ARTICLE BY AMBER LACY
“Stay focused and make time for what’s important and most of all keep faith and pray towards your goal. Also speak it into existence” is upcoming producer and rapper, Key Wane’s, advice to college students striving to achieve their goals while maintaining their academics.
Born in Detroit, Mich., Dwane M. Weir II began playing the piano at 12-years-old. It was a DVD featuring
producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo making beats that intrigued him into the world of music. “I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” he explains. After watching the video, Key Wane and his mother purchased music equipment as he began taking piano lessons at 14 to help master his craft.
producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo making beats that intrigued him into the world of music. “I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” he explains. After watching the video, Key Wane and his mother purchased music equipment as he began taking piano lessons at 14 to help master his craft.
After graduating high school, Key Wane decided to travel over 500 miles to attend Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., “which is the music capitol,” he mentions. A commercial music major with a focus in technology, Wane, 21, is also the music director of TSU’s The Blaze campus radio station on WTST. The student-operated station features about 50 student announcers each semester assigned to weekly air shifts and host live sports programming and other remote campus events, according to TSU’s Newsroom site.
Besides his on-campus involvement, Key Wane’s name can be seen on mixtape and album credits. Currently working with Maybach Music Group artist Meek Mill, Wane has also produced for G.O.O.D. Music artist Big Sean, Young Money member Tyga, 2009 XXL Magazine Freshman Mickey Factz and legendary producer No I.D. “All of the artists I worked with are all down-to-earth and cool,” he says of his relationships with them.
Recently, Key Wane released a compilation mixtape with some of the work he has previously done, along with exclusive tracks. “Student of the Year” is sponsored by hip-hop blog, Hip-Hop At Lunch, and features Big Sean’s “Memories,” Tyga’s “Hypnotized,” and Mickey Factz’s “Delusional.” The 17-track project has received many hits on blogs and promotion from fans through Twitter. “It makes me feel blessed; I never knew so many people supported my music,” he says about the support.
Key Wane also raps on some of the tracks, such as fan-favorites “Keys Open Doors,” “Barack Obama” and “Praise God.” Although Wane seems to have perfected skills for both talents, he prefers producing over rapping. “Constructing dope chords and drums and just listening to the final product is the best thing to me,” he says.
Taking more than 15 hours each semester and maintaining a “good” grade point average, while making dope beats for today’s hottest hip-hop artists may seem like a heavy load for a college student, but not for Key Wane. “The fact that I’m getting closer to graduation makes it even more lovely,” he says. Wane’s inspiration for “anybody who makes great music” is also a driving force to keep him motivated.
When asked about attending graduate school after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree, “I might make that move,” Key Wane answers.
Words of a true scholar!
Listen to more of Key Wane’s music and follow him on Twitter and Tumblr:
@KeY_Wane
