By: Carly Hammack
The UNITY! Private Listening Event was held at Prospect Park on September 24. Presented by Wreckshop Records founder, Derrick “D-Reck” Dixon, this event showcased some of the biggest up and coming hip-hop artist in Houston through a collaboration with DJ XO. The pair produced Unity Vol. 1 to highlight the talents of various artists such as DJ Chose, Young Lyric, Propain, Sauce Walker, OTB Fastlane and Doughbeezy, just to name a few.
“I sincerely, truly feel like our music scene has a couple of more steps to take,” D-Reck said. “I feel like we could be as powerful as Atlanta or any other major market, and I just want to see what I can contribute that might help us get there.”
Wreckshop documented the making of this collaborative album through a docu-series called “Sound of the City”. This project has allowed Houston to achieve something they haven’t been able to in a while—Unity. Artists of all talents, backgrounds and ages came together to produce a successfully diverse piece of work. One goal of this docu-series was to show the audience who these artists really are, not just the songs they make.
“The shelf life for hip-hop artists is very short right now,” D-Reck said. “That’s why you see so many artists coming and going so fast. And a lot of it has to do with people only knowing what they make and not knowing who they really are.”
D-RECK said “Sound of the City” lets the audience buy into the actual artists and not just the next hot single. He believes this is the way to get people to invest and extend the career life of these entertainers.
DJ D Baby is a 20-year old Houston DJ, known for her performances at clubs, lounges and college campus events. She was in attendance at the UNITY! event.
“I think any chance to work with other artist and other platforms in this city is vital because you don’t know who’s who and who can do what,” DJ D Baby said. “I think everybody can benefit from helping someone in some way and having those connections is great.”
Another young artist at the event was rapper Dev Castro. He is a Houston native with a rap style often compared to that of Big Sean.
“This whole platform is just a real eye opener for a lot of Houston artists and rappers that are coming up in this generation,” Castro said. “I feel like it’s beneficial for everyone to come out and network and get to know some people who might play a part in getting their careers moving and flourishing.”
Wreckshop Nation titled this album “Unity Vol. 1”, signaling that it is just the beginning of many more collaborative albums to come.
“We’re making a lot of moves right now,” D-Reck said. “We have a lot of talented artists, it’s in the air, the buzz is there. Everybody is finally starting to realize that we’ve got to come together.”
