Profile on Darrell “Dmac” Davis

By Jamela Gibson

Born and raised in Harlem, New York, Darrell Davis is an educated 20 year old Criminal Justice major with a lot of potential. With a rugged, “gangster” look, who would have thought he’s full of book smart and street smarts?

Excerpted from “Successful” by Darrell “Dmac” Davis. “I’m tryna find a way to be successful without being regretful so I inhale a chestful of marijuana smoke and I know it ain’t know joke cuz I wandered down this road to success repressed with no place to go. Nowhere to place my faith it’s all too real but I know success erases pain. Success erases debt and I ain’t made it yet I’m on this quest to success.”

Sitting at the table playing with his blackberry, and looking around as if he’s being watched. Sitting in front of me is Darrell Davis a 20 year old college senior who’s major is Criminal Justice.

As I ask him where his poetry comes from, he sits and absorbs the question, and then picks up his phone. Within matters of seconds he says in his monotone voice. “My poetry comes from pain, life experiences and struggles. Just hopes and dreams basically.”

As I ask him he does poetry he clears his throat and says “people on Def Comedy Jam inspire me such as sciryl (Lyrics spelled backwards) and Mos Def, my mother she’s a poet, and all the injustices do as well. I try to be socially conscience about whatever I write about.”

“I started rapping at 14, and poetry is just like rap so...actually rapping has kept me calm and I made a lot of friends through it.”

Being the second oldest to his eldest sister he explains to me his dreams, and he says “my dreams for poetry and me being a lawyer is bigger than no one can ever know.

I write poetry for people to understand words on a different level rather than just the same word from word as you see in a textbook.”

“Life is just a game and success will bring you pain, and what do I give success blood sweats and tears empty dreams that may never come true; if you willing to lose your soul for this then what does it mean to you.”

As we make eye contact for a brief second he looks down at his phone to see the time and he says I have to go but to leave you with this quote…”I know success erases pain.”

As he leaves I am lost for words and nearly speechless with the intelligence that Darrell “Dmac” Davis has at such a young age. If you spoke to him on the phone you would think he was a man in his early thirties that’s been through almost everything you can think of. But that’s what makes Darrell unique.