OurStage

Just coming home November of 2006 after being incarcerated for almost 9 years inside the belly of the beast for possession with intent to distribute, he has resurrected as a hungry ass hip hop gorilla that wants the world to hear what he has to say. Ernie D., A.K.A. Diesel is BACK. Ernest C. Darden was raised in Suffolk , Virginia , where he was born on Feb 8. As a kid he found himself interested in hip hop at a very early age. Because of his hip hop talent he quickly became well known as a unique individual. When break dancing hit the scene, Ernest gained much respect on the streets by battling opponents on the dance floor. As his reputation grew, he became better known as Ernie D, the man who rocked the spot.

While break dancing gave him the opportunity to travel from city to city for competition, his love for hip hop introduced him to the art of emceeing. The Sugahill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and the Furious Five are just a few artists who turned him on to emceeing. But Super Rhymes (the first emcee to flow for fifteen minutes straight, on a single track) really enticed Ernie D. to learn the art of building collages of lyrical terms. Learning to be artistically talented took practice, rehearsal, and more practice.

In a matter of time the streets began to know him as a lyrical genius. In the Seven Cities of VA, the popular radio station 103 JAMZ (back when Morris Baxter the Nighthawk and Phil Nelson were DJ-ing) aired Ernie D’s voice as their first rap commercial ever. Performing locally and easily crushing his competition in rap battles, he decided to take his talent on the road. He and a partner performed at the world famous Apollo Theater where they won second place. He has since opened up for major acts including the Lost Boyz, AZ, Keith Murry, and also has gone on tour with the well known native of D.C., DJ Flex.

Back in his home town he was looked upon as a positive influential person, especially for the emcees on the streets. A veteran of hip hop, Ernie D also found himself turned on to hustling in the drug game. After a run in with the law, hustling eventually cost him almost nine years of incarceration. While on lockdown, he learned to redirect his pain and anger towards expressing himself through writing and keeping his faith in God. Throughout his sentence he created over 900 songs, many of which street hustlers and those on lock going through pain can relate. After patiently awaiting for his release with 20 plus years in the rap game, he has something that the world should hear. And he’s doing this for all his peoples on lock.