Hello and welcome to the neighborhood. This is The Hood Shopping Network providing you with the purest product on the street. Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Dough. Also known as Supreem, best known as Jane Dough one of the main bosses at The Hood Shopping Network Blog. I am here to introduce the masses and the customer to the real raw creativity that is flowing through NYC streets and streets throughout the world. Every artist that has been under the spotlight so far has been picked specifically for the purpose of positive artist exposure.
The Hood Shopping Network will be releasing its first mixtape in the upcoming month. The Hood Shopping Network presents: Ice Wave Volume 1 featuring The Paper Mill Gang. Over twelve artists will be featured on the mixtape whose “hoods” range from Hilton Head, South Carolina to Plattsburgh, New York. From the top to the bottom we are working as collectors to bring you raw product. It is your job as our audience to let us know what you think. This spotlight is to inform you of the talent that is progressive in making it’s way into the drums of deaf ears.
Our artist spotlight featured today will be artist DUST hailing from Plattsburgh, New York. Plattsburgh is a smaller town located in northeast New York. Some nicknames for Plattsburgh would be The Ice Burgh, North Country, The Burgh, and Clinton County. Yes, did that strike some memory? Clinton County Maximum Security Facility is where Tupac Shakur (R.I.P) did a prison bid. Plattsburgh is known to reach below thirty degree winters and an average high of eighty-five degree summers. So the product of this are is under extreme pressure.
I am familiar with Plattsburgh, New York because I am a college drop-out from Plattsburgh State University…Jane Dough did it her way. As I attended school in this area I seen there was some things right but a couple of things wrong.
The college was different. This was not a rocket scientist school. I believe there were more creative kids then anything at this college. A handful of individuals were just a bit more creative then others. Campus was regular. There were many kids..exactly what I said…..kids. Smoking weed, drinking, and partying was a regular and average habit in this place. Boredom seemed to persuade innocents to become monsters but only on there campus. When they returned home the eager to learn students returned to their regular selves.
I ventured into the town. The town was different then the campus. These were working people in a lower economic area. Drugs such as crack, heroine, and opiates flooded these small town streets. When I entered the music scene I met some new associates. I worked at a local club doing promotion and even managed a duo who are natives of the area.
Things became interesting when I noticed that Hip-Hop had its own scene with it’s own key players. Every area has it’s main strip where things transpire. Margaret street proved to be that strip for the Ice Burgh. I witnessed that this place was cold. I felt that the desperation thickened the air. As travelling hustlers would pass by the main pizza shop I worked for, I started to see who society would call the “wrongs” of this area.
I began to associate with the product of societies “wrongs”. It seemed as if all the “wrongs” just wanted a way out. Some individuals used art. Some individuals used drugs. I chose the individuals that chose hip-hop. This interview is very special to me because the artist and myself once shared a hood. I becam a neighbor to his jungle.
I want to introduce you to DUST as he introduces you to his hood.
DUST was born Dustin Joseph Towle in 1984, in Plattsburgh NY. With his mother, battling serious drug addictions and being frequently incarcerated for various criminal charges , and his father being altogether absent , he was raised primarily by his grandparents Joseph and Lynette Riel. When he did spend time with his mother, he was exposed to an entirely different environment than when staying with his conservative, rural grandparents. The urban influence was evident when staying with his mother. She introduced him to hip hop and R&B music, which he immediately became infatuated with. After his grandfather died when he was 11 , He became a behavioral problem , getting into trouble at school and at home. After proving to be too much for his grandmother to handle, He was made to switch schools and sent to live with his aunt and uncle, who were much more strict. Although he resented alot of things in his life, he tried his hardest to reform and do better in school. 
In his junior year of High School, he got a guitar for Christmas. He began to teach himself to play, and he also began writing his own raps. Music became a driving force in his life. He wanted to expand his realm of knowledge, so he began listening to every kind of music possible. He found he could draw inspiration from any genre. He could always find something he liked in every type, even in the country music he had disliked in his grandparents household many years before. He started rhyming with his little brother Dylan ,who was only 14 at the time, but shared his interest in expressing himself through rhymes and beats. After so many years of a life without direction or opportunity, He now had a clear and definitive passion ... Music. 
