Danny Castro: The Orginator

To be the initiator is cool, but to actually follow through is dope! Along with Anthony Marshall, Danny Castro co-founder and creator of the Lyricist Lounge at tender age of 16 had a vision that grew into a movement that to this day continues to expand. Showcasing acts like Mos Def, Eminem, Talib Kweli, Wordsworth and developing this showcase into a show on MTV, transitioning it into multiple albums and constructing the makings of an ill documentary-the Lyricist Lounge has touched all mediums successfully. In the heart of Danny Castro there is still more work to be done.

Scheme: What influenced you to create Lyricist Lounge?

Danny Castro: What influenced me and my partner Anthony Marshall to create Lyricist Lounge was basically being in the hip hop community and we were very influenced by dancers and the dancers we used to hang out with. We started off as being dancers and the people around us they started rapping. I went to school with a friend of mine and his dad had a not for profit organization called SBI (Sound Business Institute). His whole organization was about teaching high school kids about being entrepreneurs. So it was combination of this guy Charles Thomson and our peers, the dancers that became emcees. Those two things influenced us to start lyricist lounge because we knew that it was very important to have an outlet for up and coming artists so they can rehearse their skills and get some recognition for what they were doing and then it just evolved into what it is now.

Scheme: When you and your partner started LL did you think it was going to get as huge as it got?

Danny Castro: I would say and no and yes because when we started it we definitely had a vision to make it evolve. We had these ideas in our mind about how hard we could take it, we always thought about doing national tours we always talked about opening up our own venues and putting out albums and it ended up manifesting into that. In the beginning we were just doing it for the love of hip hop. When we started our idea was to start a not for profit organization and to make it a community center and that was the original idea, to apply for the 501C3 but when the person didn’t fill out the paperwork right it didn’t go through, and we just had to roll with it and we became a for profit organization.

Scheme: How old were you guys at that time?

Danny Castro: It was 1991 when we first started so we were about 16 years old in high school, it was crazy. (laughs)

Scheme: Out of those dreams you mentioned how many of those have come true and how has the vision been altered from then until now?

Danny Castro: A lot of them have come true even more than the stuff we even thought of, we went from a small open mic to a showcase. We had celebrity host the showcases to having our own albums to national tours. Then we evolved to having a show on MTV. Now we’re just trying to take it to the next step, we haven’t stopped yet.

“There’s no balance and we have no control of that and people don’t understand that the dj’s are playing what they want to play and its not like that. Not even the program directors are controlling stuff.”

Scheme: What artists are you thinking about featuring?

Danny Castro: In the past we have done about seven successful tours with people like Mos Def, Kweli and KRS-ONE, Buckshot, De La Soul, Eminem and the list goes on and on. True emcees, lyricists and official hip hop no matter who it is and that’s what we want to do and we want to continue doing this to new artists so that’s what we continue to get-established artists and new artists together.

“The internet is very relevant and important and that’s how I think we’re going to keep it going through the internet because they already have all this radio locked down and now we just need to master how we are going to get it out on the internet.”

Scheme: Who do you think that is bringing it today that the lyricist lounge would embrace?

Danny Castro: Off the top of the head Lupe Fiasco and there are few other artists that really deserve the recognition. Blitz the Ambassador, Brooklyn Academy and there are a lot of underground artists that really deserve that shine, there are a lot of people out of the United States that are doing this, Dizzy Rascol etc. The state of hip hop right now is always getting bombarded with commercial radio artists, I have no problems with because I love hip hop as a whole and everything is relevant. People need to understand the powers that be they are the ones controlling the radio airwaves and they are the ones that are making us hate these artists that are doing their thing because there’s no balance. For example the down south cats or the west coast cats. There’s no balance and we have no control of that and people don’t understand that the dj’s are playing what they want to play and its not like that. Not even the program directors are controlling stuff. Its so important for us to regain our culture that’s why we maintain and continue doing these events and branching out with people like Lyrics to Go, End of the Week, and all the people that are trying to nurture our culture and preserve it. The internet is very relevant and important and that’s how I think we’re going to keep it going through the internet because they already have all this radio locked down and now we just need to master how we are going to get it out on the internet.

“…the reason they want us to believe that because they understand how powerful this culture is so we have to maintain and keep it going and keep it alive.”

Scheme: I know that you are still a consultant, are you still consulting artists or are you at another phase in your career?

Danny Castro: I think that’s just a part of me as a person, because I love my people and I’m going to try to help them in anyway that I can. Whatever kind of insight I can give people I’m going to do it and that’s the nature of how I am. Of course I’m trying to start different things but I’m always going to be that person to help them out whether its an artist, and up and coming entrepreneur and I feel is they have talent or drive and they want to make it happen, then I’ll help them.

Scheme: What type of other business ventures are you getting into now?

Danny Castro: Film and continuing with television and we plan on getting our show back on the air we just switched it up a little bit. We’re working on two different TV pilots and we’re finishing up our Lyricist Lounge Documentary called ‘History in the Making’ and I’m getting into playwriting and stuff like that. From 91′ until whenever kill all that hip hop is dead sh*t. You go all across the country and you see everything and you see it’s still alive and strong. Cancel all that negativity from your mind state, the reason they want us to believe that because they understand how powerful this culture is so we have to maintain and keep it going and keep it alive.