deM atlaS (real name Josh Turner) is easily one of Rhymesayers Entertainment’s (RSE) most compelling artists to hit the Minneapolis-based label’s roster in a minute. Although he is a mere 24 years old, he has a firm grasp on the culture’s origins and applies it to his music. Still on tour with RSE kingpins Atmosphere and Brother Ali, he’s managed to pen new material and (obviously) keep pushing out new videos. His latest comes in the form of “In The Mud,” which finds the young MC contemplating his relationship to alcohol over a slow, Dirty Art Club-produced beat.
“[The song] centers around a time in my life where I felt complacent and in a daze not knowing exactly where I should be spending my time,” the description reads. “Too often, I found myself waking up late, hungover and laying next to a woman I barely knew knowing that I had other shit to do. This kept happening, and like any habit or addiction that’s nurtured, it became comfortable. So, the song is basically about that; playing in the mud, drinking the mud, living in the mud and being strangely content with it.”
When asked if he was out of the mud, so to speak, he didn’t hesitate to explain where his head is right at this moment.
“Yeah, I’m out of it, but in some ways, I still get sucked in at times,” Turner tells DX. “Surrounding yourself with good people who are supportive and not into dumb shit is important, I think. Obviously creating is what brings me the most joy, but there was a time where I felt I was definitely wallowing in the mundane and superficiality of being ‘noticed’ and I took advantage of it. I’d say I’m definitely in a much better place, and those experiences ultimately made me much wiser and better suited to what I need to do.”
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Watch the video above and check out his current tour dates.
01.13 – Sioux Falls, SD – The District
01.14 – Iowa City, IA – Blue Moose Tap House
01.15 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
01.17 – El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
01.18 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
01.20 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
01.21 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
01.22 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
