By: Todd “DG” Davis

Rapindustry.com

Last September, native Dallas, Texas, 12-year-old emcee, DUBG3, née William Green III, arrived onto the Hip Hop scene armed with his catchy debut selection, “King,” featuring a highly touted appearance from Houston legend Mike Jones.

Let’s go on ahead and meet this self-proclaimed Leader of the Age Appropriate Movement…

Now let’s hop right into this introductory single / video, “King,” featuring Mike Jones — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?

My producer and I knew we were going to do the Mike Jones’ hook on a song because the sample sounded good on the hook “It Takes Grinding to be a King.” When he played me the beat, I knew it was a hit and that kids my age would love it. On top of that, the hook is inspirational so we thought it would be great to start with this song to introduce me. Once we finished the song, Tony Draper [founder of Suave Records] got Mike Jones to get on the video with me and it was so crazy seeing Mike Jones. I didn’t think he was going to actually come to the video, but Draper pulled that off.

 

As a lyricist, when you sit down to pen your rhymes where do you draw inspiration from?

I start with the hook because once you get the hook down, personally, it gives me the idea what my verses are going to be about.

Reflecting, tell me about your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for DUBG3?

I told my dad I wanted to make a song after watching him do it. He told me I had to take it seriously and that it wasn’t anything to play with. I assured him I was serious, and he put me in the studio. After he heard how good I was, he called Tony Draper who encouraged me to keep going. The rest is history. We hit the ground running.

Now you’re a native of Texas, correct? So growing up in ‘The Lone Star State,’ who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?

My strongest musical influences coming out of Texas include Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Travis Scott, and Yella Beezy.

In having said that, how do you classify your overall sound and / or style?

Well, I’m like a lyrical rapper with a catchy type of style. My lyrics. You are going to remember my lyrics because they are good. And then, I like my hooks to be catchy so the people can remember my song. When they think about “King,” they’re going to remember “…Takes Grinding to be a King.”

Where does your moniker originally derive from?

Another name for William is Dub, and I’m the third, and my last name is Green, so that’s how I got the name.

Switching gears here, what exactly do you want people to get from your music?

You don’t have to act grown so early. It’s okay just to be a kid, you don’t have to act like an adult or do adult things. You can just enjoy being a kid. That’s why I’m doing age-appropriate music. Most of us don’t know a kid artist that we can actually listen to. I don’t know one.

If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

BigXthaPlug. He’s a rapper in Dallas. He’s like the next Biggie. He’s so lyrical.

If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?

I would perform at Rolling Loud because the fans go crazy out there.

On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of Hip Hop?

Current stage of Hip Hop? It’s pretty good, but there’s holes that need to be filled. The adults…there’s music that they can listen to, but kids we don’t have music that we can listen to, we have nothing we can relate to. We don’t see a kid that’s rapping about kid appropriate things anymore. Young rappers are doing the same thing that the adults are doing. A kid should be a kid.

What do you feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?

The key to longevity is being true to yourself and being true to your fans. A lot of these rappers, they be talking about killing and stuff, but half of them not really like that. And that’s why people know that you’re not really like that. If you stay true to yourself and don’t try to be someone that you’re not, regardless, people will like you for just you. So, I think that’s the key to longevity in this career.

Do you have any other outside / additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?

I can see myself going to the NFL. I like football. On the field is one of the only places where I can just be free. I just focus on playing the game and I feel like when I’m doing that, I’m just at my best.

To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

When I won the (Junior) Heisman. I felt like I was on top of the world because it’s very hard to win the Heisman. You must be the best in your league out of all those kids. I was a candidate the year before, and I didn’t know. I knew that next year I was a candidate, but I didn’t really think I was going to win. When the announcer called my name, it was just crazy. I feel like that’s the brightest moment of my football career.

What’s an average day like for you?

I spend a good chunk of my day reciting my lyrics. It’s like I’m practicing being on the big stage one day. I’ve got to do my schoolwork, too, so I can stay on track with my education. My parents make sure I don’t miss out on learning.

Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans…

Social Media! I’m always on social media, chatting with you guys, posting updates, and sharing sneak peeks of what I’m working on. Instagram and TikTok are my faves.

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?

My favorite part is definitely making and sharing music. It’s so cool to see something you created touch people’s hearts and make them happy. My least favorite part is probably dealing with pressure and people saying stuff online in the comments. People have different opinions, and it can be hard to handle negative comments. But I stay true to myself and not let it get to me.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Don’t Compare yourself to other people. My journey is going to be way different than other people’s. I already know that I’m going to be way different than other people. So, if you compare yourself to other people, you end up being like them. And personally, I want to be different, So I just do my own thing. I have my own. All I can say is be yourself.

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you see yourself?

Five to 10 years, I see myself well known around the whole world having started the kid appropriate movement. I will be Famous doing shows on tour, doing Rolling Loud, living the best life, playing football for my team on varsity in high school and just doing my best.

As for the immediate, what’s next for DUBG3?

I’ve been working on some new songs that I can’t wait to share with all my fans.

Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention?

I’m also working on making a music video for one of my songs. It’s going to be epic, and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together.

Any “parting” words for our readers?

To all my awesome readers, I just want to say a big THANK YOU! Your support means the world to me.