“One Route Entertainment probably won’t be around in the next couple of years,” D-Maub told Rapzilla. “It is difficult to say. I can’t say that I see myself being a part of it as much as I used to be. I just see it coming to an end pretty soon. I mean, I can’t rap forever.”
It has been said that rappers do not retire. They just run out of inspiration. Such is the case these days with D-Maub, who has released six studio albums.
Since the start of his career, Christian hip hop has picked up drastically. D-Maub claims that it is much harder to keep up with the competition since there are so many more rappers making music.
“If you want to stay in the game, you have to constantly be in the studio, chopping up projects,” D-Maub said. “Otherwise, you get lost and forgotten.”
Although D-Maub’s career is coming to a close, a collaboration project with a fellow Cincinnati native is still in the works for a summer release in 2016.
“K-Drama and I are working on an album, but it’s been slow,” D-Maub said. “Our schedules are so busy that it has been hard to make it happen. We definitely don’t want to rush it. We’re only one song in, but we should be able to finish it by next year.”
D-Maub’s Outreach Ministries
D-Maub’s clothing line, Good Company Apparel, is approaching its one-year anniversary. Their goal is to aspire individuals to wear clothes that represent who they are as individuals while encouraging them to keep good company.
“My nephew was riding with someone in a car. The guy jumped out and robbed somebody at gunpoint. My nephew served six years for just being in the car with the guy,” D-Maub said. “So, the motto is to keep good company.”
D-Maub makes it a point to include unbelievers by excluding Bible scriptures within his clothing line.
“For my brand I wanted it to go beyond the saints and believers,” D-Maub said. “My music has been Christian hip hop, but my clothing line is not because I don’t think clothing lines should have titles like that. I want the clothes to be positive but still fashionable.”
Music has slowed down for D-Maub due to two reasons. Not only does he have his own clothing line to manage, but he is also the pastor of Love & Grace Outreach.
“‘Donny, you are a pastor,’ is what I have heard most of my career,” D-Maub said. “Most fans have come up to tell me that I should be a pastor, but I would always blow them off because I didn’t ever want the burden that comes with it. August of 2014 was when I finally accepted that being a pastor is God’s calling.”
This year will be the semi-launching of Love & Grace Outreach. It is based on a belief that there is not enough love and grace being shared outward from Christian circles.
“The first Sunday of September is the launch,” D-Maub said. “I really want to break down a lot of traditions with this outreach ministry. I want to do something different. I don’t want to be bound by man’s traditions that aren’t accurate with the Bible. I want to utilize young people in every way possible for the positive.”
D-Maub is positive that these new avenues are the right ones to travel down. The conclusion of his rap career now clear, there will still be opportunities for music. Whether it includes a feature role on various projects or occasional assistance in shooting music videos, one thing is certain: D-Maub is a veteran to be remembered.
“I’ll still mix and master, record people and shoot music videos. God just has other plans for me where I’ve lost the desire to rap,” he said. “I am just so grateful to the Christian hip-hop family for all that they have done for me. I will be forever blessed.”
Buy D-Maub’s most recent album The Missing Peace on iTunes or Amazon.
