Raw Deal Da Don

Who is Raw Deal Da Don?

Born Antonio Hendricks, the New Jersey native Raw Deal Da Don or R3-D for short, rise to music success was not an easy one. He never anticipated that music was his calling.

"I think it started around like the 7th grade. I had a report to do in class or something like that, but pretty much we had to write a poem on a historical figure. I think I chose Fredrick Douglas because the man's life to me was an inspiration on that whatever I wanted to do, I could achieve with hard work, you know. Real motivation. But I was called up to recite it to the class. Midway the teacher stopped me saying that I wasn't feeling what I had written, and that the best way to reach a target audience was to express the emotions that you wanted the audience to feel the same way. I remember my boy Anthony was always making beats with his mouth. So my teacher told him to "drop a beat" for me believe it or not, and to express myself as one of my favorite artists would. So I began to "spit" my poem. And to my surprise, the class actually cheered me on. My teacher said that my sentence structure, rhythm, and story telling was one of the best she had seen. I guess you could say that was the first rap I had ever written.

R3-D and a group of childhood friends decided to form a group called S2S (State 2 State), with him taking on the name at that time, Lyrical.

"I took on the moniker Lyrical because people always told me that I was a very lyrical type rapper, and I was always somewhat entwined with delivery with complexity".

With the newly formed group, R3-D and bandmates soon started to record freestyles at a whim. At this time, he soon started to grow even more enthusiastic in pursuing a music career. He along with State 2 State recorded and released their first mixtape entitled: S2S The Family Part 1. The mixtape hit the streets in late 2002. With mediocre sales, the State to State crew went back to the drawing board and later released another mixtape entitled The Family Part 2: Same Hustle, Different Day which was released in early 2003. Singles that made a mark were "Get More Loot" and "Where I'm From". The group was invited to perform in Fayetteville, North Carolina in a talent showcase. They didn't win, but exposed themselves to a larger audience and getting the group name out in the streets. In the midst of working on a 3rd mixtape, rising conflict between the members abruptly ended the group. After this time he took time out of the music scene for a few years to focus on other ventures, until one day he received a call from a former group mate, telling him that the group would try it again. He soon rejoined with is former bandmates to give the group one more shot. They released Survival Of The Fittest. It was then that R3-D soon started to shine as a solo artist with wordplay that was different from most rappers. With rising conflicts once again within the group, He left State 2 State to pursue a solo career, releasing Step Into My World under the moniker R3-D, shorthand for Raw Deal Da Don, in 2007.

"I needed a fresh start and a new image. People still remember me from State 2 State. One day I was freestyling with one of my homeboys, and he said to me, "If you keep this up, you will soon be the new raw deal of rap. And it stuck. As far as my first mixtape, it was a few new songs that I had written added to a few songs that I had written in my State 2 State years but never recorded".

The mixtape did extremely well in the sound click charts, reaching # 23 after debuting at # 56. The mixtape's success and the motivation soon reached the ears of BlackHart! Of Dark Empire Recordings in Japan. After setting up a meeting and discussing possible career moves, he was officially linked with Dark Empire Recordings. Gaining quick success on the Asian and European markets. After several releases from the collaborative with titles such as "This IZ Dark Empire (T.I.D.E) Vol. 1, and Big Bang Theory, the rise of creative ideas and contract disputes, the group soon disbanded with each member going off to start or continue solo endeavors. Once again, R3-D was left without a stage to showcase his talents. After a chance move to the New England area, R3-D soon met and formed the collaborative of FreQuency with Lewis "Lew Daddy" Moon, and James "JimmyJamez" Sears. Catching the ear of Felix Hernandez, R3-D soon was signed to Sec2None LLC. Now poised and ready, R3-D is set to advance to the top of the hip-hop charts, proving that with perseverance and determination, no dream or passion is unachievable.