On The Come-Up: Deniro Farrar

Qushawan Farrar, aka Deniro Farrar, is a rising rapper born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina - specifically the Little Rock Apartments and the high-crime community of Tuckaseegee (704 Queen's City, CLT). Working with independent label Black Flag Records, he started gathering momentum in late 2010 with the release of Feel This, his 31-track debut mixtape. He's gone on to release several other projects since, and has been networking extensively, steadily gaining recognition from all the major blogs. He's also been collaborating with some of the most progressive young producers in the game. 

Farrar displays a crazy amount of passion for rap, both live and on record. His brutally honest lyricism is unmatched right now, and his work as a whole is a breath of fresh air amidst all the fakeness. His future's looking bright.

Read on for a breakdown of what he's doing right. 

We'd put money on Farrar being one of the realest rappers out right now. His raps are vivid and largely autobiographical, whether he's describing the gritty details of a criminal life or an illness within the family. There's a brutal honesty in his verses, whether his gruff tone is emotional or cold. 

The description he included with his latest project The Patriarch says it all: 

"[It was] written in some of the darkest and most bleak times in my life, this is my therapy. Facing indescribable personal trials and tribulations, coupled with my family crumbling as I watch my lil' bro and biggest supporter face a serious trial and jail sentence, I did the thing I was born to do. Write and express my life. Motivated by yall's support, that someone wanted to hear what I had to say, this emotional work was conceived. This is the light at the end of the tunnel." 

There's no facade here - Deniro reports from the field, and it's believable. One of eight children, his main motivation as a rapper is to support his extensive family, and as such, he doesn't have time for the bullshit. 

Read the second verse from 'Fears' (the first track above) below: 

[Verse 2]
Mind over matter but the matter is
The fact that we live with no time to give
Our fam', we throwin' money at our kids
They be starvin' for knowledge and I can see they ribs
No ambition for college, they sittin' at the crib
Sellin' drugs, probably be the next gettin' killed
On the block, it's 30 more just like 'em
I don't pawn 'til those crackers come and re-indict 'em
Chain smokin' blunts, now they searchin' for a title
That you earn in the 'hood cause you shot a rifle
Guns make niggas feel tall like the Eiffel
'Til somebody shoot 'em down and they body stifle
Fuck a magazine, you need to read the Bible
But the preacher steal money for his own survival
Or maybe I'm just taking notice
That in a room full of rappers, I'm the fuckin' coldest

Click the badge below to read the rest of the lyrics: 

Farrar's sound is always evolving thanks to the fleet of producers he works with. The list includes Clams Casino, Lunice, Blue Sky Black Death, Child Actor, BK Beats, Ryan Hemsworth, Sweatson Klank, Hot Sugar, Kira, Keyboard Kid, Friendzone, Young Citizen, In Silence Productions, K20, Flosstradamus, Different Sleep, Black Noi$e, SKYWLKR, Silky Johnson, Storm Watkins, nem720, David Heartbreak, SPADEZ, Bilal AMG, Oswin SM, Tree, Sines, DJ Kaliday and others.   

The fact that this many musicians have reached out to Farrar is a clear indication of things to come. He's open to experimentation, and seems capable of killing any instrumental, from trap to cloud.

Peep Deniro's recent collaboration with LA producer Sweatson Klank below, as well as his latest visual with Blue Sky Black Death:  

Other than the producers mentioned, Deniro has collaborated with Rapper Big Pooh, Pill, Haleek Maul, Killa Kyleon, Emilio Rojas, Shady Blaze, ST 2Lettaz, Main Attraktionz, Lushlife, Nacho Picasso and more. He's also shared the stage with Public Enemy, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Young Jeezy, Juvenile, Big K.R.I.T, Smoke DZA, Curren$y, Mike Posner, Nas, Damien Marley, Wale, Chiddy Bang, PAC DIV and Wiz Khalifa. 

Deniro's network is already impressive, and it only continues to grow. 

Peep his collaborative visual with Dow Jones and A. Moss below:

Since 2010's Feel This, Farrar has released three free albums (DESTINY. altered, The Patriarch and Kill Or Be Killed with Shady Blaze) and an EP (Cliff Of Death with Blue Sky Black Death). He considers Cliff Of Death his best work to date. "There wasn't no flaws in that shit - it was seven songs of perfection."

He's the only feature on Montreal producer Lunice's upcoming album, rapping on an as-yet unreleased track called 'Burnin' Bills'. He'll soon be releasing an EP with Ryan Hemsworth via Mad Decent, and is working with Skrillex's label OWSLA, Charli XCX, Spoek Mathambo and more. He's also working on an EP with a secret producer from his city that we'll be hearing from soon enough. 

Listen to DESTINY. altered, Cliff Of Death and Kill Or Be Killed in their entirety below. You can find and download The Patriarch in our mixtape section. 

Farrar's already started to build a collection of official music videos, each one creatively executed and different from the next. As is becoming increasingly common in the underground, he's made the most of low budgets, working closely with director Anthony Supreme of Red Audio Filmz. 

We appreciate the vision so far, and are looking forward to what his camp will come up with once funding becomes less of an issue - which it undoubtedly will. 

Peep the majority of the visuals below:

Live Show

"I put so much passion into the music when I perform, ma'fuckas can't help but be like 'yo, I fuck with this nigga'".

Deniro takes his live performances very seriously, and makes a point to pour all the energy and passion he can into each set. He's started to branch out over the course of the last year or so, and is patiently working toward spreading his message on an international level. 

Most recently, he played sixteen sets at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, participating in all the major showcases. Showing is much more effective than telling in this case, so we'll direct you below to a recap of his SXSW sets, footage of a recent performance in Plattsburgh, NY and the live-oriented video for '2 16s'.  

If Deniro happens to roll through your town in the future, we highly recommend you attend - he knows how to captivate and hold an audience, and should be globetrotting shortly. 

"I'm glad I'm not catching too quick, because that'd mean people ain't catching on to my movement... people are absorbing it, they're coming to it organically... niggas with substance, people don't catch on to them as quick, but when they do, they've got true fans."

There you have it - if you didn't know, now you know. Farrar's patiently aiming to win, and we have the utmost faith in him. Stay tuned for new tracks, videos and projects from this dude. He's just getting started.

Since performing at SXSW earlier this month he's been verified on Twitter, and his following is growing by the day. His music has been covered by Rolling Stone, MTV, Fader, Spin, DJ Booth, Vice/Noisey, The Smoking Section, Nah Right and more - Noisey actually just named him one of the top rappers to wach in 2013, and Pitchfork rated The Patriarch a 7.5. The list goes on. 

To give you a better idea of the man behind the mic, we'll leave you with an interview he did with MindBonics Media in August 2011. Although his career has progressed since then, and he's grown well beyond his native Charlotte, he hasn't let it change him as a person. 

Deniro Farrar is on the come-up, without a doubt. Be on the lookout. 

Oh, and free Tune.