He graduated high school in 2002, and being confident he wanted to pursue a career in music, he enrolled in a local community college. His goal was to complete a two year course and obtain degree in liberal arts, which he would then use to transfer to a local university and educate himself further in music. His goal was not accomplished. Issues with drugs and alcohol, and continuing family dysfunction affected his focus and motivation. Anger and emotional problems led to frequent physical altercations, which in turn led to arrests, court dates , community service ,restitution and fines, and in a few instances , jail time. Through all of this, he never lost his passion for music. In 2004, he was able to record his first songs. His brother had met an individual who had a makeshift studio set up in his home. For the next two years, they would write and record in all of their spare time. In 2006, they moved into their own apartment and shared joint custody of their brother Tashon in absence of their mother. Their grandmother had custody of their other two siblings, Nycia and Zachary. They struggled to raise their teenage sibling, enrolling in welfare and foodstamp programs, and also taking part in less legal methods of generating income. While recording became impossible, for the next three years, they would continue to write and sharpen their lyrical prowess until 2009 , when Dylan obtained his own laptop and recording software. They also met and collaborated with several individuals who had the capability to produce and record music.
Today, Dust has vastly improved in all aspects of his life. He now has a steady job that he has kept for nearly two years. He has an apartment, which he shares with his girlfriend and three dogs. He pays all his own bills, and has successfully avoided further legal trouble. He has built stronger relationships with his family, and continues to widen his musical portfolio. He is currently coordinating with individuals such as DJ Khaos , Young Stephlur , Andy Kakronik , Swek Jameson , Preem Cabey of Supreem Energy Entertainment and of course his Brother The Don D. He aspires to keep making clever,hard, and truthful hip hop and eventually combine all his knowledge and talents to transcend the genre and become a widely known household name. THSNB: What’s good DUST? How you feeling?
DUST: Im feelin nice , i got a little drink going ,im a little tired from workin 45 hours a week and then comin home to write and work on music, but otherwise i feel pretty marvelous.
THSNB: The Hood Shopping Network Blog is interested in the environment in which an artist is nurtured commonly known as their “hood” or neighborhood. Where is DUST' hood?
DUST: IM from an upstate NY town called Platsburgh, its like 5 hours from tha city , 2 1/2 from tha capital. Anybody whos been to Clinton Max Security knows where im comin from.
THSNB: Tell us why you love your hood? What are the first things you think of when your hood is brought up?
DUST: Alot of tha time it feels like theres not alot to love about tha town , but tha truth is, its a beautiful spot with alot of history behind it. It actually played a huge part in tha secession of our country from england , because of Lake Champlain. Its a crazy mix of poverty and wealth, intelligence and ignorance ,and rural and urban influence, so while sometimes it feels like a trap , you just have to realize that there are definitely worse places with alot less opportunity.
THSNB: When you fell in love with hip-hop as an art form, which individuals or songs were the key influences in your motivation to create and express?
DUST:My first hiphop cd was MC hammer, and it was just so different from anything i had heard up until then. I lived with my grandparents and they were strictly country, so it was definitely a culture shock. From then on I tried to listen to as much hiphop as possible. Harlem World , Life after Death , and Amplified were huge albums for me as far as influence goes , but the album that made me want to rap, and gave me the confidence to think that I could was Iron Flag. The Lox , specifically Jadakiss , really awed me with the mix of lyrical prowess and gritty demeanor. And number 1 on my top 5 dead or alive is Big L , hands down. Best lyricist ever, its a shame his life and career was cut short, because i think you wouldve seen a entirely different progression in hiphop had he been able to flourish and perfect his craft. He was ahead of his time. But realisticaly , i draw influence from every track, bar, beat and word i hear, whether it be something extra official, or straight garbage.
THSNB: Management is very important for an independent or signed artist. Do you have management or a street team? How did you become affiliated with your team?
DUST: I have no official management , and as far as a team goes , theres people I collab with and give respect to , but for tha most part , im a one man team. When i first started rappin in 2001 , it was with my little brother, The Don D. Back then he was Spillz and I was Skram , and we called ourselves Tha Realists. I had to get rid of that name because i found out there was a producer called Scram jones, so i dropped it and just went by Dust.so well always be a team in that aspect ,bein that we came up together. He still does tracks in his spare time on his own, or well sit on tha phone and just kick rhymes back and forth to each other , so he'll definitely always be a part of my team, no doubt.
THSNB: What area have most of your performances in the past been held? What has been your favorite performance so far?
DUST: I've done one performance in a hookah bar in my hometown in front of like 35 people, with DJ Khaos. So that would obviously be my favorite. Other than that, ive done some battle style raps at house parties in high school and college, but nothing real official yet.
