Ryland Staples | Staff Writer
Dontius, signee of 36 Chambers ALS label, has released his EP, The Fourteenth. The R&B EP is equal part soothing and soulful.
Listening to The Fourteenth is a great way to chill out after a hard day of classes.
When Dontius set out to make an EP, he wanted to combine the things he loved. He loves Valentine’s Day, as it embodies the aspects of what R&B songs are all about.
He wants his songs to exude the feeling of closeness with a significant other and the feeling of “[always having someone’s] best interest in mind,” Dontius said.
He wanted “the sensitivity and emotion of the EP to bring something out of the people that listened to it.”
When Dontius was beginning the process of writing this EP, he sat down and tried to channel some of his favorite artists.
He said, “I try to go after some of my favorite artist when I’m writing, like Marvin Gaye and James Brown.”
When you first play the EP, you are greeted with the strong and upbeat vibes of “Fighter.” The hook tells listeners that Dontius is really fighting for the one he loves.
He outlines how much he cares for her and how he will always be there to fight on her behalf. In the hook of the song, he says, “I’m a fighter, till there ain’t nothing left, till there ain’t nothing left.”
According to an interview with Vibe, “RZA’s protégé has been practicing his craft since an adolescent; but it [wasn’t until he was] shot in the leg at a house party that [Dontius] realized how short life is.” He immediately began taking his music career seriously.
Always having been a fan of love songs, he’s always wanted to try to put those feelings in song form. With him being signed to the 36 Chambers ALC
Label, he had a chance to do just that.
“I am excited to be the first artist to launch on 36 Chambers ALC with my 4-song EP,” he said. “We also included three more songs on the EP to give you a sample of what’s to come.”
When asked who the muse was behind the song “Love you Down” on the EP, he said that it was first made by one of his musical idols, a group called, “Ready for the World.”
Since that group had a large impact on his life, he wanted to give the song “a modern spin.”
“I wanted to give it my own twist and be able to turn it into my own anthem of appreciation of women,” he said.
Dontius also has advice for up-and-coming music artists at Hampton.
“Try to get to know yourself, make sure that the music you would be making is you, not you trying to copy someone else,” he said.
“Know your strength and weaknesses and build on that. Most of all, trust in God and trust in your own spirit.”
The Hampton Script 