The Many Sides to D4M $loan
The grizzly-voiced rapper expands his sound to more romantic, moody perspectives.
Photography by JG.VISUALS
D4M $loan’s first memories of music stemmed from old-school CDs like Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass. However, his taste and energy shifted when he discovered Lil Wayne as a young teen. He wanted to be as iconic and relentless as the man behind “Lollipop.” He knew he had the same natural swag, so he utilized it.
Whether he’s in the studio or hanging out with his friends, musical inspiration is never too far from the Philly rapper. His voice ranges from hard-hitting to soothing, making his wide-ranged music perfect for a wind-down or a turn-up. After opening up for Sexyy Red at her Philadelphia tour stop, his dynamic has expanded in both his music and fanbase. His newest album, I Couldn’t Decide, enters a more toxic stage of $loan’s life, but he calls it “more romantic.” Inevitably, he’s gained more women in his fanbase and wants to continue catering to their appeal as much as his male fanbase.
His music career began with his friends as rebellious and explorative teenagers, some of whom have passed away. But that didn’t stop $loan. If anything, it inspired him to pursue music because he knows it’s what his friends would have wanted.
“My homies and I were just being bad kids in the hood,” he says. “One of my friend’s moms paid for our first studio session. Since then, we have been really into music, and my friend passed when he was 14. He drowned. We came up with a movement, D4M, ‘Do it for Mir.’ From there on out, I’ve been going hard.”
Many cities are acclaimed for specific genres: Detroit for techno, New York for drill, New Orleans for bounce, and New Jersey for club music. However, $loan is devout to his hometown. He says Philly has mastered the art of music versatility. He can rap a grizzly, drill voice over a club beat with toxic and romantic R&B lyrics. And that’s precisely how he jumpstarted his career.
“A lot of people who know me know I blew up as a duo with my homie D4M Skiano,” $loan says. “We blew up from being the biggest drill artists in the tri-states of Philly, Jersey, and Baltimore. It was creative drill music. There wasn’t much dissing.”
$loan hopes to keep it that way. He likes to have fun and see others around him have fun, especially when it’s to his music. He’d instead put out lyrics that people can relate to and rap along to. He says the constant dissing is oversaturated — It’s time for the community to dance, have fun, and rap along to songs about succeeding and real-life experiences.
“My female fanbase has grown since my last two songs,” he says. “I don’t usually rap toxic, but I mixed it up with toxic, and the women loved that it was coming from me. They’re not love songs. They’re thug songs.”
His female fanbase has grown even more since his recent freestyle on On The Radar. He also performed “Lady Gaga,” Philly Edition. It’s safe to say his music is for everyone. Even if you don’t relate to his lyrics (which you probably will to some degree), it’s impossible not to dance to. His music is so catchy in a way that he raps flawlessly on top of every beat. He also switches up his voice on each song, sometimes in between verses of the same song. When it comes to his songwriting process, he’s able to freestyle on the spot, as well as take his time to create a song or project, like I Couldn’t Decide.
“When I first signed, I was in a studio inside an Airbnb for a month,” $loan says. “I didn’t use any of those songs, but I did a bunch of recording a year later in Philly, New York, Atlanta, and Houston. I met with many different producers, like Dizzy Banko, Violation, Just Diego, Mini Boom, and Cash Money AP.”
Aside from his extensive collaborations and wild lyrics, $loan is known for his signature upbeat flow. He says he wants to continue that flow with more expansive collaborations like Drake, Sexyy Red, Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, and more.
“I might not go to the studio for two months because I don’t want to record anything mediocre,” he says. “I want every batch of music I record to be a hundred times better than the last music I recorded.”
At the end of the day, $loan says a Grammy nomination would help skyrocket his career. Until then, he wants to release more singles and projects and work with more women. He wants the world to know that he’s here — and he’s not going anywhere.
