DeShawn Timothy (aka DT, D. Timmy) is a former founding member of the openly gay Philly hip-hop duo, Sgt. Sass, who ventured out on his own with a fiery rendition of hometown hero Meek Mill’s street banger, “Monster.”
Directed by Philadelphia multimedia artist, Candace Price, the “Hydra (Monster DTmix)” video is inspired by 90’s green screen technique and captivates its audience with a clean and colorful pixilation. I had the opportunity to chat with DeShawn about the video below.
“Sometimes when I hear a popular hip-hop song by a straight identifying guy, I have this incredible urge to put my queer spin on it.”
What made you want to re-interpret Meek Mill’s Monster?
This is a good question. Mostly when I hear a beat from a producer I’m working with or if I come across an industry beat, I am moved right away to start writing to it. But, the original “Monster” actually had to grow on me. A friend of mine kept listening to it so I guess the beat subconsciously leaked into my brain. I was waiting for another friend to pick me up from the train station one day, when I felt the itch to write. I wrote the majority of my version on my iPhone with the beat playing in my head. When I found the instrumental online, I rapped my bars to it and it fit perfectly. I also felt like this was a great track to queer up in a sense. Sometimes when I hear a popular hip-hop song by a straight identifying guy, I have this incredible urge to put my queer spin on it. It’s like “Okay, yours is popping but let me put another flame to it.”
Was there a particular reason you chose a 90’s green screen technique?
Not in particular. I just really wanted to have an easy and simple shoot, I guess you could say. My good friend and director of this video, Candace Price can take all the credit for the production and post-production. I envisioned the clean, white background for the video and she really took it from there. We were both 90s kids and have very similar taste when it comes to style and design work. I think this idea came naturally to her and she ran with it.
How long have you been creating music? Are there particular themes you like to explore?
I’ve been creating music for 8 years now. I started creating and performing with the out hip-hop duo, Sgt. Sass, in 2007. The group officially disbanded in 2013. I wrote and self-released an EP after the split, but I was still emotionally unsure if I wanted to continue as a solo artist. I ran into an old friend who I performed a few shows with while in Sgt. Sass. After talking to her about her groups split and her continuation as a solo artist, it really motivated me to continue to do what I love, music. With Sgt. Sass, our sound was playful, street smart, yet socially aware. As a solo artist, I will definitely continue in that direction. But with age comes new experiences and new experiences bring on new material to write about.
