The Park Ultra Lounge on the weekend if dancing is a vibe. I’d give a quick tour of Old Sacramento specifically for Evangelines, then later walk over to the dock and watch the sun go down with the extraordinary view of our nicely-lit Ziggurat pyramid across the Sacramento River, and the brightly lit I St. bridge to accompany the view. Other than that, we’d check out some open mics depending on which venue is hosting for that week. If that isn’t enough, we’d hit up the bay, as there would be an endless amount of things to do in SF/Oakland.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Huge shoutout to all the dedicated love and support that I receive from my amazing wife, family, friends, fans, and artists that have all been rockin’ with me here in Sacramento. They all feed the fuel to my fire, and they are the reason I keep going. Each one has played such a huge part in my life, and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for any of them.

Website: http://www.linktr.ee/therealmaharaj

Instagram: www.instagram.com/therealmaharaj

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dillybespittin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealmaharaj

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/dylanmaharaj

Image Credits
Anthony Aguirre, Scott Wullenwaber, Niomi Del Rio