Dilan Jay
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Dilan Jay |
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Dilan Jayasingha better known internationally by his stage name DeLon is an American rapper and record producer.
DeLon is the first Sri Lankan artist ever to place on the U.S. Billboard charts, first with his single "Calor de la Salsa"[1] in 2005 off of his debut album The Connection and then again in 2007 with his single "Nasty Girl" from his sophomore album Unstoppable[2]
On April 5, 2008, DeLon won "Best Rap Performance" at the first ever Derana Music Video Awards in Sri Lanka.
He has also collaborated with newage Sri Lankan Hip Hop artists and producers such as Bathiya and Santhush, Ranidu, Ashanthi and Iraj. He is currently working on his next album The Revolution.
Early career
After experiencing the devastation of his country of Sri Lanka, as a first-hand survivor, by the Tsunami[1] of 2004; DeLon is determined to shed light and positivity to worldly atrocities of famine, and racial and cultural injustices by posting informative videos on the subject through his Youtube channels "ceylonrecords"[3] and "Therevolutiontube"[4].
The Connection (2005)
DeLon made his debut in 2005 with The Connection, which featured "Calor de la Salsa" as the lead single. "Calor de la Salsa" peaked at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.[5] and established DeLon as the first Sri Lankan to ever chart on the Billboard Charts. The Connection united hip hop listeners of all cultures as it features eclectic beats of different styles of cultural music mixed with American hip hop. With roots in salsa, samba, reggae, soca, Sri Lankan, Indian and Middle Eastern music, The Connection is an album that unites all cultures through international hip hop. As reviewed by YRB Magazine,
"Hitting the rap game from all sides, [DeLon] manages to be 'concious' and 'street' on the same album...a seamless merger of hot production, a catchy hook and the lyrical precision of a young Talib Kweli." - Yellow Rat Bastard (YRB) Magazine, Issue ..61 "The Connection" Review.
The Connection was released through DeLon's record label, Ceylon Records.
Unstoppable (2008)
DeLon's sophomore album, Unstoppable was originally meant for promotional use and only had 10,000 copies made to be sold at shows but due to the success of the Unity Through Education Tour[2], which DeLon headlined, the stock sold out. Unstoppable was then made available digitally through iTunes in February 2008. The first single, "Nasty Girl", featured Sri Lankan R&B singer Ranidu and debuted at number 36 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart[6].
Controversy
In July 2008, DeLon released a controversial video accusing Interscope artist M.I.A. of supporting terrorism. The video was taken down by YouTube allegedly by the request of Universal Music Group (M.I.A.'s parent label). DeLon's music label contacted YouTube due and the video was put back up four weeks later only to be taken down once more two weeks after that. M.I.A. has responded by saying:
"I don't support terrorism and never have," she wrote. "As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee. Frankly, I am not trying to start dialogue with someone who is really just seeking self-promotion."
Discography
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Connection | Debut album |
| 2007 | Unstoppable | Digital release only |
| 2007 | The Reality Mixtape | Free Mixtape |
References
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=353&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Singles+Sales&ci=3062772&cdi=8491317&cid=11%2F26%2F2005
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=353&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Singles+Sales&ci=3086435&cdi=9395872&cid=09%2F22%2F2007
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/ceylonrecords
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/therevolutiontube
- ^ "Calor de La Salsa", Billboard.com
- ^ "Nasty Girl", Billboard.com
- ^ http://billboard.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1179054.htm <-Billboard
- ^ http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b22295_mia_paper_planes_on_tear_terror.html <- E Online