THSNB: Do you have any upcoming shows? Where can we see you perform in the future?
DUST: Right now its hard for me to get real performances because of my work schedule , but im workin on getting some facetime in some local bars , so hopefully i can give my performance catalog some more credibility.
THSNB: What position do you feel that you are playing in the very competitive underground hip-hop industry?
DUST: Theres a huge underground music scene in The Town , and not just for hiphop. Ive got all my songs on reverb , and right now im ranked number 3 in hiphop , and number 4 for all music genres in burlington and Plattsburgh. Ive got 1,500 + fans across the country. Obviously Im still widely unknown , but as far as lyricists go, i would consider myself way above avergage , not just locally, but overall. And I know thats a biased opinion , but i think the thing that sets me apart from other people doing the same thing in is that I make my music truthful. I dont rap about the standard I-get-Money I-sell-drugs I-fuck-bitches I-Got-Guns material that is prevalant in a lot of hiphop today. And trust me, theres dudes rapping about this stuff on every single track they make, and they have no business doing it, especially in my town. Im in the booth telling the absolute truth.
THSNB:Who do you anticipate to work with in the future? (Producers, Directors, Artists, Engineers, etc.)
DUST: I wanna work with everybody and anybody. Anybody thats doing it big, mastering their craft, and presenting it in a way thats original , any of todays popular artists , anybody thats ever influenced me with anything theyve said or produced, any unknown artist with a hunger to get their music heard, Anybody that wants to let me contribute what I have to offer to any collabrative effort , joint endeavor , or networking project , thats who I am anticipating working with. As far as definite projects go, im going to be on a mixtape hosted by Supreem energy Entertainment called Ice Wave , and Im going to continue to collaborate and perform with Khaotic SOunds , and of course do tracks with my brother The Don D.
THSNB: Who are/were some independent artist in your hood that you have worked with or that you feel is doing their thing right now?
DUST: Young Stephlur of Paper Mill Gang is doin it real big right now, he got like 6000 fans across tha country, hes number 1 for all genres in the area. Andy Kakronik also of Paper Mill Gang doin his thing , Dj Khaos is holdin it down on the ones and twos, doin shows every weekend , and he always producing fire beats. The Don D stay with some heat on tha mic , showin cats up in battles in bars and all across the town , a dude by the name of BlackStar that ive known for a few years is on the come up right now , this dude is absolute fire. HITTMAN got his joints playin in tha club and got mad views on youtube. A producer originally from plattsburgh , Swek Jameson , makin super hot beats out of Salina Kansas right now. Ive known this guy since high school and hes been nice with beatmakin since back then. All these guys are puttin in work in Tha Town right now.
THSNB: Out of all the expressions that you could have chose, why did you choose hip-hop?
DUST: I chose hiphop because I was so impressed with the impact that all the similes, metaphors , punchlines and wordplay can have , especially when paired with a tough beat. Its just incredible to me. If a hiphop song is done right it can give you chills , just empower you and motivate you to want to be able to illustrate that artistry and impress it upon someone else. I want people to be like "wow , how did he think of that" when they hear me. Im a fan of all music , always have been. Ive played the guitar for years and Im currently learning the drums , so i appreciate the talent it takes to be fluent in any genre of music, but for me, nothing compares to the feeling of picking a beat , getting in the zone, and then putting my thoughts and experiences into a rhyming rhythm. And then to lay it down in a studio , and eventually perform it , its magic to me.
THSNB: How do you use hip-hop in your everyday life?
DUST: I listen to it everyday , as motivation , and as inspiration. I try keep my edge by writing as much as possible and listening to my favorite beats on repeat. I always have a string of words that im trying to put together in my head , always trying to formulate a ryhme out of everything i experience throught the day.its constant.
THSNB: How are you spreading the medication and education of hip-hop in your area?
DUST:I have facebook, twitter, youtube , and reverb accounts dedicated to trying to spread my music and get it heard. I post songs and links everyday , and im constantly trying to get people to listen to songs on my phone. Whether im at work , or on the street , "hey, you like hiphop? , yeah? you should check this out then" or "you dont like hiphop?well check this out, itll change your mind". im incessant with it. I think you have to be if youre hungry to get your music heard.
DUST: Big shouts to The Don D , Khaotic Sounds , Young Stephlur , Andy Kakronik , Boxon Authentic , Blackstar , Swek Jameson ,Preem Cabey , and of course Supreem Energy Entertainment.