Asheville Rap Star to Release New Album in September

by Terrence Dionne Brown, a.k.a. Eaze Dogg –

I was born as Terrence Dionne Brown on July 16, 1987, in Asheville, North Carolina.

I was born to a father who worked at various factories and a mother who stayed home to take care of me and my two brothers, Cris and Tory. I’m the middle child.

I grew up in Hillcrest Apartments at 100 Atkinson Street near downtown. While my childhood was great, it was also different from most kids I knew. When I was a toddler, I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a neurological and developmental disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate, learn, behave. Growing up, I often had a hard time learning the simplest tasks such as tying my own shoes, and even reading and speaking complete sentences. As a result of not being able to communicate effectively, I’ve often acted out and had behavioral problems.

Music for a Calm State

One of the things that could place me in my calm state is music. I’ve grown up listening to music artists such as Michael Jackson, Jodeci, New Edition, Boys 2 Men, and Whitney Houston. I would find my love of hip-hop/rap music through my big brother Cris. My hip-hop/rap influences were Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, Outkast, and Ludacris.

Despite my issues regarding my autism, I was also very creative, especially with music. When I was 11, there was a talent show that took place in a summer camp program I attended in my younger years. While I was trying to figure what I was going to do for the show, I decided to write poetry—which eventually became a form of a rapping rhyme.

One of my summer instructors helped me create my very first rap. When I performed my rap in front of the talent show audience, it felt good knowing that my own thoughts would be heard in a crowd that also included my parents. And of course after performing my first rap poem, I wanted to write and perform more rap songs. Just like that, it became an important part of my life.

First Steps as a Rapper

By the time I was in Asheville Middle School, I started becoming serious about rapping as my future career. In the eighth grade, using a cassette tape and my own stereo system, I even recorded a couple of songs with music tracks from the Cash Money Records “instrumentals only” CD.

I gave the tape to one of my classmates, Darren Gaines, to give to somebody from a local record label. But the next day, Darren said the guy from the label said he liked my raps, but I would need to use original beats. Unfortunately, since I didn’t know anyone in the city who made beats, I couldn’t make my own beats—but I did get known for rapping at school dances.

High School Hell—and Honor Roll

In 2002, I enrolled at TC Roberson High School. The experience was different because it was going to be the first time I’d be in school as a regular student instead of special needs. While I would excel academically—making the A & B Honor Roll list—I would also often be a target for bullying and taunting. Some heartless students would take my rolling backpack and roll it around to keep it away from me. I was called slow and retarded, maybe because they were jealous of my gifted intelligence. One time in my freshman year, I was on the school bus on my way home, only to get pushed and called retarded. I was really hurt because I’ve never done anything to people to make me get treated like crap on a regular basis.

The one thing that kept my spirits high was writing my rapping rhymes and performing freestyle raps in the hallways. My stage name at the time was “Cashanova”—because I loved the money like I loved the girls. I eventually came up with my stage name, “Eaze Dogg.” The “Dogg” in the name came from my rap idol, Snoop Dogg, while my “Eaze” described my cool and chill personality.

Football, Freestyle, and Pep Rallies

During my 9th-grade year, I entered a teen talent contest. I didn’t win, but it was my first experience in a competitive setting—and both not winning and performing there motivated me to elevate my game. So by 11th grade, I was already on the varsity football team and was known as the freestyle king. That year I got good advice by a science classmate to start performing at pep rallies. Those performances in front of over 200 people in my junior and senior years made me feel like I was a celebrity at a Superbowl game!

Additionally, in 2005, I started to make my own beats, thanks to a program called “Fruity Loops.” I had to teach myself that skill in those years, and one of the first beats I created was used in my first original recording of my song called “A.S.H.E.V.I.L.L.E”.

I graduated from TC Roberson High School at the top of my class in 2006. But even though I had the potential to go to college, I decided to embark in the work force. I wanted to make money to earn my own income so I could fund my music dreams.

Facing the Real World

Due to my disability, I had serious difficulties landing a job. I would have to get into a vocational rehabilitation program to help, and I worked in different positions such as a movie usher, drive-thru attendant, and a maintenance worker. And as far as performing went, it was difficult to find an outlet to perform in Asheville, especially for hip-hop/rap. The music that was played around the city was bluegrass, country, folk, and songwriting. The hip-hop/rap scene in Asheville was always underrated and lacked the support that the bigger cities would get.

