Dino Interview

Dino is the CEO of the independent label MYSTERIOUS ENTERTAINMENT whose tagline is “The Major Indie Label”; a well earned title. Being the great-nephew of the famous Blues singer Fats Domino, Dino has been around music his entire life; so it is no coincidence that he found his way to the music industry. He is a multidimensional rapper that is skilled in writing, artist development, mixing, engineering and mastering. Combining his years of military and music making experience he has created a new standard for independent artists. His label Mysterious Entertainment is a complete self contained One Stop Operation offering services to Artists and Labels including Recording, Production, Global Distribution, Publishing and Promotion.

What is your name? O. “Dino” Domino

Where are you from? Baton Rouge, Louisiana

How long have you been making music? Music creation began as a hobby for me back in grade school; making beats on a cheap Casio keyboard for my friends for talent shows and contests. Over the years my passion for music expanded and the thirst for making better music literally consumed me. So professionally I have been making music for 15 years.

How many songs /albums have you released to date? My discography includes 11 mixtapes, 2 full albums, 2 EPs and 2 singles. Obviously there is huge abundance of music in my arsenal however I will only release (free or for sale) good music with great quality.

Can you tell us about your upcoming release and the background and inspirations behind it? I teamed up with Princess Tia (CEO of Crown’d Headz Entertainment) to bring music fans a very sexy single and the first music video release by me in 2015 that displays both labels’ musical talents exclusively on Vevo. Our collaboration for the single and music video “11:59” was done to show the many independent artists that it is more profitable to combine resources to produce a quality product. Princess Tia (the daughter of the first female rapper/MC of the hip-hop culture MC Sha-Rock) sets the tone of the single and video with her sexy and feminine demeanor accompanied by a strong lyrical delivery while Mysterious Entertainment recording artist Marquee compliments the sensual lead with his sultry and seductive chorus and verse. I close out the song with a gritty and edgy delivery of what some may call “controversial” lyrics. The music video was directed, shot and edited by 2Pug Productions owned by Tanner Bell, the instrumental was produced by J. “Drilla” Marvin, President of Boss Beatz Productions and mixed/engineered by me.

How have you ended up in the music industry? Honestly I call it natural evolution as I started off dreaming of being a rapper that gets signed to a 1 million dollar record deal! After years of making music, generating and shipping off press kits only to be turned down, I decided to do some research on starting my own label; that way I didn’t have to rely on anyone else to put my music out to the world. So after years of research and identifying most of the necessary elements required to get music out, I went to school and earned a BS degree in Music Business and a BS in Audio Production . Shortly after I taught myself graphic design in an effort to reduce my overhead.

What do you think of the music industry in 2015? I feel that the music industry in 2015 is thriving but the quality of music being pushed to the forefront of Hip Hop is watered down. There doesn’t seem to be any substance, message, plot or anything in the music that’s considered “hot”. In every other genre, having lyrical skills are still required however hip hop seems to have broken away and eliminated those requirements that makes music…..well…..music.

Who do you think the most influential artist? I believe that the most influential artist is Dr. Dre. Yes he is primarily a producer but I choose him because of what he has done for the music industry. Having the ability, knowledge and will to leave an extremely success record label only to start another one from nothing that is more successful than the one he left is phenomenal and should be studied by all.

Who have you collaborated with so far in your career? In my opinion, networking is one of the major keys to success so I’m always on the lookout to collaborate with another artist or label. I have collaborated with many artists over the years but one of best collaborations I have ever done has been with the platinum selling artist Lil Flip. He has done many of the things most artists dream of but yet he remains one of the most down to earth and personable human beings I have ever met.

Dead or alive, who would be your dream collaboration? My dream collaboration would be to collaborate with 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Mystikal, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige.

What was the first album you bought? The first album I ever bought was “Get In Where You Fit In” by Too Short.

What’s your favorite song at the moment? It’s somewhat difficult to identify my favorite song at the moment because I don’t consider 90% of what plays on the radio hip hop. But I would have to say that Phenomenal by Eminem would be the front runner in my book.

Who is the most influential artist now, and 10 years ago? I believe the most influential artist out now has to be Lil Wayne. However 10 years ago in 2004 the most influential artist would have been Usher.

If you had to sell your music collection tomorrow, what album would you leave in your draw? If I had to sale my entire music collection tomorrow, I have have to keep Makaveli to myself. I can’t see any circumstance where I would wish to part with that album.

How do you think you differ from other artists? What sets me apart from other artists is the fact that I know that business drives the music and without knowing and applying the business aspect of the industry, music can only be generated and will not move.

What is your favorite saying? Due to my work ethic, my favorite saying is simply “grindmode”.

What other hobbies or interests do you have? It may sound bad or cliche but my hobbies are researching how to do everything I do now but in a more efficient way and trying to learn one thing new about the industry everyday. Every once an a while I take a break to watch sports, particularly my New Orleans Saints but 90% of the time I am doing something to make my self and label better for my artists.

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? I am not into piercings but I do love tattoos. The one I show off the most is the tattoo of my label’s logo on my bicep. I’m proud of that one.

What’s in the pipeline after this project? After the release of the PURE EP, I plan to release 3 EPs from each one of my artists sequentially.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music.

I sincerely thank all of the fans, music lovers, supporters, sponsors, and staff as everyone has played a major role in the success of Mysterious Entertainment.

 

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