On Wednesday (March 16), VIBE held its NEXT showcase during the SXSW conference in Austin, TX. The event, which highlighted rising artists in Hip-Hop that VIBE feels are on the verge of taking their career and artistry to the “NEXT” level, included performances from Trae Tha Truth, Deante Hitchcock, Mike Dimes, Sparoh, Doeman, Price, Nook Turner, and DJ Chose. Keep it locked here for a series of interviews from the night.
We caught up with Doeman following his VIBE NEXT performance and spoke about his upward trajectory and what fans can expect from him moving forward.
VIBE: You just tore down VIBE’s NEXT SXSW showcase. How would you describe the vibe of the crowd?
Doeman: Nah, that s**t was gas, man. The crowd was going crazy, it was a perfect outside setting. It feel good out here in Texas, man. It was a beautiful outcome.
What makes you feel like you’re NEXT up?
I don’t even say that I feel like I’m next up, I feel like right now. But I just feel because I’ve been putting in the work and I’ve been staying down. I’m true to myself and I keep everything 100% authentic, not fraudulent.
For those unfamiliar, what are some of your recent projects or musical releases?
You got Barrio Album 2 on the way. You got Gold Blooded out. OBE, man. We got a whole catalog, tap in with the Doeman, bruh.
During your performance, I heard you refer to yourself as “Barrio God.” What’s the definition or backstory to that?
“Barrio God” is like the man of the neighborhood. The Mexican neighborhoods, the Brown neighborhoods, that’s who I put on for, all across the globe, man. I gotta put on for my people, everybody back home. Everybody who never thought this s**t was possible.
You rep the South East part of Houston proudly. How would you describe the environment and its impact on you?
Southeast Houston, Texas, man. It’s a lot of Brown people, it’s a lot of Black people, man, and we’re all one over there, man. It’s all beautiful down in Texas, it ain’t nothing like nowhere else. I mean, it definitely made me who I am. You know, it made me tough, it made me fight, but it was all for a reason.
Listen to Doeman’s Brown Soul album below.