Welcome to the DKTM Series. The DKTM Collective, short for “DON’T. KILL. THE. MOVEMENT.”, is a collective of artists, producers, and overall creatives that have come together in order to pursue their artistic endeavors. They have bolstered an impressive fanbase within the DMV area and are reaching for even further heights with every project they release.

Every episode, we will focus on one of the collective’s artists, until we reach the end of the roster.

Below, we get into our sixth episode with member, Reem.

Enjoy 😈

Alright, so first question is how will the group be different from other collectives that currently exist?

This is gonna sound like mad cliche but the way I see it is kinda like we’re on our own wavelength. Like the way, we operate as a group of friends but we move like a collective. So when I come here it's not like I feel like I have to go to work, I feel I coming here to hang out but also get some work done. Meeting with the group doesn’t feel forced everything feels natural and free-flowing. 

That’s awesome! So everything is like organic? 

Yeah exactly! 

So have you guys ever performed together as a group?

I honestly don’t perform live too often the only time I perform live is when there is a debut or something or like a project coming up. As far as a group  I think the first time we performed together was when I was just coming into the group. It was the first show we had in college park and the second was at 808 Vol20 at The Crown. And that shit was a movie it was like the fucking Voltron coming together and just fucking shit up!

So I saw on your Instagram that you have a lot of illustrations that you post there. Is that like an animated character that you feel best represents you as a person? Or if there isn’t what would be one?

I wouldn’t say I have like a specific character that encapsulates who I am as a person cause that’s all my characters foreal. So like the way I draw my eyes are really just really an exaggeration of like my eyes lowkey because there really small and slanted and shit so it seems natural. And plus my eyes are like my favorite feature of myself which is weird but.

Nah man brag on yourself!

Nah yeah, so I like my eyes so I just figured I would exaggerate a little bit and make it me so it wouldn't be like I was trying to bite off someone else’s style or somethin’. I kinda just like found my style by making the characters myself.

Ah, shit man, that’s cool though! So you see yourself through the art that’s a good way to look at it. So is there an artist that you feel like you can listen to nonstop?

Ummm I don’t even know because their artists that I fuck with heavy but I have to hear different shit throughout the way. So lately i’ve been listening to a lot of Mike. He’s this rapper from New York, as well as a bunch of different artists and genres. I also been listening to a  bunch of old school hip-hop to but even then it’s not like one artist I could just listen to I ain’t even gonna hold you bruh I might lose my fucking mind. 

Yeah same here, I was thinking that too when I don’t think I could just listen to just one person I start to get bored.

Yeah exactly like  I love Lil B you know shoutout Based God, Taskforce Lil B all day Nigga. But really I couldn't listen to Lil B all day bruh like Nah. 

So is there a current trend in music that you like to break?

I’m really tired of clout chasing its like annoying. Like I’m really shy and timid so I don’t really like to talk to people I don’t know so its like niggas will pull up to you and be on some extra shit like aye you should follow me on IG and yadda yadda yadda, and there was one incident where like I was at The Crown and I must’ve dubbed this one dude who was tryna say wassup or whatever and he had hit me up on twitter like DM’d me and everything and was like “Yo you’re a fucking asshole”. And I read it and I'm like what are you talking about and he’s like “first off you don’t follow me, and second, you acting like you all high and mighty and shit” and i’m like Nigga. I. Have. Anxiety. I’m scared of people bro leave me the fuck alone. Shout out to him though. He’s probably gonna read this and be like man ima kill this nigga. It’s whatever though still thuggin’ still shinin’ 

I mean absolutely and it's like a thing like you’re not entitled to talk to everybody. 

Yeah exactly like people feel entitled to your time and shit! But it’s like from a music standpoint its like. People make music cause they wanna get famous off that shit. Not even cause they wanna get famous off that shit. Like in high school there was Nigga’s making music cause they just wanted girls and money. And like Nah, why do you wanna be a rapper? Ghostie said it best; “Why do YOU want to be a rapper, why do people want to be rappers?”. CLOUT. And I can’t fuck with that bruh, like when people make music or get involved in fashion for just clout I can’t get involved with that cause like my agenda is different and it’s not gonna work. 

Yeah especially with social media and everything. 

Yeah exactly and with social media. Like I be on there I say some weird shit you know like I just like talking about weird shit. Like space or even the sun exploding or like the 5% movement or whatever but it’s like Niggas really be on twitter tryna like build a cult following. And it's just weird, if you’re genuine with this shit, it shouldb’t be hard for you. And it’s getting to a point where I’m starting to hate the internet like I don't even wanna be on it no more. Like Twitter is a war zone you see people getting fuck, killed, shot, all that shit all before noon. Like I wake up first thing I see on the TL is hardcore porn. 

Bro who are you telling it’s like 9:30, and this the first thing I’m seeing and ir’s like damn do yall sleep or take breaks?!?

Son, it was earlier than that and it’s the first thing i’m seeing like there’d kids getting ready for school and you’re retweeting hardcore porn!?

Man! So the next question. If you could get a cosign from any artist mainstream or underground who would you be most honored to hear it from?  

Damn, dead or alive? 

Yeah

Fuck, ummmm as far as visual artists i’m gonna get the most obvious one out the way Jean - Michel Basquiat he’s every Tumblr kid’s idol and I was one of those cause I was into art and jazz and fucking old school hip hop and shit. So Basquiat off top Ummm Tom Miller god rest his soul, he’s this really dope artist and he was a big inspiration on my visual style like if you grew up on the east side of Baltimore you would see all his shit on like walls and like sides of houses. Like there’s one on the North Avenue road. But um yeah one other visual artist Akira Toriyama from Dragon Ball Z. Yo if he cosigned me bro I would cry literal tears. 

Any musicians?

Yeah so as far as musicians, uhhhh I don’t know like there’s a lot of musicians I fuck with but at the same time it’s like I wouldn’t really be pressed. I guess Tyler The Creator would be one cause he was a big influence on me when I was in middle school. Ummm anybody in Awful records like father,  and ethereal. And lowkey local artists too like if they cosigned my art I would be happy as shit!. My niggas foreal like DKTM, Nasa8 Threeside all them niggas like if I were to get a cosign from anybody I would be honored cause that means you really fuck with it. To me, it doesn't matter who you are at the end of the day as long as you acknowledge the art that’s enough to keep me going and put a smile on my face.

That’s lowkey a really modest Anwer bro I fuck with that! So final question DKTM, Don’t Kill The Movement. What is the movement to you? 

The movement is just a bunch of creative individuals that want to create for the sake of creating. Not for monetary gain, or like fame I mean those are cool but those a disposable and they will come later. For now, we're living out here and we do what we do. You know what I mean, fuck all the fake and inorganic shit fuck all that GMO shit you know we just out here trying to bridge the gap between two different cultures, and just overall bring people together. Especially in a time where like everybody is divided and everything is divisive. Like we just out here vibing formal, like existing living. Not on like narcissistic shit but like we out here just letting people know that it’s okay to be yourself just have fun with your life you know?

Yeah, what you said had weight to it, and like as far as words go the message is clear!

Also, also, also I wanna give a shoutout to Bob Ross, I remember one time I was high as shit I be enjoying the shit laughing like this Nigga painting a fucking forest makes you wanna paint bro!

If you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with Reem you can find his Instagram here and be sure to check out his store to purchase some of his merch that he designed. Be on the lookout for DKTM episode 8 which is coming next Wednesday.

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