Some people are blessed to have been born with gifts and the opportunity to allow them to practice and improve their craft. Other people share the same gifts but have no support to help them; however, that doesn’t stop them from striving towards their goals of improvement.
There’s a saying that goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” and it’s a saying that American/Filipino hip hop artist Half Deezy can certainly agree with.
Half Deezy, whose real name is Ian Vandiver, was born in California. His father was a Marine, and that meant that he and his family would move around a lot. Their family was only able to settle once he finally got out.
In the time that they moved around, change was a norm for Deezy. Two things remained constant for him during that time: music and movies. His love for music stemmed from childhood, and he dreamt of making music himself. Because it was challenging to settle down until much later, learning music was not guaranteed. That didn’t stop him, however, as he decided to learn it on his own.
Deezy would later serve in the military himself. Over ten years, he retained his dream of making music. Once he got out, he prioritized his passion for music. Deezy started writing songs, producing his music, and pushing his brand.
It was no walk in the park, as he always suspected. Deezy would be looked over for many years but found it only motivated him to work harder. He continued to shape his sound and sharpened his lyrical skills. He built up his image like music, “a form of artistic expression.”
Eventually, he made his breakthrough and has gone on to open for various artists, including Bone Thugs N Harmony, Lil White, and G-Eazy. He has also been featured on multiple songs with big names and Platinum artists like Baby Eazy E, Stat Quo, Dogg Pound Gangstas, and members of Bone Thugs N Harmony Bizzy Bone and Lazy Bone, among many others.
He was discovered thanks to his distinctive voice. When collaborating with other artists, it is almost impossible to confuse Deezy. He has been known to adapt to any music style, making him one of the best artists for collaborations. Deezy’s hard work has even brought him to become a professional member of the Grammy Awards for four years.
Apart from music, Deezy is also passionate about movies. His love for music began during the time he and his family moved around. The genres that made a significant impact on him are horror, drama, and dark comedy. He would look forward to seeing the behind the scenes footage in DVDs, inspiring his storytelling abilities, something he also implements when writing his lyrics.
After his time in the military, he would also obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Cinematography from the Los Angeles Film School. Today, he is working to make his mark in the media entertainment industry and hopes to build a success similar to his music career.
To know more about Half Deezy, you may visit his website and follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Half Deezy’s songs are also available on Spotify.