Deshawn White is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter born in Johnson City, Tennessee. White has had radio success with the single "Burn" reaching number one on the BDS internet hip-hop charts. He also released an EP in 2020 titled, "Good Thing" that reached #8 and the iTunes music charts. Deshawn has continued to evolve as an artist and songwriter and will continue to do so for years to come.
Sounds Like: J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar
Latest News
Deshawn White's single, "Burn" reaches #1 on BDS internet hip-hop radio charts. The single has received airplay on FM College, FM, and Sirus XM radio station. - Devine Jamz Marketing (2022)
New EP, "Good Thing" Debuts at #8 on the iTunes R&B/Soul charts. - Devine Jamz Marketing (2020)
Deshawn White
Seven years after he recorded his first song on a karaoke machine, American rapper/singer/songwriter Deshawn White started gaining recognition in the music industry. In 2007 his single, "Drop It To The Ground," hit a local radio station and spread across the region. After this release, he went on to release his first studio album, "My Story." The second single from this project, "East Tennessee," quickly became a significant success across East Tennessee.
Raised in Johnson City, Tennessee, McArthur Deshawn White loved a wide range of music at a young age. He listened to everything for Linkin Park to 2 Pac. However, it was when he heard the late rapper DMX that his world changed. It was the raw, aggressive sound that voiced some of the pain he was dealing with internally. Growing up in Carver projects was difficult, but music became an escape for him.
On November 29th, 2007, Rapper Bryan "Birdman" Williams was among 16 people pulled over in Kingsport, Tennessee (15 miles from White's hometown) and charged with possession of marijuana. It was unfortunate for Bryan Williams. However, through a chain of events, Full Grind, White's former production team, was able to show Bryan and his team around the area while they awaited their hearing. This forged a relationship that allowed Deshawn to travel behind the scenes with Cash Money Records. While touring with Cash Money Records, he released a mixtape called "ET Phone Home" in 2010. The mixtape included a song called "What Up" that featured Memphis rapper Yo Gotti. It was produced by Hot Rod, another Memphis native.
Later that year, White would leave the music industry to "find himself." While on Lil Wayne's "Americas Most Wanted" tour, he would have an encounter described as "a God moment." He moved back to his hometown and went on a spiritual journey studying Islam and Christianity. In 2011 he released his first Christian single, "Hold On." He wouldn't release another body of work until 2015, when he released his first full-length Christian album, "Before The Ceiling Falls." In 2018 the rapper launched 323 Records and started carving out his own lane by creating an inspirational style of music with a mainstream flare. He would release singles "Dance Party" and "Power Trippin," which gained national and international attention by charting at #84 on the Digital Radio Tracker top 150 independent airplay chart.
In May of 2019, he released a politically driven EP titled "Power Trip. The EP feature "Dance Party" and his chart-topping single "Power Trippin." However, it would be an unexpected track on the EP "Blood In The Water" that would take his popularity to the next level a year after the original release. The track had over 2,000,000 Spotify steams and was growing at a rapid pace. However, the track along with the "Power Trip" EP would later be halted due to a sample that was unknowingly not cleared. "Blood in the Water" was later reproduced and re-released, but it didn't find traction like the previous version of the song. As of now, he has yet to re-release "Power Trip."
Following "Power Trip," in March of 2020, he released an R&B/Hip-hop Ep titled "Good Thing." The body of work would find a home on the iTunes R&B music charts debuting at #8. With the R&B EP being a significant shift from the rapper's comfort zone, he quickly followed that release with a hard-hitting single titled "Trayvon," a song that addresses social justice. He also released "Sauce Inme," an upbeat track "featuring Grammy and BMI award-winning songwriter and producer Kia Shine. While working on his full-length album, on November 5th, 2021, he released "Control," a tribute song for Spider-Man: No Way Home. On January 28, 2022, he released an EP titled, "The Trailer: Based On A True Story". The project was led by two singles, "Burn" and "Diamond". On April 22, 2022, his full-length album " Deshawn White: Based On A True Story" is scheduled to release. White is currently distributed through Symphonic Distribution.