SMAG Sits Down with Miami's New Soldier, Black Dada!!!!!

If you don't know by now, Florida is the place to be, from the culture to the blazing troops of talent blowing off the hindges to industry's door (FLORIDA STAND UP, IT'S GONNA BE A MOOOVVVVIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!).  The latest to storm through the gates is Haiti's new general, BLACK DADA.  Dada sat down with me for a one on one interview to introduce himself to the world, give me his history, his take on the industry, and so much more...

SMAG (Rocky): So, where are you from, were you born and raised in Miami?

Black Dada: I came over here [from Haiti] at the age of five, and since then, I've been living and was raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Broward County (which is the next county north from Miami-Dade County), I would say I'm from Broward County.  So if you see me here in Miami, it's an on and off type of thing, but I'm originally from Broward County.

SMAG (Rocky): So, where does the name come from, Black Dada?

Black Dada: Well, look at my skin, I'm dark as Hell, so I was raised being called "Black."  But my mother gave me the name Dada since I was a baby because of the fact that my first name is Davidson.

SMAG (Rocky): What is your whole name?

Black Dada: Davidson Pierre.

SMAG (Rocky): What high school did you go to?

Black Dada: Name them (laughs)...I went to Dillard, BA, Stranahan, and I graduated from South Plantation.

SMAG (Rocky): Wow.

Black Dada: For night school, I went to Plantation, for summer schools, I went to Ft. Lauderdale, the whole nine.

SMAG (Rocky): OK...why jumbling around so much?

Black Dada: I don't know, I mean, that's why I know so [many] people now.

SMAG (Rocky): I see.

Black Dada: That's a good thing.

SMAG (Rocky): So what was it like growing up?

Black Dada: It was not easy, as you already know.  We used to get picked on a lot for the littlest things...

SMAG (Rocky): Look who's laughing now!  

Black Dada: Which is true (laughs), but at the same time, even til now, as much as I would love to laugh at the ones who laughed at me, I wouldn't [because] the type of person I am, I won't laugh, I'd most likely try to help them out.  But you know, it was tight jeans, high water pants, and I had a fresh pair of Colorado Rockies, and you know, shoes that didn't even have names, the whole nine.

SMAG (Rocky): So are you dating anyone right now?

Black Dada: No.  I'm not gonna lie, there are talks here and there, but there's nothing serious.

SMAG (Rocky): Do you have any children?

Black Dada: Yeah.

SMAG (Rocky): Children or child?

Black Dada: One child.

SMAG (Rocky): Girl, boy (laughs)?

Black Dada: A son, a few months old.

SMAG (Rocky): Congratulations. So let's get into your smash hit song, what is the definition of a "Zoe", for those people who are hearing it world wide but are not really understanding it.  I know they would be rocking to your music, but not really comprehending the definition.

Black Dada: The word "Zoe", in Creole, it means bone.  Now, for me, when we started calling each other "Zoe", it was because of the [same logical] fact that when you see a Jamaican person, you will see them with dreads or something like that, so then basically, they started calling each other "dread."  So it's the same thing with the Haitians too.  We used to have a lot of skinny Haitians and they would be like "Zoe poupe", which basically means this guy over here, he's so boney, but we would say it in Creole with the Zoe word.  But the term Zoe, if you think about it, doctors will even tell you, if your bone breaks, when it heals, it heals ten times stronger.  So if ever get hit in that same spot again, it probably won't even scratch it.  So I took that term and made it into an even bigger term where everybody could relate to it because we're all immigrants regardless, so to me, the word "Zoe" now means to me, a person with the will or the strength to overcome any obstacle or whatever, and that's what the song actually depicts too.

SMAG (Rocky): Fabulous.  What kind of artist do you describe yourself as, do you just rap, or do you produce?  What are your ultimate goals as an artist?



Black Dada: Well, a lot of people always think I rap, I don't rap, I'm a SINGER.

SMAG (Rocky): Interesting.  So when did you start singing?

