Grammy-Winning Singer/Dongwriter Donald "DeP" Paige Is Throwing His Music And Message In The Political Ring With New, Soulful Mixtape "This Sh*t Can't Wait"
New York, NY (Top40 Charts) With the election season heating up, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Donald "DēP" Paige (pronounced Deep) is throwing his music and message in the political ring. With his latest, soulful mixtape "This Sh*t Can't Wait," the artist sings about topics of racism, sexism and gender and sex equality. On the last day of Black History Month, the artist is encouraging and empowering music lovers around the country to activate your activism. Following in the footsteps of iconic singers/songwriters like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, DēP is part of the next wave of musical artists, like Beyoncé, Jay Z, Janelle Monàe and Kendrick Lamar, using his music to politically engage a generation.
"This Sh*t Can't Wait* mixes the soulfulness of R & B and the fusion of sounds of Afrobeats with rap, hip hop, gospel and dance and Jersey club music, delivering a contemporary political cry that he hopes will awaken a nation. "When you think of activism, the whole point is to inspire people to get active," he said. "Get active in your thinking! Get active in educating yourself! Get active in calling things out! Get active in unifying the culture!" DēP was inspired to work on "This Sh*t Can't Wait" after collaborating on the single, "Spirit," for Beyoncé and performing "Glory" with Grammy winners John Legend and Common at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. These two projects help water a seed of using his music for purpose, instilled in him as a kid, growing up in Houston, Texas and influenced by his involvement with such community leaders as the late former Texas state legislature Al Edwards and the incomparable late Shirley Joiner, co-founder of the renowned Southeast Inspirational Choir.
The genre-bending artist released the concept-themed and socially-conscious mixtape in November 2023 as a way of of having his say in this election year. With a combination of innovative word play and energetic vocal delivery, this audio appetizer serves up extraordinary sonic vibrations, including coursed liberations from singles "Movin & Shakin" and "Bi In" to soul stirring "Hoods Off" and "It Aint Ever Enough." And as "Boxes" boldly suggest, the boundaries of genre are courageously burst wide-open.
"My music has a purpose outside of my passion," said DēP. "I love music, but this is the first project I worked on that I've been able to create and collaborate freely with some amazing producers and not worry about whether it will be played on the radio, but instead create something that's for the good of the culture," he said.
The mixtape include radio-friendly singles "Movin' & Shakin', which sparked a dance challenge in Bahia, Brazil that is growing internationally, as well as "No Black Dummies," which blends Afrobeats with a southern quartet-style of vocals, encouraging African Americans to not "dumb it down," but stand up and reclaim their legacy.
For this project, DēP collaborated with award-winning producers like Mark Byrd (Kanye West, Travis Scott, Jack Harlow, Rapsody), BizKit & Butta (John Legend, Miguel, Ne-Yo), Ray Quasi Nelson (John Baptiste and Drake) and Bo Lamar (Usher, Beyonce, Jay Z, Nipsey Hustle).
This Sh*t Can't Wait" speaks unapologetically to the state of Blackness in Black America. It's a love letter to the iconic leaders of the Civil Rights Movement who pushed progress forward and a contemporary cry to mobilize music fans, and remind them to "stay woke" because the struggle continues. "This is a very important year. This election will have the power to pivot the country in one direction or another. And we need to pay attention and actively engage to make sure we're pushing the country in the direction we want," he said.
THIS SH*T CAN'T WAIT | production notes
• Released on November 16, 2023 by Think DeP Entertainment
• UPC: 840405722172 / 840405730726 (clean)
• Radio Package: Think DeP Entertainment
To listen to the mixtape "This Sh*t Can't Wait" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mCbQ6_ea0UXBYMSBR28NKtwzacoQScBR0
For a visual snippet from the mixtape "This Sh*t Can't Wait" on YouTube:
Donald "DēP" Paige is a Grammy-winning and four-time Grammy-nominated recording artist and songwriter as well as an actor, a model and an author, based in Los Angeles. DēP released his debut EP, "For Me," in 2005, and followed up three years later, with the EP, titled "The Truth." In 2016, he released hist first album, "Think DēP Reloaded," including the popular single, "Red Light Pt. II." He earned a Grammy Award for his work on Kanye West's album, "Jesus Is King," as a member of the award-winning rapper's Sunday Service Choir. "Jesus Is King" took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2021, and broke several records on the Billboard charts. His work on multiple Grammy-winner Beyonce's song, "Spirit," for the soundtrack of "The Lion King," nabbed him additional Grammy nominations.
DēP's music is influenced by artists such as Donny Hathaway, Missy Elliott, Yolanda Adams, and Tank among others. He has shared the stage and opened up for prominent award-winning recording artists as Beyonce, Kanye West, John Legend, Chance the Rapper, Alicia Keys, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, Andra Day, and Ne-Yo - just to name a few. DēP has also performed at 2016 TV Land Awards, 2016 ESPY Awards and 57th Annual Grammy Awards. He's also featured in a Super Bowl LVIII commercial this year with Usher, promoting Uber Eats and ranking #4, according to USA Today's Ad Meter.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, DēP is part of a musical family with extensive roots in gospel music. Many of his family members are charter members of the renowned Southeast Inspirational Choir, which propelled the careers of gospel artists such as Yolanda Adams, Brenda Waters, Shirley Joiner, Carl Preacher, Rise Joiner-Peters, Angela Bennet and Greg Curtis. He is a founding member of Kanye West's gospel group, Sunday Service Collective.
DēP is a member of the Beta Beta chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. For more information about DēP, visit ThinkDeP.com
