DaWayne Kearney 'Long Road' album

As one of the leading underground Hip-Hop artists in the Midwest, DaWayne "Bacon" Kearney at an early age had an insatiable interest in music. Dubbed Bacon by a childhood friend because of his sepia-colored skin, the artist and entrepreneur has music in his blood. "As a kid, I was always interested in music," says Bacon. The son of a band teacher, at a young age, Bacon dabbled with several band instruments before realizing playing instruments wasn't for him. After his dad turned him on to music, he was gone, leaving Bacon and his two sisters in the care of his mother.

Growing up in the Tommie Rose Gardens housing projects in Omaha, Neb., Bacon had a tough childhood. "You know, my mom was broke, we lived in the projects, was on public assistance, no cable, got food from the WIC program, no father figure, my mom always had different men around, it was hard," says Bacon. "But it made me strong though; it made me understand life at an early age."

Being exposed to R & B music by his mother and sisters, it was around 11 that Bacon first really became interested in rap music. "I just adapted more to rap, growing up and being in the streets I just realized that what R & B music was talking about I wasn't going through."

As his interest in the art form grew, so did his musical influences. "As a kid, when I was really young, I was always trying to learn how to write, rhyming words, trying to be like Flavor Flav, all of that," says Bacon. "Hearing all the old school niggas, Kid 'N Play, Heavy D, that is what made me want to start rapping. By the time I was 11 or 12, that rap shit was really in my head, that's what I felt."

After a brief stint in college, at 19, Bacon knew that he wanted to make music his career. "In college there were always parties, talent shows and I used to freestyle and stuff," "After tying for first place in a talent competition, I just knew I could do this stuff for real."

Writing his first song at 18, Bacon lists Tupac as one of his writing influences, but Master P influenced him to start his own record label. "Master P went out and made it happen, he's not the best rapper, but he can hustle," says Bacon. "Master P put a whole region on the map, everybody had his music and when he started blowing up, I knew I could do this for real."

Like the embattled artist Tupac, Bacon has also had his share of runs-ins with the law and violence. In and out of jail on gun and drug charges, in February of 2005, Bacon was stabbed multiple times and spent more than three days in intensive care. "That experience showed me that your homies aren't always your homies," says Bacon. "I know there is a God now; I know I am here for a reason."

In 1999, Bacon helped to start the group "Blood Sweat and Tears." Doing two mix tapes and two albums, the group disbanded in early 2007 and Bacon went solo. With three albums already under his belt and more than 100 songs already recorded, his highly anticipated solo release, "Long Road" drops on June 17 th 2007.

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DaWayne Kearney - Long Road