By: Monesha Brewster
Recently, actor and musician Dante Brown sat down with Kontrol to discuss working with Damon Wayans on the set of Fox’s hit show, Lethal Weapon. We also discussed his love for music and his new single. The world watched him in several commercials as a child actor and now he is grown and sexy and is ready to take the world by storm in a few unexpected ways.
“I started in high school and here I was working with the big dogs as a young kid.”
When it comes to Lethal Weapon, Dante credits his transition from childhood actor to an adult actor, the coaching of Damon Wayans and as he refers to her, “Mama Keesha (Keesha Sharp)”. “I started in high school and here I was working with the big dogs as a young kid. They were really like family, they really taught me a lot. Mama Keisha would take junk food away from me and bring in sugar-free candy. They prepared me for the real world. I really enjoyed the three years that I worked on the show”, he explains. Lethal Weapon was recently canceled from the popular network. Although there were talks of drama on the set between Damon Wayans and one of the original cast members, Dante stated that he was offset during that time frame and he really can’t speak to that. Dante does feel however that while on the show he was given the tools to move forward and do great things. There were several scenes on the shows that we saw where Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) parent his young son Roger Murtaugh, Jr. When it comes to playing that role Dante stated that there are some similar ways with his character on the show and his teenage self. “It’s funny because there were conversations that we would have in my actual household that would happen a week or two later on the show. It seemed that either it was myself or my brother that would get in trouble for some of the same stuff”, he laughed.
“Music is something that I have been doing since I was very young. My brother and I actually had a group and we opened up for Soulja Boy and Trey Songz at one time.”
While on Lethal Weapon, Dante stated that he was dropping music on Soundcloud. “Music is something that I have been doing since I was very young. My brother and I actually had a group and we opened up for Soulja Boy and Trey Songz at one time. Music has been something that I was always passionate about. Recently I took more control over it. Finding my own sound and perfecting my craft”, he shares. He stated that he does write all of his own stuff and has been working with additional producers to release new music. “I have connections, I have worked on projects that have been Grammy nominated and I am doing this stuff without a deal”, he states. Dante says that his music will stand out amongst other artists because he is putting a sound out there that is real. “I am a sound person, I am a music person, and one of my biggest influences is James Brown. My inspirations are different from everybody else’s”.
“I believe in myself and I can do it.”
Dante is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. He stated that he does manage to stay balanced in the hills of Hollywood. “We are still normal teenagers. We do normal things like going go-karting or to the movies. We always do stuff on the weekends and I am normally the one that organizes everything. We are pretty balanced as young teenagers”, he explains. The now adult actor explained that he wants to have a normal life and work on his acting and music career. Dante is pretty confident that he can do all things such as other people like Childish Gambino and Will Smith, who have paved the way to be able to take on dual projects in the world of artistry. “I do feel as though I can do both acting and music. There is a meme that is going around discussing how many talents do you have”, he stated, “I believe in myself and I can do it”, he ends. With music in his heart and acting at his doorstep, Dante stated that he still has so much to accomplish. “I was so close to working with Denzel Washington, so I really want to work with him. Will Smith, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx would also be on my acting side. For my music side, I would like to work with Tank, Chance the Rapper, Kayne West, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and I have to put a girl in there. I would say Monet from Chicago”, he shares.
“If you really want anything in life, you have to give it 120 percent.”
“Trying to transition my swag and make it more dope is something that we are working on. I am just giving my swag a manly feel and keeping the culture alive”, he shares of recent photoshoots showing him in suits and ties and other grown man swag looks. He says that all of this comes on the heights of him finding out who he is and finding out who he is as an adult. Of course, a change in wardrobe always helps when you are growing up and on the dating scene. “My dating is healthy for me. For me, communication is the key, busy or not you find the time. I do what I feel is right for me. It doesn’t matter if someone is in this industry or not. If you like someone, you just like someone”, he shares of his current romantic life. Dante Brown is still rooted and grounded in his family life. He still takes family vacations and educational trips with his family and stated that prayer and family are very important to him. “If you really want anything in life, you have to give it 120 percent. There is always someone out there that wants it more than you. You have to put in the time and make sure that you are always putting in the hours and keep going”, he encourages.
“You have to put in the time and make sure that you are always putting in the hours and keep going.”
Dante says that we can all be and do anything we want if we just keep working at. He would know because he is actually working on several projects as speak. Make sure be on the lookout for several projects from him coming up at the Sundance Film Festival. Be sure to follow Dante on instagram @dantethepoet .
