Funky DL started earning props when his music received regular air play on stations such as Kiss FM, Choice FM and Radio one by the likes of veteran Jockeys such as DJ 279, Max LX and Dave VJ and Tim Westwood.
In 1996 Funky DL went on to win the well known Fosters Ice Breakers competition and released his first record The Individual, this consequently led to DL being firstly offered a two single deal with Almost records which developed further into an album deal with Almo Sounds and a publishing deal with Rondor Music.
Equipped with unlimited studio access, DL set about crafting his debut album Classic Was the Day. The album was released in the late summer of 1997 and was widely received by the UK’s hip hop fraternity and veered DL on to win a MOBO award for the best hip hop act of 1997.
In the same year Funky DL went on to remix records for artists such as Missy Elliott, Keith Sweat, Adina Howard, and Connor Reeves, as well as going on to spearhead The London All-stars project (a collaboration of London's finest rappers) including MCD, Blak Twang, TY, Skinnyman, ESP, Kwestmann, Q-Tee, Phoebe One, Fallacy and Rodney P. This was a unique one of a kind release and stunned the scene as no record had ever before been released with such a high profiled caliber of rappers from the UK.
In 1998 DL signed to an independent label “Utmost Records” and released his sophomore album Heartfelt Integrity. Another MOBO nomination was presented which reflected DL’s consistency and helped him to further cement his name and efforts in the scene.
Funky DL went on to tour Australia, France and Israel, the latter being an unusual destination for rappers but was overwhelmingly received, returning to London to support the likes of The Roots, K-Ci & JoJo, Ras Kas, Killah Priest, and stole the show in front of 3,000 people at the Hippodrome Leicester Square from an early Destiny's Child at the Choice FM 8th Birthday Party.
After a very rewarding year, DL left Utmost Records to run his own label Washington Classics and in 1999 Washington Classics released numerous Funky DL records including the 12-inch “Stoppin and Startin” which surprised many of DL’s critics because of the amazingly tight lyricism. DL released his third album “One Another” (a first for any rapper in the UK) which led to yet another MOBO nomination and propelled him to even greater heights, touring in Japan where his music was being so widely received.
Single-handed, Funky DL had earned himself the title of “the hardest working man in hip-hop”, now synonymous with his name. Another successful year saw DL support the superstar “Eminem” for his UK tour and was recalled in early 2000 to join Eminem and Dr. Dre in the Brixton Academy. 2000 also saw DL do his second tour of Japan and also fly out to New York to work with the rapper Miilkbone and also feature on Bobbito Garcia’s radio show along side N’Dea Davenport and hip hop heavyweight producer Easy Mo Bee...
Funky DL’s fourth album When Love Is Breaking Down was released which led to DL’s return to Japan for its promotion, Touching down at the infamous Club Harlem Shibuya Tokyo and making several public appearances in HMV stores in Tokyo and Yokohama for signing and performing tracks in store live.
DL spent the next few years expanding his name in Japan by licensing many albums to established labels and touring extensively in many cities across Japan such as, Tokyo, Osaka, Mito, Hamamatsu, Wakayama, Utsunomiya, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Gifu, Nagoya, Okayama, Yokohama and Akita. DL also used this period to write, produce for and record with his R&B outfit Thursdays Love. The Debut Thursdays Love album For the Love of Jazz and Thursdays was so well received in Japan it was re-released after being licensed by a major Label in Japan.
This led DL to go on to produce “Life When You’re Driving” a yet to be released album by R&B vocalist Dyanna Fearon featuring the incredible talents of Xantonè Blacq (Current Keyboardist for Amy Winehouse).
Funky DL then went on to New York to produce for an up and coming rapper from Far Rockaway Queens named Sekz, and featured with Sekz on The Showbiz and A.G single “The Street.” DL released his 5th and 6th albums Blackcurrent Jazz and The Classic Fantasy (The most vivid and vibrant Funky DL albums yet) which have been so widely received in Japan making DL one of the UK’s most unique international artists to date as no other UK hip-hop act has been able to equal Funky DL’s achievements from then till now..
In 2005 the album Street Love, which the UK smash “Little Mike” is taken from, was a special limited release, meanwhile the album Since 77 saw seen its Japanese release to co-inside with DL’s five date summer tour of Japan as well as the launch of the funkydl.com and website as DL started to prepare idea’s for what was to be the now evident The 4th Quarter album.
A Funky DL Greatest Hits album was released in Japan in 2006, marking DL’s many accomplishments and was well received followed by a Latin styled release of old titles re-recorded and remixed with fresh visions.
DL then took the fork in the road in late 2006 and once again decided to do something different by flying out to New York to clear his head and write what was to be Street Swagger. A 24 track promotional CD which was to be a completely free release for 2007 to celebrate 10 years since the birth of Washington Classics and also a decade since his first album emerged. The Washington Classics Street Team went out in the streets of London to circulate 10,000 CD’s in the capital at no charge as well as making 10,000 downloads available from the website again for no cost to the consumer and this promotion proved as an invaluable asset to DL’s whole outfit.
DL then intensively worked to complete the album The 4th Quarter, which he has himself remarked as one of his “greatest moments in his career creatively” as it embodies the 4 elements and styles which he specializes in. The album is segmented into 4 areas which represent soul, new age, jazz and authenticity and was a listening experience which intrigued even the most subtle of hip-hop heads there are.
In Early 2008 DL recorded a unique album entitled The Jazz That Was Forgotten, which was to be an album that concentrated on 10 musical instruments heavily used in Jazz where each track on the album was a representation of that instrument with the said instrument providing the prominent melody or break within the track. This album along with a best of album was released in Japan in September of 2008 and was met with great responses from hip-hop fans who appreciate the connoisseurship element to real music. In the meantime Funky DL co-wrote and produced an album entitled Imagine Me for UK sensation Lei-an and with the business experience he had picked up over the years, was the key player behind the project management of this release in November 2008.
The productivity didn’t stop there as DL went back into the studio to produce the album The Interview, released on BBE Records in 2009. The album concept structured as a radio interview with radio personality Dave VJ, where in between the tracks VJ asks DL a question and the very last words of DL’s answers are the titles of the proceeding track which often go on to elaborate on DL’s answer(s). The album was created to give the listener much more than just an album but an insight to DL’s thoughts, feelings and views on various music related topics as DL was aware that all the fans of his music are not always able to catch him on the radio and this serves as a highly interesting listen.
As a producer, DL was requested to submit some music for the famous MTV show “Runs House” and his contributions were aired in the final episode of season two “Baby Comes Home”
Funky DLAs no stranger to the studio DL started to work on a soulful dance music project with production collective Gemini Infinity and set about to craft the brilliant album LOVECHASEDREAM, which was immediately signed by a Japanese Record label and subsequently released in September of 2009. The project featured the creative talents of some of DL’s most favored collaborates including Xantonè Blacq, Giorgio Serci, Sienna, Dukus Alemay and Lei-an.
Again DL went straight back in the studio to produce The Comfort Zone, a new album by UK hip-hop artist Pyrelli, completely and solely produced by DL himself. This is the first “hip-hop” album Funky DL has ever produced for another MC and features a wider variation of his production styles than usual. At the same time DL produced a few track for “Little Brown Girl”, an up and coming R&B vocalist from East London as well as a few production credits for UK hip-hop sensation Klashnekoff for his forthcoming mix-tapes project.
DL then embarked on his first tour opportunity in Europe playing at “Banana Split” in Cologne, Germany in front of an audience at capacity and also The Merrker in Baden, Switzerland with surrounding European countries to follow.
Washington Classics then set up the release of “Funky DL / The Ultimate Collection”, a 36 track double CD encompassing the most favorable musical moments from DL’s entire history as a recording artist.
DL took a little twist in the road in January 2010 and recorded Back To Frank, an amazingly interesting conceptual album in which DL sampled moments from Grammy Award Winning artist Amy Winehouse and her debut album Frank, and recreated and reprogrammed these samples into a whole hip-hop album which was promoted as FREE online download to which the masses scooped up immediately with over 180,000 downloads to date.
In June 2010 DL then followed with Back To Rap, the sequel to Back to Frank, where he took on the creative sampling techniques lifting from Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album and again released this as a FREE online download, but this time including features from various UK urban acts such as Pyrelli, MCD, and Addictive, to name a few.
Also in 2010 funky DL released of his next studio album entitled A Classic Example of a… and did a 3 date tour in Japan in August performing in Tokyo and Osaka. On top of this Funky DL has recorded with Japanese Producers Melodiverse and CM Smooth, featuring their production as well as his own for his 2011 album Blackcurrent Jazz 2, which he himself remarks as “one of my best albums if not the..”
Blackcurrent Jazz 2 was an instant success with rave reviews of the genuine creativity and polish that brings the album together in such a refined and mature way. Funky DL also released a 4 album instrumental series entitled Cool Classic Jazzstrumentals, which encompasses some of the smoothest beats from his catalogue. DL visited Shanghai, China for the first time in July 2011 for a performance at the Casio "G-Shock - Shock The World Tour" and in addition, has explored further into Europe, performing shows in Berlin Germany (Club Cassiopeia) in September 2011 and also (The Merkker) in Badan, Switzerland in October 2011.
The frightening thing about all of DL’s accolades is that he feels as if this is just the beginning... So in summing up... For a young man who at 19 scored a 5 album deal with no management, won a MOBO and was the only X3 consecutive UK hip-hop nominee period, remixing for well known acts, travelling the world touring and producing for underground and established acts, owning and running a respected record label dealing with main stay labels… at the age of just 33 you could agree.. DL is the about one of the greatest and successful hip-hop inspirations the UK could offer!!!!
Thank You All the Same
Funky DL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want you to know that I'm just fine, 'cause with or without you I'm all in
Some people say why did I name my album Classic Was The Day?
Because I knew from the beginning I'ze about to pave the way
Some other Rappers didn't fuck with me, I didn't rhyme the same
And so they tried to throw they shade and talking shit around my name
That's kinda' lame, but didn't go from in and out my lane
They feel ashamed, 'cause everything they said was just in vain
But homie dripping from the tap don't match with twenty years of rain
Are you insane? If you could never see it from the start
I had this music in my heart and like Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth it's not a game
I went from people watching me on stage and taking photos with they bae
And now they sending messages with just a flame
And now I reminisce about days when I was living up in Dennison
Now look at everything that I became
Today I'm getting messages from people who were hating on me
Wanting to collaborate, but thank you all the same, no thank you all the same
Thank you all the same, but I'mma be OK from here on in
I want you to know that I'm alright, 'cause with or without you I'm all in
Some people say I am the hardest working brother on a team
And I've been putting out this music since the age of seventeen
I had no studio, so had to go wherever I could be
Until an Engineer named Dillon told me bout the MPC
I raised my two grand up to put my two grand down
'Cause I was sick of making music with a tin-pan sound
Got these beat makers looking at my wingspan now
And they be doing what I'm doing but this kid stands out
I'm so in love and it started from the sound I heard Shaheed, Tip
Phife, Maseo, Posdnuos and can't forget Trugoy the Dove
Mike G, Sammy B, Afrika, Dres, Mr. Lawnge
Jarobi, Queen Latifah and the sister Monie Love
Prince Paul and the rest of the Natives
'Cause they were so damn creative and yo' they music be fitting just like a glove
I really wish my music was released a little earlier than 1997
But I wasn't old enough, I wasn't old enough
Thank you all the same, but I'ma be OK from here on in
I want you to know that I'm just fine, 'cause with or without you I'm all in
In "Thank You All the Same," Funky DL expresses gratitude for the support he has received while also asserting his independence and resilience. He acknowledges that he doesn't need others to validate his worth or success, emphasizing that he is fine whether they are with him or not.
The song begins with DL appreciating those who have shown him support but asserting his confidence in being okay without them. It conveys a sense of self-assuredness and determination to continue his journey regardless of others' opinions. He wants his listeners to know that he is fully committed to his craft, regardless of who stands by his side.
DL then reflects on the title of his album, "Classic Was The Day," and explains why he chose it. He intended to pave the way for others in the industry, but some rappers didn't appreciate his unique style and tried to undermine him by spreading rumors and talking negatively about him. However, DL didn't let this deter him or affect his focus on his music. He asserts that their negativity was in vain and now they have no one else to blame but themselves for underestimating him.
He goes on to mention his inspirations in the industry, specifically referencing Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth. DL is proud to have music in his heart and wants to emphasize that making music is not just a game to him. He reminisces about the days when people would watch him perform on stage and take pictures with their significant others. Now, those same people reach out to him, wanting to collaborate, and he acknowledges them but also reiterates his gratitude for their support regardless.
In the final verse, DL highlights his journey as a musician, starting at a young age and persisting despite not having a proper studio. He credits an engineer named Dillon for introducing him to the MPC (a music production device), and he hustled to save up enough money to invest in his craft. He discusses how his music stands out among other beat makers and pays homage to influential artists in the hip-hop industry, such as A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, who made a significant impact on him.
DL concludes with a sense of longing, expressing a desire for his music to have been released earlier in his career. However, he acknowledges that he couldn't have achieved this earlier due to his age. Overall, the lyrics convey Funky DL's gratitude for support, determination to succeed on his own terms, and appreciation for the hip-hop artists who have influenced him.
Line by Line Meaning
Thank you all the same, but I'ma be OK from here on in
Although I appreciate your concern, I want you to know that I will be fine moving forward without your support
I want you to know that I'm just fine, 'cause with or without you I'm all in
Regardless of whether you are with me or not, I am fully committed and confident in myself
Some people say why did I name my album Classic Was The Day?
There are those who question why I chose the title 'Classic Was The Day' for my album
Because I knew from the beginning I'ze about to pave the way
I named it so because I was aware that I was going to create a path for others to follow
Some other Rappers didn't fuck with me, I didn't rhyme the same
Certain rappers didn't support me because I had a different style of rhyming
And so they tried to throw they shade and talking shit around my name
As a result, they attempted to criticize and speak negatively about me
That's kinda' lame, but didn't go from in and out my lane
Their actions were quite feeble, but I didn't allow them to distract me
And now they looking from a distance and they got no one to blame
Now, they observe from afar and have no one else to hold accountable
They feel ashamed, 'cause everything they said was just in vain
They experience embarrassment because everything they spoke was futile
But homie dripping from the tap don't match with twenty years of rain
However, their insincere admiration doesn't compare to my genuine devotion spanning two decades
Are you insane? If you could never see it from the start
Are you mad? If you were unable to recognize my potential from the beginning
I had this music in my heart and like Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth it's not a game
I possessed a deep passion for music, just like Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, and it wasn't merely a game to me
I went from people watching me on stage and taking photos with they bae
I transitioned from people observing me perform on stage to taking pictures with their significant others
And now they sending messages with just a flame
Now, those same individuals are messaging me with just a flame emoji, symbolizing their newfound admiration
And now I reminisce about days when I was living up in Dennison
Now, I recall the past when I resided in Dennison
Now look at everything that I became
Now, observe the extent of my achievements
Today I'm getting messages from people who were hating on me
Presently, I receive messages from individuals who used to dislike and criticize me
Wanting to collaborate, but thank you all the same, no thank you all the same
They now desire to work together, but I politely decline their offers, expressing gratitude nonetheless
Some people say I am the hardest working brother on a team
There are individuals who claim that I am the most diligent member of a group
And I've been putting out this music since the age of seventeen
I have been releasing my music since I was seventeen years old
I had no studio, so had to go wherever I could be
I didn't have a recording studio, so I had to make music in any available location
Until an Engineer named Dillon told me bout the MPC
It was only after an engineer named Dillon introduced me to the MPC (Music Production Center)
I raised my two grand up to put my two grand down
I saved up two thousand dollars to invest in my musical pursuits
'Cause I was sick of making music with a tin-pan sound
I grew tired of creating inferior quality music
Got these beat makers looking at my wingspan now
Now, other beat makers admire the range of my skills
And they be doing what I'm doing but this kid stands out
Although they attempt to imitate my style, I, as a young artist, stand out from the crowd
I'm so in love and it started from the sound I heard Shaheed, Tip
I am deeply passionate about music, and it all began when I listened to the sounds of Shaheed, Tip (Q-Tip)
Phife, Maseo, Posdnuos and can't forget Trugoy the Dove
The contributions of Phife, Maseo, Posdnuos, and Trugoy the Dove (Dave) are also significant and should not be overlooked
Mike G, Sammy B, Afrika, Dres, Mr. Lawnge
Additionally, individuals like Mike G, Sammy B, Afrika, Dres, and Mr. Lawnge have played a role in shaping my musical taste
Jarobi, Queen Latifah and the sister Monie Love
Jarobi, Queen Latifah, and Monie Love, who are like family to me, have also had an impact on my musical journey
Prince Paul and the rest of the Natives
Prince Paul and the rest of the Native Tongues collective have influenced me greatly as well
'Cause they were so damn creative and yo' they music be fitting just like a glove
Their exceptional creativity is evident in their music, which feels perfectly suited to their style
I really wish my music was released a little earlier than 1997
I genuinely wish that I had shared my music with the world before the year 1997
But I wasn't old enough, I wasn't old enough
Unfortunately, I was not mature or experienced enough during that time
Thank you all the same, but I'ma be OK from here on in
Once again, I appreciate your sentiments, but I assure you that I will be fine moving forward
I want you to know that I'm just fine, 'cause with or without you I'm all in
I want to emphasize that I am doing well, and my determination remains unwavering, whether you support me or not
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Naphta Newman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind