Entertainment Desk, Delhi Magazine: DJ David D’Art is a Belgian graffiti street artist, DJ, producer of electronic music, as well as a record label director. He is also a Freemason of The Artists Lodge.
He has worked with a number of rappers and DJs and made a name for himself by participating in the DMC World Championship in 2019 in London, England, where he ranked 10th worldwide. This was despite already being a familiar face on the European DJ scene for several years.
He has also worked as a DJ, beatmaker, independent producer, hip-hop videomaker, and electronic music ghostwriter for other artists and labels. He is closely associated with and a member of various Belgian and French hip-hop teams such as “RAB, BAD NEWS, UB, SVS, BIS, TPK, UV, CMP.” He is also a member of the 156 crew, originally from New York City in the USA.
He began his journey into urban culture through skateboarding in the late 80s alongside his friend Bara Vernon. In 1992, David D’Art entered the world of graffiti, specifically vandal tagging, under the guidance of his neighborhood elders (King Twice LSK, Merez Tattoo LSK RAB, King Kool Shake LSK RAB UB). He ceased graffiti vandalism after facing international conviction for organized vandalism, resulting in a prison sentence and a fine of over 25,000 euros, which he ultimately cleared. Unfortunately, this marked a first for Belgium, but not the last for the graffiti world. His case was rehabilitated by the court due to his good behavior, thanks in part to his lawyer and friend Stephan Hautenauve, deputy public prosecutor for the Mons city court in Belgium.
In 1994-1995, David D’Art met Pedro (DJ Noise P on FUN RADIO) in Mons and embarked on his first freestyles as a rapper under the pseudonym Spyder, while DJ Noise P worked on his mixes. In 1998, he gained recognition as a rapper at the Hip-Hop Battle Night @ Beursschouwburg (1st edition in 1998, organized by the Zulu Nation Belgium Chapter). Later, he contributed to DJ HMD’s mixtape “Les gens d’armes,” alongside artists like Starflam, De Puta Madre, DJ Smimooz, Rayer, Le Saint (DJ of Stromae), Tita aka Biga T, Defi J, James Deano, and many others.
In 1998/1999, David D’Art co-founded the Subversif crew (SVS) alongside Arm’s & Ox, and several other satellite artists. Together with the duo Arms & Ox, they established the Byonik Music label and released a series of rap music compilations, featuring several rappers from the Belgian and French scene of the 2000s to 2010s, including the first appearances of Isha, a rapper from Brussels who, at the time, went by the name Psmaker.
Between 2010 and 2019, he produced music for various rappers, created music videos, mixtapes, and studio mixes for numerous artists on more than 15 different musical projects. He also hosted a radio show on YouFM 106.9 and assisted DJ Simon Sez on Radio Stad in Antwerp. Additionally, he organized various cultural events, concerts, and parties throughout Belgium, such as the Vision Room evenings, the Hall hip hop night festival, and currently the “Mad Nation” evenings, alongside DJ Patrick de l’Aube. He was also seen at various festivals and clubs, including Dour festival and Summer festival.
In 2020, he experienced a heart attack and was resuscitated by paramedics on the way to the hospital. He made a remarkable recovery.
In 2022, David D’Art was spotted alongside Canadian bodybuilder Natasha Aughey in his training room, with a video available on their respective Instagrams. He also attended a concert by Ottawa’s Ultra Love, a rock band fronted by painter Pascal Arpin, at Ottawa’s Art+ Gallerie.
In 2023, David D’Art released a 2-track EP of electronic music via his AD’TAL Music label, available on all digital platforms. The project has been well-received by international DJs. Go give it a listen.