Many artists grace the stage with artists they’ve been compared to. At Centerstage on February 12th, Darien Brockington will have his chance.
“I used to get compared to Bilal a lot, especially when we both had dreadlocks. I guess I can see that,” Darien laughs. His followers see so much more.
Raised in North Carolina, Darien Brockington, also known as DBrock, started his R&B trip back in college with fellow Foreign Exchange Music family, Phonte Coleman [of Foreign Exchange]. From there, his zeal and enthusiasm for music created a soundtrack for his life.
In 2005, the other half of Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, produced a creation that introduced Darien Brockington worldwide. The Feeling EP was just part of his transformation into musical superstar. His collaborations before and after the EP with the Foreign Exchange, Little Brother, Pete Rock, amongst several others are pretty commendable. One of his notable group efforts is 2005’s “Night Like This” with Symbolic One and Illmind.
“I linked up with Symbolic One and Illmind through Little Brother. Phonte thought I’d be perfect for the R&B joint on their project The Art of OneMind. Phonte wrote the song and hours later, we had it,” Brockington explained. It was this talent that took him to the next level in years following, but there was a time when he exited music with an unsure intent to return.
“It was really rough out there for a while. I hadn’t really figured out who I was as an artist. I think that I really started to figure things out when I began recording Somebody to Love. I worked really hard on that project but it seemed I was going backwards,” DBrock explains. With minor success of the 2006 release, financial problems, and family stress, Brockington was on his way out and not looking back. Interestingly enough, many say ‘when you love something you have to let it go, and if it comes back it’s meant to be.
“I started to realize I can’t do anything but sing. I can never stop writing songs and making music. Music is my air. I can’t breathe without it,” he expresses. And now that nothing can stop him, going from nothing to the most known unknown in less than a year has given him the experience he has been living and singing for. His work with the Foreign Exchange has been the most treasured in his time in the industry.
“I’ve been working with the Foreign Exchange since 2004. I’ve toured with them for both albums. Phonte and I go way back and Nicolay and I have been cool since day one. I’ve enjoyed my work with the Foreign Exchange. That experience has opened a lot of doors for me.” This relationship, amid other events, has prepped him for the story that he is telling today.
“Cold Case Files tells the story of my struggle musically and personally in the past years. But it also tells the story of my growth.”
Cold case is a term for criminal investigations that have not been solved and its’ investigation has since been suspended. Brockington’s disappearance following his first album release was an incredible setup for this late-2009 mixtape .
“Most people didn’t really know what I was up to during that time. So with this mixtape, I’m basically trying to provide some answers to all the questions that my fans had about where I was all that time. I needed to release this mixtape to complete the healing process that I started when I decided to come back to music,” Brockington adds. Since the mixtape was more curing than anything, he takes the feedback about it lightly. His musical liberation is more important.
As the healing process continues and comes to an end, DBrock is always growing. On Friday night, expect to see that growth and his admiration for his former look-a-like.
“We give the people their money’s worth. Trust me! It’s going to be a dope ass show. And Bilal, I have so much respect for that dude, I can’t even tell you. Dude sings his face off. I’m very excited.” And he should be. Atlanta finally gets to see the regular, chicken-wing-loving, God-fearing, family-first crooner’s soul.
You can reach Mr. DBrock at here and here. Get to know him!
MSD Profiles "You Can Call Me DBrock"
Many artists grace the stage with artists they’ve been compared to. At Centerstage on February 12th, Darien Brockington will have his chance.
“I used to get compared to Bilal a lot, especially when we both had dreadlocks. I guess I can see that,” Darien laughs. His followers see so much more.
Raised in North Carolina, Darien Brockington, also known as DBrock, started his R&B trip back in college with fellow Foreign Exchange Music family, Phonte Coleman [of Foreign Exchange]. From there, his zeal and enthusiasm for music created a soundtrack for his life.
In 2005, the other half of Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, produced a creation that introduced Darien Brockington worldwide. The Feeling EP was just part of his transformation into musical superstar. His collaborations before and after the EP with the Foreign Exchange, Little Brother, Pete Rock, amongst several others are pretty commendable. One of his notable group efforts is 2005’s “Night Like This” with Symbolic One and Illmind.
“I linked up with Symbolic One and Illmind through Little Brother. Phonte thought I’d be perfect for the R&B joint on their project The Art of OneMind. Phonte wrote the song and hours later, we had it,” Brockington explained. It was this talent that took him to the next level in years following, but there was a time when he exited music with an unsure intent to return.
“It was really rough out there for a while. I hadn’t really figured out who I was as an artist. I think that I really started to figure things out when I began recording Somebody to Love. I worked really hard on that project but it seemed I was going backwards,” DBrock explains. With minor success of the 2006 release, financial problems, and family stress, Brockington was on his way out and not looking back. Interestingly enough, many say ‘when you love something you have to let it go, and if it comes back it’s meant to be.
“I started to realize I can’t do anything but sing. I can never stop writing songs and making music. Music is my air. I can’t breathe without it,” he expresses. And now that nothing can stop him, going from nothing to the most known unknown in less than a year has given him the experience he has been living and singing for. His work with the Foreign Exchange has been the most treasured in his time in the industry.
“I’ve been working with the Foreign Exchange since 2004. I’ve toured with them for both albums. Phonte and I go way back and Nicolay and I have been cool since day one. I’ve enjoyed my work with the Foreign Exchange. That experience has opened a lot of doors for me.” This relationship, amid other events, has prepped him for the story that he is telling today.
“Cold Case Files tells the story of my struggle musically and personally in the past years. But it also tells the story of my growth.”
Cold case is a term for criminal investigations that have not been solved and its’ investigation has since been suspended. Brockington’s disappearance following his first album release was an incredible setup for this late-2009 mixtape .
“Most people didn’t really know what I was up to during that time. So with this mixtape, I’m basically trying to provide some answers to all the questions that my fans had about where I was all that time. I needed to release this mixtape to complete the healing process that I started when I decided to come back to music,” Brockington adds. Since the mixtape was more curing than anything, he takes the feedback about it lightly. His musical liberation is more important.
As the healing process continues and comes to an end, DBrock is always growing. On Friday night, expect to see that growth and his admiration for his former look-a-like.
“We give the people their money’s worth. Trust me! It’s going to be a dope ass show. And Bilal, I have so much respect for that dude, I can’t even tell you. Dude sings his face off. I’m very excited.” And he should be. Atlanta finally gets to see the regular, chicken-wing-loving, God-fearing, family-first crooner’s soul.
You can reach Mr. DBrock at here and here. Get to know him!
