Born Derek Jay Sloan on May 26, 1987 at St Rose Hospital in Hayward, CA his parents knew he was destined to be great. Growing up in the Bay Area, there were a lot of distractions that can lead to negative outcomes. His parents made sure he was involved in extracurricular activities growing up to keep him out of trouble. From basketball to poetry, D Sloan picked up a basketball at the age of three and started writing poetry at the age of six. He soon entered his first talent show at Lorin Eden Elementary School singing "Mama" by Boys II Men. From then on, everyone knew he was special. After a series of dangerous events in his neighborhood, his family moved to Tracy, CA to get away from the violence and raise him in a safer environment. Having anger of losing his childhood friend to murder and his closest friends to relocation, he fell into a depression mode. When he started 6th grade, he attended Monte Vista Middle School where he soon earned a spot as the starting Point Guard for them 6th-8th grade. Basketball taught him discipline, teamwork, and the ability to make tough decisions in a leadership role. He continued playing throughout high school but also continued to write poetry and random thoughts in his notebook to express himself. In 2002, 15 years of age, he decided that he wanted to start rapping for real. Although people recognized him for his athletic ability, he slowly made a name for himself locally on the music scene.
Obtaining a basketball scholarship to Simpson University in Redding, CA was a goal he never thought he would reach with all the politics surrounding the area in sports. He was able to move away and play from 2005-2007 and make it to the Conference Championship during his last year. Unfortunately, the team lost and basketball was not fun anymore. He made a tough decision and decided to hang up the shoes and pursue his music career full time and return back to the Bay Area. In 2009, he joined an independent label based out of Modesto,CA called 1AM Media Group in which he has released all his projects under. Within two years of building huge local buzz from radio appearances and live shows, D Sloan relocated to Arizona to start fresh and obtain a degree in Computer Science. He linked up with some fellow passionate artists and formed the group known as TFTSYFG (True Flight The Squad Young Fly Gifted) on the Arizona music scene and has built his solo foundation as well from the ground up.
Answer to Your Problems Vol. 1, Vol. 2, the Final Answer, Global Service Announcement, Calm Cool Confident, and Sloan Zone are all projects that have been successfully released and have built an independent, loyal fan base as well as his personal catalog. He is a 3-Time KWIN Unsigned @ 9 Champion for weeks straight along with being featured on DJ Mami Fresh "Independent But Major" series in the United Kingdom. His project "Sloan Zone" was rated 4/5 mics in Street Motivation Magazine, a national magazine based in Los Angeles, CA. He is also featured in World Wide Success Magazine with his latest single "In My Rearview". D Sloan has opened up for various artists such as E-40, Roach Gigz, Dorrough, and Funk Volume along with several talented local artists from Arizona back to California. If you’re looking for quality music that tells vivid stories at the same time balancing creative songwriting and catchy lyrics, then you have come to the right place. Knowledgeable, marketable, responsible, intelligent, and prepared D Sloan is an All In One package; the real deal.
http://www.dsloansaysthis.net
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dsloansaysthis@gmail.com