Black Dada: I've been singing all my life. 

SMAG (Rocky): Oh, well what was your first song?  What made you want to transition to "I'm A Zoe" and rap?

Black Dada: That I would say was actually singing, but with the stylistics of rap, because I used tones and melodies when I did it.  It's just so hard core when I do it that people think I'm rapping, but it is what it is.  But I've been doing this since like the age of five.  I've been in choirs, choruses, and I used to sing like all types of Brian McKnight songs.

SMAG (Rocky): You were recently added on the performance line up at the James L. Knight Center for a UFC conference that they were having, how do feel about that?

Black Dada: I feel great that people actually, you know, like I'm doing something right.  People who are not even Haitian or not even part of this country that much, who are fighters, they want to get me to represent whatever is popping in Miami right now, or South Florida right now, to be part of their show.  And I have a couple of other things too that are boxing related.  Fights for ESPN and all that stuff too.

SMAG (Rocky): So you don't just work with that particular promoter for that UFC thing?

Black Dada: No, they just invited me to be a part of that to either walk with one of the fighters, for any event, for UFC, boxing, whatever it is.  To me, it's a constant grind because it's exposure.  With ESPN, so many people watch that, so they'll recognize me.  Like Mandalay Bay, or where ever.  I can't wait for Super Bowl weekend, because I want to be a part of that.  So God willingly, I'll jump on that too.

SMAG (Rocky): Fabulous.  And I see that you were recently in the Miami Herald, how are you handling all this notariety coming back to back to back, how are you tolerating it?

Black Dada: I'm tolerating it, it's a blessing, I can't sit here and complain.  I'd rather be doing that than saying I can't wait until it's 5 o'clock to get my ass home or something.  It's just one of those things that I just knew it was going to come with the territory, so I do it anyways.  But I appreciate it anyways because I get to meet new people and answer their questions.  I don't have a problem answering questions.  

SMAG (Rocky): Are you involved with any charities, do you give back to the community?

Black Dada: Well, I do.  With my way of giving back to the community is that I still go to church every weekend.

SMAG (Rocky): How do you find the time to do that?  And I mean it as now with your schedule picking up the way that it has.

Black Dada: Well, I still do, but once in a blue moon, I probably won't, probably about two weeks at a time, I probably won't go, but I try to make it there.  I'm a Seventh Day Adventist, so I try to make it there every Saturday, but when I do get there, there's so much.  To be honest with you, church, to me, is a beautiful thing, but there's a lot of little structures that are really withering because of politics and business.  So, I choose that if I see someone on the streets, I hand them some bread (money), or if I have family in Haiti who could actually use that money, as far as like when they give it to the church, they do it for good purposes, but at the same time, there are less fortunate people overseas who don't even get to see three pairs of clothing for like two weeks or something.  So I either send some clothes or I give my grandma some money to feed some of my family or whoever it is.  And I do have a non-profit organization that I'm building right now and it's going to be one of those silent killers because there's a lot of things going that people are not doing and we want to slowly and silently just do the right thing because it's like I said, it's politics.  Some people will bring you down, but if you do it the right way and somewhat creep in the dark, they won't ever see it coming and it leaves them saying, "Well damn, who did all of this?"

SMAG (Rocky): So I guess you're not going to tell me the name of it then (laughs)?

Black Dada: No, I can't tell you the name of it, but if I did tell you, then why I'm doing it like that, you will be like, "That's juicy, let me put that down (laughs)."

SMAG (Rocky): I understand.

Black Dada: But when the time comes, I'll tell you.  

SMAG (Rocky): OK.  And what kind of response have you been getting from the Haitian community?  Because you know, sometimes you can be an artisit and represent a certain culture, but not everybody will be behind you at times, so how is the response with that?


