The Un-Associated Projects Team got to sit down with Pro Era Rapper and New York native, Dessy Hinds to talk about his early life, Pro Era’s rise to underground rap stardom and the gems of wisdom he had to share for the youth…

-Talk about where you’re from and how your childhood was like…

“I was raised in a lot of places in Brooklyn, particularly Flatbush. I’m a student, what I’ve become is an artist, and a businessman. Student-artist-businessman. In East Flatbush there was a lot of social awareness that had to go on just in order to go home and come back to school the next day, ya know?

Attending Erasmus High School changed me a lot. It kind of molded me – it gave me direction and insight into who I want to be. It showed me a lot about relationships, loyalty and friendships. It was a school that was really focused on individual support – Having people around you that cared about you, some of the teachers knew I was special, they knew I was different. They never treated me like I didn’t matter. I know a lot of rappers have had some teachers that didn’t really give a f*** about them but I went to a school that was heavy on the support for my well-being and creativity.”

-When did you first fall in love with music?

“The first time I fell in love with music – that would have to have been maybe 11-12 years old. When I first heard 50 Cent “Get Rich or Die Trying” – that album changed my life.”

-What motivated you and your friends to start Pro Era in the first place?

“Capital Steez, Joey andPowers Pleasant were the ones that started Pro Era as a collective, and what helped me get into the whole Pro Era thing was that I always had a relationship with Joey – I lived up the block from him. Me, Joey and Kirk went to the same Jr. High School.

After a while Joey would always put Steez onto my music and then I started linking up with CJ Fly and most of the gang.”

-What was the message you all wanted to send to the world?

“The most important thing for us to do was restore a balance within the rap game. We wanted to approach things differently. We wanted to carry on the message of awareness and social consciousness. That was us all day – and just being progressive. Cuz that’s what Pro Era means – the Progressive Era – which is really a timeless thing, because you can make every era progressive – you keep moving forward, that’s like one of our main motives.

When we were coming up, I wouldn’t say awareness and social consciousness was lacking, but there was always an imbalance. I think it’s just inevitable for a lot of people to try and restore the balance where things are unbalanced.”

-Did you ever doubt the impact you would be able to create on your audience?

“All its ever been with Pro Era is just “open-mindedness”. There’s always gonna be doubt because people fear what they don’t know. I think that the only doubts that I ever had about anything was with the game [as a career] because it’s a very shaky atmosphere – almost like high school all over again.

But as far as music, never doubted the music nor the impact Pro Era would have once. We got it early, we had people overseas f*cking with us more than here for a period of time. I knew it would all catch on.”