User:TomUSA/Mod Sun



Derek (Dylan) Smith (born March 10, 1987), better known by his stage name Mod Sun, is an American hip hop (hippy hop) recording artist from Bloomington, Minnesota.

Early life
Smith was born on March 10, 1987 in Bloomington, Minnesota. According to Smith, his parents were "hippies". At a young age, his parents divorced, and Smith was raised between Bloomington with his mother and Long Beach, California with his father. Smith's music career initially started as a drummer in 2 post-hardcore bands called Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Four Letter Lie, however, he turned his interest to hip hop music.

Music career
Smith began touring nationally in 2004 at age 17 with his bands Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Four Letter Lie, in which he was a drummer in both bands. However, he eventually began to pursue a career in hip hop music in 2010 under the stage name "Mod Sun" which is actually an acronym standing for "Movement On Dreams, Stand Under None".

In 2011, Mod Sun was among those chosen to likely appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. That year, his music video "Same Way" reached over 350,000 views on YouTube. Mod Sun also recieved the chance to perform on stage with Wu-Tang Clan, Breathe Carolina, and Chiodos. He released a music video for his song "Windows Down" featuring Shwayze. Mod Sun released his widely popular mixtape Blazed By The Bell which featured singles "Shaun White" and "Tye Dye Everything" featuring Los Angeles-based rapper Schoolboy Q. Blaze By The Bell was hosted by DJ Ill Will and DJ Rock Star. The Ready Set and Nipsey Hussle also appeared on the mixtape.

In 2012 Mod Sun released a music video for his song "Stoner Girl" featuring Pat Brown.

Mod Sun launched a nationwide tour on June 22, 2013 which is set to end on October 26.

Artistry
Mod Sun calls his genre of music "hippy hop". He describes it as a combination of hip hop music and hip hop culture with hippie culture. Mod Sun has described "hippy hop" as "spare loops and soulful rhythms about utopian worlds and 'the path less traveled'."

Discography

 * Mixtapes
 * Let Ya Teeth Show (2009)
 * How To Make A Mod Sun (2010)
 * Health, Wealth, Success & Happiness (2011)
 * Blazed By The Bell (2011)
 * First Take (2012)


 * EPs
 * The Hippy Hop EP (2010)
 * In Mod We Trust (2011)
 * ''Happy As Fuck (2012)


 * Albums
 * I'll Buy Myself (2009)
 * ''Look Up (2015)