Interview with Dan Yatsinko Aka “Danimal Lector”

Q1. What’s your name? A1. The government knows me as Dan Yatsinko, but I go by D. Lector – which is short for Danimal Lector. Q2. Where are you from? A2. Born and raised in Stratford, CT. I’ve lived here my entire life…. It has its pros and cons, mostly cons. Connecticut is the most overpriced place to live, especially for what your money actually gets you. Q3. How old are you? A3. Im 37, going to be 38 come March! Q4 .When did you start making music A4. My first dabble in music was in a project around 4th or 5th grade where I made a remix to Nas’s “Street Dreams”. I did a remix/parody and made it “Kids Dreams”……. ‘Kids dreams are made of these…. We need a big pool when its 100 degrees’ – something like that (lol) Q5. How serious are you about your career? A5. Hip hop isn’t a career to me, it’s more of a lifestyle….. so I’m dead serious about it. It makes up a solid portion of who I identify as…. I jokingly tell my wife if I ever loose my ability to hear or speak I’m jumping off a building! Without music I would be a shell of a human. Q6. Have you ever thought about quitting music? A6. Unfortunately yes…. About 7 years ago I was working a dead end warehouse job, that sucked the life out of me. During this time I really thought about not making music anymore because my job consumed me physically and mentally. During this time I didn’t put much of anything out commercially, and I wasn’t making much music even for fun. This was a dark time for me…. But I am glad to say that I quit that gig, found a creative job as a graphic designer and got right back to making music and art full time. Q7. Who inspires you the most? A7. My biggest inspiration is Royce 5’9”…. Not only is he an incredible MC, but he owns/operates his own recording studio and is a great father and role model. Aside from him my biggest influences are Vinnie Paz, Apathy, ILL Bill, Canibus, Wu-Tang and Eminem. Q8. What got you into making music? A8. Originally I wanted to be a DJ. When I was about 11 I got a pair of turntables, mixer and a 4 track recorder. I started off wanting to be a scratch DJ, like QBert and other DMC champions. I was OK, nothing amazing, but this is what started to fuel the fire. I then got into production with my best friend JD. He played the piano, so I learned how to sequence drums on an old Roland SP and that became my new obsession. Once we had beats, I jokingly started rapping on them to prove “This can’t be that hard”……. and that was it. I felt like I found my purpose. Q9. Who is your favorite producer? A9. Man I love Alchemist, Mr. Green, Arab Muzik, Necro, C-Lance, Stu Bangas, 9th Wonder and sooo many more BUT if I had to pick 1 without question it’s RZA….. He’s the GOAT! Q10. What is one of your best songs/beats? A10 I never have an easy time answering this type of question because it changes….I really love some of my old music because its like a looking glass into who I was a decade ago, but then again I keep impressing myself with my new projects. One of my favorites is “Belly Up” Feat Apathy because I produced the song, mixed it and mastered it….So it’s a good gauge at what I do. Q11. Are you signed to a record label? A11. No, I’m fully independent and I really enjoy it – I control everything…And always have the final say on what is created/released. Q12. Have you ever performed? A12. Absolutely. I’ve performed at a bunch of venues across the US, most notably Toads Place in New Haven, C.T. Q13. Who would you most likely collaborate with? A13. I have been actively working on collaborating with all of my idols…I already have songs with Crooked I, Apathy, Godernis, Madchild, Diabolic, Webby, and even a project hosted by the legendary Statik Selektah. Next on the list is Rittz, ILL Bill, Vinnie Paz, Pharoahe Monch, and any if not all living Wu Tang members. Q14. If you could open for any artist who would it be? A14. Most likely Wu-Tang based on the fact that I want to meet them…..But sonically I would be a better opener for someone like Eminem…….Even though we all know Em doesn’t have openers….ha Q15. What’s next for you? A15. I have a new album coming out in February called “Bars Attack PT 5” Every year I make an old mixtape style project where I remix other peoples songs to showcase how I would sound on those type of beats. Besides that I plan to keep it moving and producing new music, as well as my animated hip hop/horror cartoon series called “Half Dead” (Half Dead Digital on YouTube). The goal everyday is to have fun and be creative – as long as I’m doing that, I’m completely happy.

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