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Herk's "I Got Next" artist DK DK, who is a graduate of The University of Maryland College Park, is originally from Baltimore, MD. DK's flow reminds people of Old School Hip Hop with a new age style. For more info on DK contact: Wayne A. Watts, Evergreen Music (410)383-8806 (Office)

Wayne Watts, a senior communication major who goes by the pseudonym DK, isn't fazed by the challenge of opening for the pop-punk band All American Rejects, after winning the opportunity at the Student Entertainment Events' Battle for Art Attack. “I love having the opportunity to open up for a different genre,” says Watts . “It will be great to have a different and diverse crowd. I feel that people who would buy an All American Rejects album would buy a hip hop record and vice versa.” His fresh lyrics, smooth freestyling and engaging stage presence won over the crowd and judges, beating seven rock bands at the annual battle of the bands. There were two preliminary rounds and the final round was held on April 10. “All the bands were terrific – Larkin's Call, College Park Projects, Random Access – they all put on a great show,” says Watts . “It feels good to be part of this event, where they're trying to give exposure to local bands.” Music runs through his DNA: His father played bass and his mother played lead guitar in the R&B and funk band Destiny in Time. “My parents are rock stars,” he proudly says. “We had a studio in the basement and I would stay down there and try to take in the music,” says Watts , who says his parents are his main musical influences. His hip-hop influences include Jay Z and Slick Rick. He started rapping at 12, as he admitted he couldn't play an instrument like his parents, and released his first album at the age of 16 called That's My Boy on his father's label Evergreen Music. He plans to release his sophomore album, Tha Firelane Project, which he says has “old school type feel,” for the early summer on Evergreen. Sophomore music major Ricky Rodriguez of Tino Productions helped produce and provide beats for the album. Rodriguez started learning piano and clarinet in elementary school, but as he got older he stopped taking lessons and started experimenting with music on his own by writing songs and using Fruity Loops, a digital audio workstation, in high school. During the fall semester of his freshman year at the university, Rodriguez heard Watts on the phone talking to someone about beats outside of his hall and was intrigued. Rodriguez introduced himself to Watts and played “Ooo Yeah,” a song Rodriguez wrote, produced and sang. Watts was impressed and they hit it off. “It's rare to find someone who enjoys [freestyling] as much as [ Watts ],” says Rodriguez. “He has no hesitation – he can freestyle with all these random catch lines. He's really good.” Ever since October 2005, Rodriguez has been performing with Watts , electrifying local audiences. After graduating from the university, Watts hopes to take his performance to audiences across the nation. “Music has been my main passion,” says Watts , who pursued his communication degree as a back-up for potential business ventures he may pursue in the future. In the meantime, Watts is trying to bring the fun back into hip hop. Unwind Magazine May 2007

By Alex Rush During warm evenings on McKeldin Mall, senior communication major Wayne Watts, also known as DK, leaves fellow members of the university's hip-hop club, The Undergrounduates, holding their stomachs while laughing at lines like, "I got sticky like your grandmother's cabbage." And while students walking by usually just gape in awe, Watts is unfazed, dominating the circle of rappers with his melodic and witty freestyles. DK, an up-and-coming emcee competing to open for Art Attack, Student Entertainment Events' annual concert - Watts has already reached the second round of the Battle for Art Attack competition, which allows the winning artist a spot in the event's line-up - and releasing his sophomore album, Tha Firelane Project, later this spring, is a rapper reminiscent of old-school hip-hop. He values rocking the crowd, and places originality and fun as his top priorities. "Somewhere down the line, it became uncool to have fun in music," DK said. "Rappers of today are either really gangsta or hugging trees. I just want to be myself and make music that is relevant to me." The jovial, 21-year-old Baltimore native with the wide smile promotes positive messages with his music, which he creates for an audience of all ages, DK said. In fact, DK refrains from using profanity in his raps so his family can feel comfortable listening to his records, he added. A competitor in the The Battle for Art Attack - DK recently beat out three other hopefuls in the second round of the competition and will compete in the final round today - his entertaining live performances feature him both rapping and dancing, a combination not widespread in the hip-hop scene since Big Daddy Kane reigned in the late '80s. But DK has inherited his talent for performing: As the son of funk and R&B musicians, he would watch his parents' band record in their home studio. Although DK first tried singing, he soon found he could rap instead, and began experimenting with the form at age 12, he said. While DK quickly perfected writing verses and songs, he could not perfect his handwriting, the rapper recalled. But this flaw was a blessing in disguise for the young rapper, who soon became an expert at freestyling because he could not read his own lines. For example, DK learned that any long word could be broken down into several smaller words, a skill that helped maintain his developing rhymes, he said. "You could give [DK] random words and he'd just start freestyling about them," said sophomore Ricky Rodriguez, who helped produce Tha Firelane Project. "One day these kids were listening to him spit, and they would just start to say random words for him to incorporate into his rhymes, like 'computer,' or 'chicken' or 'teeth,' and he did it and kept up freestyling." By the age of 17, DK had released his debut album, That's My Boy, on Evergreen Records, the label owned by his father, Wayne Anthony Watts. The album was sold in major record stores such as Sam Goody, and DK built up his rap resumé by opening for major artists such as Slum Village, Cee-Lo and The Clipse when they performed at this university in 2004. Audiences can experience DK's catchy flow and magnetic personality on his soon-to-be-in-stores Tha Firelane Project. The album will also be released on Evergreen Records and is currently available online. But the university's student body has already embraced DK. He's a favorite among Juke Joint performers and has even hosted the event several times. However, DK admits it has been difficult to balance schoolwork and a rap career. He values a college degree as a back-up plan, he said, but often expresses his frustration in lines such as ,"Communication is my major/ I like most of the teachers/ But in most of my classes/ I feel mostly like sleeping." DK's father notes that although his son may feel college is a burden, his experiences as a student have allowed him to grow as an artist and a person. "His writing style is much more profound and mature," Watts said. Once DK graduates after enrolling in a summer semester, he plans to tour the nation. "My goal is to lock down a group of loyal fans," he said. Apart from cultivating a wide fan base, DK also hopes to "put B-more on the map" and show the nation that his native city is full of talented rappers, similar to the hip-hop-heavy reputations of Houston, Atlanta and Detroit. "Baltimore City, they thought nothing of us/ They steal our slang, steal our clothes/ They steal our show, put it on HBO," DK raps about the Baltimore-based HBO show The Wire. Regardless of the impact DK may have in the future, the man with an undeniable swagger and a warm heart has become a staple in the university's underground music scene, and the campus has influenced his rhymes as well. "If he got the money then I'm heading to The Diner/ They got the best chicken waffles in the fryer," DK freestyled as Undergrounduate members smiled and bobbed their heads to his rhythm. "I ain't even stressin/ Make sure I hit Adele's for focus dates with the freshmen/ Ever since my first semester/ I learned life's a lesson and it's a blessing." Contact reporter Alex Rush at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.