East Orange, NJ duo Da Foundation presents the Pablo Productions-directed music video for "By Any Means", the new single produced by MannyBeats Chi from their forthcoming debut album Live... Suffer... Celebrate... Now residing in Greensboro, North Carolina, Da Foundation is comprised of brothers Mustaiin a.k.a. Mu and Malcolm a.k.a. Casso (watch the music video for previous single "33.6.20" on Youtube). Mu says the new single is about "beating the odds going against the set standard for society. Fk the rules.”
What inspired you guys to name your group Da Foundation?
Well thinking back when we first started we had no name just making music. As we started to take the craft more seriously and research the business of music we started to understand the importance of brand identity. Needless to say the actual name Da Foundation came in a day dream. From there it was brought up in a conversation and immediately loved and accepted. The name resonates with us because all things, big or small, are built from the bottom up and any form of greatness is as strong as its foundation.
You guys are relative newcomers to the national stage, yet you have the aura of vets. Tell us about your journey to this point in the game.
We've been grinding for 10 years and furthermore we have burned a lot of stages down from showcases to open mics. We spent two years in the streets moving our own mixtapes out the trunk where we used to post up at the BP and the Shell. In doing this we dropped 7 tapes from there we went on tour three different times. The first being 3 cities to 5 then the last time being 11 keeping in mind typos was self funded. After experiencing life on the road we felt it necessary to focus on the catalog and ultimately the Album and here we are a reflection on the hustle.
Why did you guys relocate from NJ to NC? What are the pros and cons of the move?
We didn’t really relocate, we were in school at the time and our choice of schools were located in North Carolina. I will say far as we are concerned there were less distractions towards the grind not to say we wouldn’t have accomplished the same in Jersey but NC is where we landed.
“By Any Means” evokes lots of dark imagery. What was the inspiration?
The “By Any Means” video is a direct reflection of the song which coincides with the perception that when an African-American man reaches a certain level in life and wealth means the devil or the illuminati is responsible for it. Music is energy positive and negative; you can’t have one without the other. With that said it is also art and dark art is a form of art we have chosen to step into. We sound different so our imagery is different. The message behind it vibrates stronger because the video is captivating.
Predictions for the rest of 2021?
2021 Da Foundation will continue to push forward. We will continue to release thought provoking music and videos. Keep the national stage tuned in and on notice. Growth will be seen and heard as we will continue morphing as artists for fans to live and adore. We so Alleyway 2 Broadway & Everything Foundation Fly!
