Just My Thoughts (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780615558516)

D'Ante D. Conover, a product of Detroit, Michigan was raised on the city's northwest side to a devoted, loving, and hard-working middle-class family (William and Sandra Hamner-Langford). Early on in his youth, D'Ante took to the likings of reading "National Geographic Magazines" and science fiction books, after being exposed to them at age five by his late grandfather Hosea Alfred Hamner. D'Ante went on to develop, a love for reading periodicals, novels, poetry and short stories and anything that he could get his hands on. D'Ante hails from a "family of entertainers" with strong ties to the "Motown Music Era", receiving guidance from Motown Records legend "Carolyn Crawford" and many others during his teen years. At age 14, he received his first "Sony Walkman" as a Christmas gift, which then sparked another passion "rap music" which eventually lead to him being a fixture on the "Detroit Rap Scene". "I borrowed my brother's Jay-z cd and started memorizing the lyrics and reciting them in the mirror." "You couldn't tell me, nothing I was a rapper and that's all there was to it." "In 2001, I had already written three notebooks, of lyrics and carried them around faithfully like the "Bible" sharing them with other aspiring teenage rappers at my school". By, early 2002 D'Ante recorded, several independent albums with Seven Strikes Entertainment and had signed a management contract with Smiley Entertainment Management, but eventually all became halted over management conflicts and money issues. "I was completely disheartened, I never wanted to record another record again, the fast-paced lifestyle and all of the broken promises just diden't suit me, so I just quit". In 2005, D'Ante re-emerged onto the music scene becoming, a regular on the rap battle circuit only to become discouraged again. D'Ante relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2007 to pursue his education at Western Michigan University. "I spent a few years going to school, working full-time and in and out of relationships, so I began to write about my life experiences, this became my therapy and my escape from the day to day stresses of life". "In 2010, a really good friend, Marquitte Anderson informed me that her family was opening a coffee shop in town". "Marquitte told me, that they were having an open mic and I just couldn't resist". "Now was the time, to share with the world my thoughts, I had already written "rap's, so I figured how hard could it be to write a poem".