ABOUT THE CEO

D. Chavo of Silverback Records—A Student of The Game

Snoop Doggy Dogg has made his impression felt for nearly twenty years in the Rap music game. When asked what his secret to success was, his reply was simple: “You have to be a student of the game.”

D. Chavo has been a student of the game for roughly twenty years, making his original entrance into the Rap music game during the golden era of Rap music—the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

“I have a long history of being involved with music. I’m ‘for real’ hip hop. I got into the game when MC Hammer was rapping and I was dancing and did a little rapping myself. I had a few singles that I was working in the streets, but I didn’t really get that far because my passion to get signed just wasn’t there. I wasn’t as knowledgeable about the music industry back then as I am now.”

But D.’s passion for understanding the music game was there from day one. He began to study it, knowing that one day he would take his place on the business side of the music business.

By the time he was ready to take his place, not only was the business of music different, but the music itself was an entirely different animal as well.

“Rap was fun back then. It was all about everybody doing their thing and dance was involved. In today’s time, you don’t check out if you’re not thugged out or if you haven’t been shot five or six times and if you haven’t shot people.”

“Today, you have to be one or the other and if you jump around, people won’t accept you and will say that you’re not authentic.”

D. Chavo can provide an avenue for artists to remain authentic through his music company, Silverback Records, out of Dallas, Texas, a company he founded after becoming a student of the game he planned to master and dominate.

“I have a background in music, so I know what’s hot and what’s not. But I’ve also paid attention to what goes on behind the scenes of the music business, so that I could establish a record company I knew would be successful.”

When Chavo was ready to make his entrance, he not only studied the game, but he assembled a proper team for success, including producers and artists.

“I knew I would have to deal with the different personalities of each individual artist, but also the personalities of the club people and the radio people and all the other folks you have to deal with in order to make a record work.”

Chavo takes the lead on everything, including the sound of the music and the look of the artists.

“I’m 110 % behind everything that takes place. I don’t miss any corners. I studied what people like Dame Dash, Master P and 50 Cent did and I’m doing it my way, with their influence.”

And there is a great deal that D. Chavo wants to see studied before working with an artist or a producer.

“I take production very seriously because that’s a key element in the music’s success. You could have everything right, but if you don’t have good production, nothing else matters. The people have to feel the beat before they listen to what the artist is talking about.

Chavo works with T-Weezy and Recka out of Dallas and Trax out of Virginia to produce music for Silverback Recording artists, all of whom came to him because of the promotional work he did in the streets for the music company before it had signed its first artist.

“I never went looking for an artist. They came to me through word of mouth or they have a CD and people send them to me. The artists know I’m a legitimate company and they want to be a part of that.”

What they want to be a part of is something bigger than just releasing music.

“Outside of the music I’m putting together, people know me because I’ve partnered with radio and events to sponsor community work for children. I’m very much attached to the city and I go to the hood to give out t-shirts, flyers and CDs. “

Silverback Records is a movement unto itself, with solid potential to do substantial business in the music industry.

But it all comes down to understanding the game.

D. Chavo understands the game well.

He’s been a student of the game for a long time.