Donny Goines Speaks on the 20X EP & 2010

Last time we met up with Donny Goines, he was performing tracks off his latest project, The Breakfast Club, at an event which he headlined and organized, himself.

Since then, the New York emcee has been hard at work cultivating his fan base and staying true to his motto, “If you don’t know my name, I ain’t working hard enough.”

Now Donny is getting ready to release his 20X EP in conjunction with clothing label, Rocksmith Tokyo.  The project will feature 6 original tracks from emerging producers while containing only one featured artist, K Quick.

Projects backed by clothing labels always seem to have that extra effort from both the artist and his camp, and 20X shouldn’t be an exception to that rule.

Donny Goines stopped by the HipHopAtLunch.com offices yesterday and shared the inspiration behind “No Apologies,” talked about the upcoming 20X EP, and named a few of the artists he’ll be watching for in 2010!

It’s good to see Donny Goines release new material in an effort to hold us over until his next album, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, drops.  All too often, this industry operates with an “out of sight, out of mind” policy.

I agree with his statement of “no matter how good your music is, if no one hears it, so fucking what?”  Artists have to think creatively, not only with perfecting their craft, but also in finding the most efficient ways to get heard.  Having said that, it seems like Rocksmith Tokyo has some promotional surprises up their sleeves for this one!

Donny’s list of artists to watch in 2010 is quite impressive, as few people would argue that J.Cole, Fashawn, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Outasight are going to have anything but a great year.

Here’s the first single off 20X, “No Apologies” produced by M-Phazes.

Donny uses “No Apologies” to let out pent up frustrations over certain industry dick riders, record labels, and blogs.  The hook-less, guitar laced, beat works as a perfect canvas for Donny to vent.

Here’s an excerpt that touches on the aforementioned topics, as well as Donny’s place in hip hop:

“Couple labels heard something but those nerds frontin,
Guess it’s too much slang within my words, fuck it.
And a lot of bloggers sleepin,
got me feeling like Donny posturepedic.
Never felt I’m entitled,
But I’m killin these records, the flow is so homicidal
No co-signs and nepotism,
Just blood sweat and tears, you can never diss em,
I am a man possessed, no exorcism,
the only way to stop me is death or prison.
But these dick riders too scared to get fired.
Charlie Chaplin niggas watch em get silent.
Either I dumb it down or its payola.
But I can’t paint pictures with crayola,
Cause I’m working on my Sistine Chapel,
So my sixteens baffle,
Stupid DJ’s who spin these channels.”

That “Donny posturepedic” line was pretty funny!

Keep an eye out for some viral promotions from Donny Goines and Rocksmith Tokyo coming soon, as the EP drops in February!  For more on Donny’s music, check out our feature interview.

Also, if you’re in the New York area this week, Donny will be performing alongside hip hop legend, KRS-One, Friday night in Brooklyn.  Details below: