Don Modus Discusses “Dark Knight,” His Dual Essence, And Embracing Life’s Choices
Don Modus, an ambitious hip hop artist, releases “Dark Knight,” a compelling follow-up to earlier hits like “Crocodile Tears,” “On Sight,” “Couldn’t Be Me,” “Big Time,” “East 2 West,” and “Man Of The House.” Inspired by Batman, Modus emphasizes the connection between their personas, both utilizing masks to emphasize inner worth over outward appearance. Their shared trait of balancing a polished public image with hidden passions further drives this connection.
The artist also reveals that the line “You can’t choose the life you wanna live, you gotta let it choose you” resonates with his journey as Modus didn’t initially plan to be a rapper, but the path unfolded naturally. Don viewed his successes as signs from the universe and embraced this unexpected calling. The challenges of fame are tackled through his transparent approach, sharing both the positive and negative.
- Find Out More: “Big Time” Artist Don Modus Reveals Why He Got Into Rapping
“Dark Knight” reflects Modus’ ability to channel hardships into his musical passion. Despite personal setbacks, he derives strength from these experiences. Following this new single, Don is busy working on his upcoming EP, What It Takes, which delves into themes of loyalty, debt repayment, and the relentless pursuit of goals. This title signifies the rapper’s willingness to push beyond limits to achieve success.
What inspired you to incorporate Batman as your muse for “Dark Knight”? How did you relate to the legendary superhero’s spirit and apply it to your music?
I relate to a lot of plotlines we see in Batman. For starters, the most obvious parallel is that we both incorporate masks into our characters. I use a mask in my branding as a way to tell people that their appearances don’t matter. It’s more important what values you hold and how you conduct yourself. Just like Batman, I tend to keep a clean cut appearance during the day, but I secretly spend a lot of time in the streets. I’m not beating up bad guys though, I’m hustling. I can’t get into too much details but I do what needs to be done so I can keep funding this music journey.
You mention the line “You can’t choose the life you wanna live, you gotta let it choose you.” Can you share a personal experience or turning point in your life where you felt this message strongly resonated with you?
Yes, of course I’m glad you picked up on that. I never grew up wanting to be a rapper. This life just chose me. I noticed that a lot of popular rap songs contain lyrics that were mirroring my own life. And even when I did begin rapping, I had a lot of doubts. I didn’t aggressively start chasing this passion until I saw success around me. It’s almost like the universe was encouraging me down this path and I’m not the type of person to argue with the universe. If you choose a life that doesn’t choose you, you’re going to find it to be very difficult.
Considering that the song hints at the challenges of fame, how do you balance your public image with the private battles you face, and how does this duality influence your creative process?
I’ve been sharing bits and pieces of my life with my audience for about five or six years now. That means that they witnessed a lot of my development and along the way saw some cringey moments. It’s just important to know that those little moments on social media don’t define you. You can always control your narrative if you tune out the crowd noise and focus on your craft.
Is Batman your favorite superhero? Do you see similarities between yourself and the character’s dual nature?
There’s a few things that I like about Batman. I like that his persona isn’t the only thing he’s got going for him. During the day he’s still Bruce Wayne. He’s still a billionaire driving fast cars, getting important work done. Secondly, I like that he’s inherited all this wealth, but only uses it to help facilitate his higher purpose; protecting those around him. I find this to be very noble and inspirational. I, too, want to make it to the top so I can help the people around me.
“Dark Knight” inspires resilience and the rejection of negativity. Can you recount a particular instance when you encountered an obstacle and explain how you transformed it into a driving force to fuel your passion for music?
Too many instances… I’ve been robbed, set up, lost friends, lost relationships etc. Probably the worst feeling I ever had was when I was breeding my two French bulldogs. I did everything right, cared for them, spared no expense, but then the vet I trusted to perform the C-section basically committed malpractice. They lied to me about their procedures and decided to pull my dog’s litter way too early.
I was supposed to have six healthy pups, but ended the day with only one. I was essentially unable to do anything while losing one every hour due to prematurity. I got a small amount of money back from the vet, but nothing compared to what I paid, or the heartbreak I faced. I was pretty down for a while but I still had one beautiful dog that I named “Miracle” and he grew up happy and healthy. If I let the depression affect my efforts with him, he might’ve passed as well. I try to remember that day anytime I think things are rough.
Having collaborated with Dapp Fetti on your recent releases, are there any other producers you’re interested in working with in the future?
I’ve got a mutual friend with producer Saucemankeys in Atlanta. I got a few beats from him that I’ve been working on. Going to be dropping one of the tracks on my upcoming EP. Dapp Fetti is near me so he’s easy to work with.
Fans are looking forward to the forthcoming EP. Can you give us a glimpse of what to expect from it, and how your personal growth and experiences have shaped its content?
The EP is titled ‘What It Takes’ and it explores the themes of loyalty, repayment of debts, and doing whatever it takes to achieve your goal. I named it that, because that’s how I feel about this rap journey. I’m too deep in, I’m really willing to do whatever it takes. I’m not just saying that either, people who know me have seen my work ethic. Doing what it takes isn’t only about music either. It can be about parents who work long shifts in order to feed their kids. It can be about anybody who wants to achieve their goal by any means necessary, pushing themselves beyond their comfort limits and reaching their full potential.
Listen to “Dark Knight” below:
