COSIGN Hustle: Dre Prince Relocates to Brooklyn and Inspires Us All
Austin, TX native Dre Prince moves to Brooklyn, NY to pursue his music career.
Interview by: K.G. Graham | @cosignkg
Dre Prince a.k.a Dresqiat is a very good friend of ours at COSIGN, and of recent he became someone we look up to. This past June, I took a trip to Brooklyn to visit family and during my stay, Dre saw I was in the city and he reached out to link up. It was a good vibe hanging with a fellow Texas native/creative in a foreign city working and pursuing their dreams. We spent the evening train hopping, riding through Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, and a few other places. We talked music, culture, east coast living, and what he’s been up to since the move. But what intrigued me the most was how he took a leap of faith in order to push his career forward. Dre didn’t wait, he quit his job, called some friends, and made it work. With under $2,000 Dre Prince relocated from Austin to my place of birth Brooklyn and I was eager to see how the city has been treating him. One thing we can learn from him is, make no excuses!
As a Texas native, what was the drive behind moving to New York to pursue your dream as a music artist?
First and foremost, I love Texas and there’s no place else in the world like it, but in order to really reach the highest platform possible I have to be where the major media & business is. Everything & everyone you need to be around is either in NYC or LA. I chose NYC because opportunity opened its door for me with a place to stay at an affordable price & that’s what motivated the move.
When you left Austin what was your circumstances and survival plans? Did you have “X” amount of dollars saved? Did you have shows lined up? How did you plan on surviving in the big city?
I had a little under $2,000 saved for rent and living, it wasn’t planned to save, it was all I had at the time not tied into anything else. I had no shows planned but I made sure that I went and found shows to perform at. Literally the first day I arrived I went to 4 different shows and spoke to the curators and out of the ,4 one booked me. After that I started to slowly getting booked week after week until I had two shows a week. I know in Texas that would be too much but in NYC it’s faster there and there’s different consumers at each show.
Most people are intrigued with struggling artists, without a job how are you making ends meet in NY?
Before moving to NYC I had a stable job working solely to invest into my career, but when the opportunity came for me to stay in NYC I left the job and made the leap. I’m not going to lie, it’s a tough story. I’ve struggled, I still struggle at times, but when people in the great city of New York know who I am it feels like the best pay off until the big pay off. To answer your question, I sell CDs, I do side jobs, and I help promote events just to eat and pay bills. Family members help out whenever they can as well.
How has your stay been so far in NY? Tell us the positives and negatives you’ve faced since relocating?
OK, first off it’s Fun As Hell! Everything is much faster and there’s always something going on. The big brand we all love and look up to in TX are always hosting events and it’s easy to meet these people to try to help or be apart of future events.
Positive: You can be here without a car and get anywhere & you meet people from all over he world.
Negative: You get tired of moving around without a car. Everything is mere expensive than in TX.
We love your latest video #WBTN2. Where in New York did you film it and how hard was it finding a NY director?
Thank You, it’s my favorite thus far. We shot most of the scenes in the neighborhood where I live in, Bedstuy. The director is a friend of mine from North Carolina & we met through Denzel Curry, who he mainly shoots for. His name is David Wept.
What’s day to day life like for you now in NY? Take us on a journey from waking up until you lay it down.
Ok let me take you on a Day to Day with Dresqiat himself.
First I wake up in the most peaceful way possible to the intro music from Coming to America. The most important two things I can’t start my day without is a good breakfast and dental hygiene rituals. I’m usually up early around 8am. I play a few rounds In Super Smash Brothers on N64, listen to a few beats & freestyle for about 30 minutes. I then get dressed and leave the apartment and go into Manhattan and go by a few boutiques and check out what’s new in the fashion world & then I make my way to my manager’s office and see how much we need to do to get closer to our goals. Once that is done, I usually get a call to go to party with the exclusives. Then after partying all night around 1am I go to the studio & cook up some heat.
What advice do you have for other artists who want to leave smaller markets and pursue their dreams full time in markets such as L.A. or New York?
If you believe this is what you really want to do, just believe & work as hard as you can. Invest and plan. Set goals & go for them. Things might not take off quickly but that doesn’t mean you give up. Go hard and handle it. There are many ways to make money, find the best way to spend less and make more when it comes to moving to the bigger cities and try to network as much as you can.
What are your future plans? Do you plan on making NY your permanent home or going back to Texas anytime soon?
I could never stay in NY permanently. It’s not my type of place to be. The people are too consumed with making money and not losing time out their day that they forget to live. I will always have TX my home or some place similar.
Tell us how the hustle differs in NY than Texas.
In Texas, we hustle face to face. There aren’t many major labels and media outlets there so the best hustle is getting the people. In NYC, it’s like that as well but it can also be as easy as knowing someone who can introduce you to the right A&R and they’ll take you up from there.
Name someone you #COSIGN from NY, and why.
The homie Slim Dollars. He hustles & I see it. When someone is putting in work you can’t help but show love.