Imagine for a moment that you are asked what it takes to become successful in the music industry. The obvious choices are that you have a great voice and range, or have great talent when it comes to writing lyrics. Maybe it’s that you have a really compelling story that people are drawn to listen to. Check, check, and double check if you are DJ, singer, and songwriter Michael Lynem III, AKA D. Myke.
“This has not been a smooth road,” says D. Myke humbly. “I’ve been homeless. I’ve been poor. I’ve been robbed, jumped and set up by people I thought were my friends. I’ve slept at the park. I’ve had to sleep in my car. I’ve been bullied by my own family. I’ve had to sell drugs and overcome a drug addiction. I’ve had to steal food from the grocery store just to eat. The list goes on and on & these were just some of the major struggles I faced on my journey.” Few can compare their struggles to his, but fewer still can compare their success to his. “I have a very strong belief that there are very few who could have taken my path and come out the way I did. I am a different kind of monster when it comes to reaching my goals.”
D. Myke could have called it quits long ago and few would have blamed him. However, that would have gone against the grain of who he truly is inside. “I realized very early on I had to do something special with the life I was given.” He continues, “I developed a mindset early on that I was going to do whatever it takes to make something of myself.” Although not born into a wealthy family, he did have a father who pushed him to participate in sports. Fortunately for him, sports was something at which he excelled. A full-ride track scholarship to the University of Cal State Fullerton seemed like the lucky break he needed. But after a year of college, he realized that it wasn’t for him. His second big break was scoring a contract with international modeling agency Ford Models in 2008. That experience took him all over the world and opened his eyes to even bigger possibilities than he had ever imagined.
Taking those life experiences and fast forwarding 12 years later, D. Myke is now the owner and CEO of multiple successful companies. “I started my first record label, American Dream, in 2014. Since being launched, I have worked on various events with many artists such as Fetty Wap, Flo Rida, YG, “1500 or Nothin”, and many more.” D. Myke also got into other aspects of the music business through his second company Penthouse Capitol, Inc, but it was his collaboration with “1500 or Nothin” that put him in line with his passion: music.
D. Myke beams with pride as he starts discussing this new chapter in his life. “My music career is really taking off. Every day I am waking up to conference calls between lawyers and managers trying to ink deals.” The question is: how do you focus on your passion while still having time to devote to your business? The answer: do both simultaneously and relentlessly.
“I’m relentless, I’m dedicated, and I do not fuck around when it comes to my business. I’m extremely serious about everything that I do, and this shit is not a game to me. I have heart, I have soul, and I have passion. Nobody talks like me, walks like me, looks like me, acts like me, works like me, hustles like me, dresses like me, or makes music like me. What I’m doing is special. I’m a diamond in the rough and nobody can duplicate what I got going on.”
All of D. Myke’s fans are anxiously waiting for his debut album to be released later in 2020. We feel that it’s safe to say that if his past is any indication, this is going to be another success for D. Myke.