Black Dada: Now, the funny thing is that they ARE responding really good with it, being that Wyclef has been out for almost 15 years, or something like that, and there has never been anybody else to step up to the plate, at all, not once, repping Haiti or whatever.  And it's a territorial thing where I think that Wyclef could have did a lot.  To me, I don't know what he's done or nothing like that. I respect his grind and everything like that, but with all the money he's got, he could have done something way better to actually bring a couple of these people, if not to the same level as he is, or above him, with no care.  But it's been a long time so Haitian people or any culture who have not seen something for so long, they're going to thirst for something to pop off and as soon as something starts sprouting, they'll jump on it quick.  So over there in Haiti right now, there's posters all over the place.  Like all of them are talking about one song, they can't even sing it in English, they're butchering the song (laughs), but it's cool.  It's their song, it's repping them and all of Haiti is on it.  

SMAG (Rocky): That's cool.  Have you been to Haiti recently since it's been released?

Black Dada: No, but I was there before it was released and I did my own little free concert for my grandma's spot and they started knowing of me, but now it's full fledged that they know me.  

SMAG (Rocky): What are your musical influences and how did you get trained, because I know that you mentioned that you're really a singer, so did you know you could sing and be melodic and so forth?

Black Dada: I am a big fan of Brian McKnight, Sisqo...

SMAG (Rocky): Interesting choice, I know Sisqo can sing, but that's just an interesting choice.

Black Dada: I guess his style of singing and everything like that, but 112, R. Kelly, you name it.  From even rappers like Busta Rhymes to...Beyonce, she's a big influences, her singing.  I don't know about her personality wise, but her singing.  I like Jazmine Sullivan, Beres Hammond, to even Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, and the whole nine.

SMAG (Rocky): Just anything good to the soul.

Black Dada: Yeah, everything.  

SMAG (Rocky): Any plans for a tour or are you on tour or anything like that?

Black Dada: Not really, we're finishing up the album right now.  

SMAG (Rocky): What's it going to be titled, do you know?

Black Dada: Yeah, F.L.A.  It stands for First Love & Addiction.  But with the tour thing, we want it set up after the album drops.  When the video drops, we're going to start pushing the second single on the radio and then go on a national tour, just me and Red Eyes (another artist).  If a couple other big artists want to jump on then whatever, or I'll just do my own little thing, so the whole nation can get to know me.  

SMAG (Rocky): What's your second single going to be?

Black Dada: It's going to be difficult.  None of them (tracks) actually sound the same, I have things from like rock-hip hop to full R&B baby making type music.

SMAG (Rocky): You're very versatile, I see you go into different directions, interesting.  Do you have any features on your album or is there anyone that you would like to work with?

Black Dada: Well, one of them died, Michael [Jackson]. I was going out on a limb, but before he died, we actually submitted that track to him.  And the funny thing is as much as it might sound like a rap album, sometimes you have to go out on a limb and it's new music.  You never know, MJ might have liked it and did something with it, but you know, two weeks later, he died.  

SMAG (Rocky): OK, so who are you currently affiliated with, like a label, etc.?

Black Dada: Well, I have a gang of people, when I first started out, I used to go to a lot of open mics and they (L's Up ENT) had a song that was out called "Train" and I had my "I'm A Zoe" and we linked up and they're like brothers to me and we just started going to all these open mic shows together, so I'm going to always represent and let them know I've got their backs or whatever.  So we've got L's Up, certain artists such as Black and Milds, we've got The General.  They've been around with me for so long doing whatever, so if anything, if there were any hand outs to anybody, it would be them.  

SMAG (Rocky): Keeping the home team alive, I like that.  So do you have your own label or do you have any deals in the works, what's going on with you, how's your album going to be released?

Black Dada: I'm signed to Strictly Business Records and I just got signed to Universal about a month ago.

SMAG (Rocky): Congratulations, I wish you lots of success.

Black Dada: Thank you.

So there it is world, you have been introduced to Florida's own Black Dada, album, F.L.A., is coming to a store near you and don't forget to check him out on iTunes!!!!!

Booking Information:
Raynelo Management, LLC.
Office: 305-848-4207
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


Deuces.