Dante Clark

Background

About Dante Clark

Jose Dante Clark (a.k.a. Lil Skitx) is a musician born June 15, 1993 in Oakland, CA and raised by his aunt who functioned as his foster mother. When Dante was born he had to undergo a life-saving blood transfusion because the toxicity of his blood was so immense his veins were throbbing blue. His biological mother was addicted to heroin at the time of her pregnancy. His stepfather was his primary role model and, without this important influence in his life, Dante probably wouldn’t have the mind state he has today. When he was 13 years old, he met his best friend and surrogate brother (Black) who introduced him to his first studio session at the Covenant House in West Oakland. Black taught Dante the basics of music production, delivery, flow and metaphorical lyric writing. This in turn influenced Dante to develop a new style of rhyming that can best be described as avant-garde and contemplative. Dante's songs often operate as internal dialogues that reflect on his socio-economic status as a young man of color while operating as therapeutic exercises that help him balance the decisions he has to make in life. Dante is inspired by the power Hip-Hop provides through the art of storytelling. Influenced by the strength of Tupac Shakur, the metaphorical delivery of Lil Wayne and the poetics of Wale, Dante is poised to become one the most refreshing young acts in Oakland that refuses to fall into the formulaic trends of Hip-Hop culture in the Bay Area. In five to ten years, Dante hopes to return to school and gain a degree in computer science or digital & experimental art so he can develop his own computer software that can be used in the media industry. Ultimately, he hopes to use this same software to support himself while he continues to record music and develop his artistic skills in various mediums that include photography, filmmaking and graphic design.