Meanwhile, I started posting my music on the social media platform MySpace. One of the songs—a dance song called “Da Flash” that was inspired by rap artist Boosie’s song, “Wipe Me Down”—became so popular that I was invited to several parties. With my laptop and a cheap computer microphone, I recorded my first CD, which included the tracks, “Da Flash,” King of Da A-Ville,” and “My Place (Myspace).” I would also release three mixtapes that included tracks from other local rap artists.

Then, in 2008, I got the opportunity to perform at a monthly talent showcase at The NC Stage Company in downtown Asheville. I would stand out as a rap artist in a room consisting mostly of stage writers. A few years later, I wrote and produced one of my signature songs to date—“Lay It Down for My City,” which also featured my homeboy CJ, aka Amazin’, and Chris Weekley. Imagine how good it felt when a local radio station played my record on air in my own home town!

College Beckons

But I still felt that my music wasn’t taking off like I wanted to. If I was a rap artist rapping about drugs, guns, and sex, I felt like I would have gotten more further in the rap industry. So, feeling discouraged and frustrated, I decided my fallback choice was to go to college for my Associate’s Degree. Which I did: I earned my Associates Degree in Office Administration—with two Dean’s List and two President’s List citations.

With that degree under my belt, I decided to get back in the music full swing, so in 2016, me and my homeboy CJ rode down to South Carolina to a music studio, The Magic Factory, to record my track, “Redd Drank.” I felt like the song would make noise regionally because the song sounded like rap songs that were hot on the radio at the time. But the song still didn’t give me the internet sensation moment I was hoping for.

I was about to give up when I discovered that one Asheville bar, Jack of the Wood, was hosting an open mic showcase. At first, I was reluctant to do the showcase because I wasn’t sure if the audience would be receptive to hip-hop/rap music. Equipped with an auxiliary cord adapter to plug into my phone from a guitar amp, I went ahead and did it—and I left the bar with a new lease on life from having a predominately White audience applauding my music performance!

The Asheville CDs

From that moment forward, I was going to make music that talks about the love for my city and messages that are relatable to Asheville. I started to make my hip-hop/rap name known in several open mic showcases, in venues such as One World Brewing, Sly Grog Lounge, The Grey Eagle, and Sovereign Kava. The audience loved my performances so much that I would get recognized on the streets by hearing my name. And in late 2019, I got to write and produce my tracks for my Asheville Finest EP CD.

One song on the CD is “Acceptance,” which explained the struggles of being different in today’s world and era. It was one of those songs that everyone could relate to—some people have even cried after hearing it. But the song that really popped off in my city was “Asheville Finest.” In it I mention the genuine vibe of the city, names of Asheville communities, street names, and even local housing projects. That “Asheville Finest” song would get heard on Slay the Mic Radio—I was in my friend Brooke’s car one day when I heard it on the radio. Just weeks after my radio placement, I would be invited to a radio interview.

And Then Came Covid

In April 2020, I finally released my Asheville Finest CD at a premiere party at Sovereign Kava. Everyone loved the party and my new CD, and I was proud of that accomplishment. And just then, unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning to take effect. Some of my venues started to close, keeping me from capitalizing on the momentum from the CD release. And I have to say, I felt depressed during the whole Covid shutdown, because I couldn’t do what I love doing.

When the pandemic finally cooled down later in 2021, it felt like a dark cloud was lifted from me. I was on my grind harder than I ever before. By then, I was recording new songs for my next EP CD, “Asheville Finest 2: Heart of The Streets.” And in fact, I would achieve one of my music goals that year when I got to perform at the Goombay Festival for the first time—after 20 years of doing music. I felt like I had finally started to make it as a rap artist in my own city.

“Get Weird, Stay Weird” by Eaze Dogg. Video by Renato Rotollo; edited by Eaze Dogg.

Making It … At Last

Nowadays, I have accomplished so much that I can’t keep count. I have performed at the 2022 Juneteenth Festival, released my Asheville Finest 2 EP, and I have the “Get Weird, Stay Weird” music video premiere party coming up at Sovereign Kava on September 17, 2022. I continue to perform at several open mic showcases in the Asheville area, as well as appearing in various music shows all over the city.

Whether or not I will get the props and respect due from the rap community, I will still represent Asheville hip-hop/rap scene by always being true to myself. I want to let people know that it is OK to be yourself—just learn to not care what anyone says. Every one of us, we are all different in our own pretty unique ways.