Since an early 2012 I've been following a young Deandre Smith. His chocolate dark skin, stark mono lids and diamond bright smile weren't the only things that kept me intrigued; his music is infectious and daunting.

The sound he possesses is truly one of a kind. Bellowing from the open spaces of Cedar Lane California, he is definitely west coast and certainly player. He's coming at you really not giving a fuck with fat pockets, and girls throwing themselves all over him.

The bravado of his 2 latest singles "Hold Up" and "Down 4 Me" are concrete and upbeat, giving you the facts of real life. The versatility of his rhymes have people intrigued all over the U.S. (including you probably since you're reading this article) Now I present to you, my very first online interview with the 1,

The only, Donzelly.

G: Go ahead n introduce yourself 2 all the people out there.

D: Recently turned 20 year old artist by the name of Donzelly repping from the 562!

G: Tell us about Cedar Lane. D: CLS (Cedar Lane Sound) is the brand and me and my team are pushing as much as possible. It's a representation of where we come from and our interest. G. That's really fire. What led 2 the creation of your singles "Hold up" n "Down 4 Me"?

D: Working with my producer & close friend Brizzy Lo (@brianfx_) [during] hold up he handed me the beat and the verses took me little to no time to complete. I couldn't come up with a hook so I just freestyled it and "hold up" was the most repeated word so I ran with that. I built the hook from there and I used the same process for Down 4 Me as well. It ended up becoming my formula.

(My favorite snaps of Donzelly's earlier videos "Cheetah" and "Demons/You Know" circa 2012/2013)

G: Your music is very diverse. You can lay down a eerie joint like Demons but then contrast it with a smooth single like 5 a.m featuring Nichola. Is there a particular method you use 2 draw inspiration from? D: To be as diverse as possible is always great. I want to be able to jump into multiple lanes throughout my career and not be labeled to one box. It goes back to just being 100% honest with the person you are in your music and I have no problem doing that whatsoever. G: I respect that. I've seen you do some really nice art in the past. Could we ever expect you to dabble back in that avenue?

D: My love for art was replaced for music a long time ago, but I still appreciate and respect the hard work that goes into a painting, sketch or computer illustration. Later down the line I do plan to jump back into art though, but for now just music.

G: Can we expect new projects soon?

D: Of course. New project is in the works at the moment. In the meantime I'm going to stay consistent with music videos and keep my presence felt.

G: Thank you so much 4 letting me interview you Donzelly. I'm looking forward 2 seeing so much more. Don't stop chasing the dream, you're on your way. #CLS

D: No thank you for being interested in me and believing in me as an artist. I really do appreciate the love forreal it means a lot to me. Much success to you as well on your journey, keep striving.

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