Who are you? Where are you from? What is your background / nationality?

To everyone who knows me for my music, I am Dashius Clay or as most people call me, Red Baron or even just Red. I am a rapper,singer, and producer in layman’s terms, but I’m really an overall artist. I was born in Cali, Colombia and raised in Miami, FL. I came to this country when I was 6 so while this may be my home its extremely important for me to always know where I came from.

How did you get your Artist name?

Im so exhausted from telling this story, but I was opening one night for Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Trina, and a couple of other artists one night when right before I went on stage I was asked my name. It was basically just “Dash” at the time but the woman basically told me to get passed her I needed a full name. To be honest, I don’t know where it came from but i just said “Dashius Clay” for whatever reason. She looked up and said “Wow, I love that name” and let me get backstage. When it was my time to perform, the announcer said “I love the name of our opener, it sounds famous already, Dashius Clay”. It gave me such a good first impression I stuck with it. When I grew my beard everyone started calling me Red Baron and I took a liking to that. Its not an alter ego or anything its just my artist names nickname.

What motivated you to get into Music?

The story my family tells me is that my Aunt Xenia would always put music to my moms stomach and when I was born she made sure I always had a boom box next to me. My grandma was always the lead of the church choir so she was always pushing me to play instruments and sing. I started playing piano at 9 years old and kept winning 2nd place at all the city and state tournaments. I tried a few other instruments and just kind of never felt like I was doing enough. When I got introduced to rap, I fell in love once I saw and felt the instant reaction from cyphers and shows. It created a bug in my stomach to want to do and be more. The more I grow into my career the more that still grows because of how much of an effect I see it has on my fans. It has opened so many other doors as well for me to keep creating and helping others. I could never imagine doing anything else.

What makes you unique / stand out as an Artist compared to the rest?

Most people will say it’s the fact that I have so many different styles and styles of songs I have released or just how good I can rap/sing. I have produced for Kendrick Lamar, had charted records with my EDM releases, millions of plays with my Rap albums, done visuals for 95% of my releases, engineered at least 90% of my own records, engineered for XXXtentacion, and even produced great albums and songs for people the likes of pornstar Veronica Rodriguez or BWA Ron. There is basically nothing that I can’t accomplish if properly inspired. A lot will say you can only master one thing, but in entertainment it is really different. You have to always use your own talents and energies to bring certain elements to a project. Sometimes I’m more useful writing, sometimes I’m better off producing, or it can even be sometimes my best addition is just being present and providing an energy that only I possess.

Let our readers know some of the names of people you have worked with?

XXXTentacion, Skimask the Slump God, Kendrick Lamar, Chief Keef, BWA Ron, Swagg Man, OG Boobie Black, Curren$y, Mariah, Funkwell, Khaotic, Smash David, Swagg Man, Veronica Rodrigeuz, Gill Graff, Emilio Rojas, and more. I always remember working with XXXtentacion because we were alike in a sense that we had tunnel vision for our ideas which caused us to not agree a lot of times. Him and Skimask The Slump God were always great energy in the studio though because they truly had just started gaining a lot of fans and knew how important the music was for them. With Swagg Man who is really famous in France, it is watching him make songs come to life in different languages that sometimes even he doesn’t know. He is master and getting people excited and I learned a lot from working with him.

What are somethings you would like to achieve and why?

It would take forever to go thru that list at any level and most days it changes, but today I am going to say a Nobel Peace Prize. Artists don’t usually get awards like that, but I think if I’m creating music for people that doesn’t generally make them do anything negative than why not? Music is the heart and soul of life, how could we not be looked at as important as the contribution of a scientist or philanthropist? Of course I wouldn’t mind a Grammy or 30, or multi-platinum plaques, but to me those are a given.

What are some past achievement worth mentioning?

To go on Google last week and see my net worth. I’m rich bitch!

On a personal level, how would you describe yourself in detail?

Hard to answer, cause I kind of know I am not that normal, but I also know that doesn’t make me a bad person in any way. I think I’m a pretty chill person who likes to joke around any chance I get. I’m obsessed with my music and my projects so its safe to say I’m a workaholic. I’m extremely private about my personal life, I’m devoted to my fans, and I’m a carnivore.

What is your latest single? What are you working on?

My latest single is “I’m Tired Of” which is a feature for YJ, and also “Believe” which is a feature for Young Flock. Both songs are phenomenal in every sense of the word. Regardless of if I’m biased or not, I think those are hands down 2 of my best releases.

In this music industry, what is something you learned the hard way?

To trust record labels. I always knew I had to protect myself and be careful, but even with that I have been snaked out of money. Early on I almost signed a deal where my signing bonus was like $1,000 and somehow my manager was going to receive $250,000. Needless to say I left my management and didn’t sign. F***k you Jefe.

In 5 years, where do you see yourself in the music industry and why?

I see myself as the most successful artist, producer, and creative in music. I imagine I will be involved in a ton of projects helping people reach their wildest visions and bring their dreams to life. I always wanted to try acting so I would like to have been in a few movies where I don’t die in the first 10 minutes.

Who were some music influencers you listened to while growing up? What do you remember when you think about them?

Growing up I listened to just about everything. I have always been obsessed with Michael Jackson, Kanye West, Sade, Barry White, Nirvana, Jay-Z, Nas, and countless more. I grew up in the MTV era so for me seeing all those artist drop videos was inspiring to me. I use to always imitate them performing and singing.

To close out for your current and future fans, what are some last words and shout outs you want to give?

Im going to be announcing the release date for my #RED album any day now so stay tuned, and shoutout to all the people who get up every day and go as hard as they can.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/DashiusClay

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DashiusClay

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DashiusClay

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/DashiusClay

Email address: DashiusClay@gmail.com