I sent out a tweet the other day on Twitter asking if anyone was interested in contributing to ‘I Dream’ Stories on PPnG. To my pleasant surprise I got a shout out form Carlton Dildy Jr., rapper and owner of independent record label Pledge Empire Records. He’s also part of the brother duo of the same name who (according to Dildy Jr.) was a nominee of URB Magazine’s Next 1000.

Carlton Dildy, Jr. (God’s Prince) and Cedric Dildy (Ced Linus), shown at left, have been rapping since the elementary days of their youth. In 2004 they started their own group to get their messages out about the harsh realities of life and to put more focus on political issues that faced their peers.

I took a tour of their website, listened to a few tunes, (I’m diggin’ Roses and What a Beautiful Day from their CD, ‘Regime Stand Strong’) and wanted to hear more about the story behind the group. I was curious to learn more about their dream, how they’ve manifested it and continue to journey along their path despite the many obstacles they face in a very competitive industry.  I interviewed them to find out:

CJ: What is your dream and when did you first discovery it?

Carlton (God’s Prince): Since I was a kid my dream was to become someone to help change the world in a positive way. I didn’t know if I was going to become a politician, basketball player or a musician, but I knew whatever it was I would help effect the world in a positive way. I first realized what I wanted to do when my older cousin introduced me to Hip Hop music in the late 80’s. When I heard the beat and the issues on the songs, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. At that time I had little confidence in thinking I could rap like Nas or A Tribe Called Quest.

Cedric (Cedlinus): The love of music hit me early and I knew making music was something I was always going to do. Plus I feel I have something to give to the world.

CJ: Was there any resistance to your dream from family members and friends who thought you might be a bit wacky for pursuing a career that was so competitive?

Carlton (God’s Prince): Some of my family members would say that they acted supportive, but deep down inside I could tell that some of them thought it was a fad or something that they hoped would pass. Other family members fully supported me and told me to follow my dreams.  My father told me “You only live once so go for it all and go for the gusto.”

Cedric (Celinus): A little bit of both.  I think it’s possible for people to support you and still think you are a little crazy. Those closest to me support me fully and others just don’t get it, but it is all part of the process.  Only you can see your dream. Others just wait for it to materialize.

CJ: Can you share some of the fears and obstacles you’ve faced and how you’ve worked through them?

Carlton (God’s Prince): At first, our fears were all about being liked by the public. Another was stage fright although as a kid I loved getting up in front of the class and giving a speech. We dealt with both of these issues by just putting our faith in God and letting Him guide the way. We found out that people respect your music more if you write about things they can relate to and fans also love artists who will stand up for something. One of the ways we’ve dealt with our stage fright was to imagine ourselves speaking directly to the people, for example, in the historical role of Martin Luther King Jr. or John F. Kennedy. This visualization has really helped us.

Cedric (Cedlinus): I’m so confident in The Pledge Empire that fear is secondary. I feel as though if we put in the work necessary, we will make it to where we want to be and no one can stop that.  There are little day-to-day challenges that may make me a little nervous like right before I go on stage or play a song for somebody for the first time, but those are just little battles.

Carlton (God’s Prince): We have faced a few obstacles working in the music business. The biggest was trying to get signed to a major record label. We thought that would be our best path to reach more people, increase exposure and get paid a bit of money. What we learned about major labels is that they will sometimes sensor your music, thus taking away creative freedom. We didn’t want to compromise our creative integrity and so we decided to go out on our own and start our own record label Pledge Empire Records.

Cedric (Cedlinus): Trying to juggle day jobs and run our own business has been the biggest obstacle.  Some days we realize that we just won’t sleep or get that much sleep and it’s really okay. We also have to manage our time spent with friends and can’t hang out as much.

CJ: What advice would you give to others with the same dream?

Carlton (God’s Prince): First of all, always trust in God, stay true to yourself and work very hard.  Be bold, don’t be afraid to ask people for help. A closed mouth never gets fed.

Cedric (Cedlinus): Believe in yourself and be true to yourself because the more you believe in yourself, the more others will believe in you.  The hardest thing to sell in any industry is something you don’t believe in.  I treat my music and my business like I treat myself or a loved one.  I protect it like I protect my grandparents, parents, brother and other relatives. One last thing. Work hard, keep God first, and make many mistakes.