Dorien Gray “Not I”

Website: https://www.cardegan.com www.wix.com/mynameisdoriangrey/music
Bio/Notes: From a very young age i was introduced to music. A memory my mother always brings to my mind was when I was only 6 years old living the Norcross area of Atlanta, Ga. My mother and I were driving early in the morning and listening to jazz, when out of the blue I began moving to the beat and snapping my fingers and noising “Woo, Woo” to a melodic get up set played by John Coltrane. From that day I never left music alone. Opposed to my peers I had an unusual knack for music beyond my years, and as time progressed it showed.
 
 At 10, my older brother gave my first listen to Hip-Hop music. All the kids at school were listening to the Southern flow, and ganster rap, which I had never liked. This sound my brother showed me was unique, lyrical, and life to my young ears. The beat meshed with a symphony in the background, and the lyrics told a story of real life. I was locked in instantly! As time passed i would watch as my brother and his friends would freestyle together in a cypher, and silently i became a student of this amazing art.
 
 Time passed and I grew into my teenage years and began to carry a walkman and freestyle to myself for a good 2 years. Then I hit high school  where I met a small group of guys into the same thing. Everyday after school we would get together and hold a cypher session, and crown a daily king of battle rap. Even being a young gun I developed a love for my dictionary, reading constantly to expand my vocabulary in order to drop new diamonds on my battle buddies each week. I continued to advance past each new opponent until I reached a level of unbeatable in my arena. I became very cocky and pride always preceeds a fall.
 
 Becoming big headed and more serious about my music and what I was spitting about, I began to live out the lyrics I was flowing. I began fighting, doing drugs, chasing girls, and getting into a lot of trouble. My life began spiraling down very fast and soon I had dropped out of school, lost interest to read and learn, and was nothing more than a jerk and a rebel. A very ugly picture, and a portrait not worth painting.
 
 More time has gone by, and my life was a roller coaster. Constantly up and down, in and out, and all around. Somehow I managed to finish school, get into college, dropout, sift through jobs, party, and make more of a mess with my life. I searched high and low trying to find meaning and purpose to my life but found emptiness in everything i involved myself in. At one point I thought I found the missing piece of my life’s puzzle. Music.
 
 After many avenues I took but wound up empty, I turned back to music. I was 22 years of age, and at that point in my life music was just a hobby. I had been in and out of bands, and rocked many shows, but pushed my gift to the side for several years to do other things. One night I picked up a notepad and a pen and began to write and suddenly all these new ideas and concepts were bursting in my brain. I could’nt even keep up with the inspiration that was coming to me. I linked up with a DJ friend of mine and instantly I had venues, stages, crowds, and starting building building a following. My name was beginning to be known, and my music music was being heard by the right people. 2 years past and I thought I had found my life’s true meaning, to be a professional music artist.
 
 July 2009, I recieved a phone call from an A&R rep from a prominent recording label praising my musicial talents. We arranged a meeting to discuss a contract and a record deal. My dream was finally coming true so fast, and I was reaching my ultimate place in life. We had it all set up to meet at a disclosed location in Tucson, AZ to make a deal. Then God entered the picture.
 
 It was 2 days before I would meet with an agent from one the largest and best recording labels in the industry, and I was ready to go. Little did I know that I would have a life changing event that would bring it all to a sudden stop. I was deep asleep when I had an encounter with the Lord. He began to show me what I thought was innocent and “just music” was influencing people, and that by continuing in my ways I would be responsible for leading many to an eternal demise. There is alot more that I could detail but I wont for now. Basically, I let the opportunity go by and laid my music to rest for a few months after realizing I was preaching a doctrine through my lyrics, and building false hope in people.
 
 A few months had past, and through the many dealings of the spirit of God I came back home, and bowed my knee to accept Jesus in my heart.  It didn’t take long for God to reinspire me to continue my music but in a whole new direction, going against the grain of the world to promote real life, eternal life to all those who will bow a knee and recieve Christ as Savior.
 
 “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new.”