Mine started the second I heard Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” blaring out of my grandmother’s plasma television screen between the teeny-bop music videos played on MTV TRL and 106 and Park. From that moment, Hip-hop music was my everything. The soul samples, 808s, and stories written by people who look just like me became the soundtrack to my life. They spoke my language. The music was for us, by us. And most importantly of all, it has always been my greatest teacher. 

Adam “Defcee” Levin’s love story runs deep. Falling for the craft at the tender age of 11, the now 33-year-old wordsmith continues to contribute to the music he loves as an emcee, educator, and community leader in his hometown of Chicago, Defcee is set on a mission to teach the intricacies of the language of Hip-hop culture to the next generation.

“I was pretty involved in the all-ages open mic scene since I was 15 years old. I’ve loved hip-hop my entire life. I got into poetry because it was a way to work on and perform raps in a setting that was not so accepting of it at that time.” 

During his formative years, Defcee became heavily involved in local after-school programs and clubs, where he would neet educational professional Peter Khan, who eventually became a mentor to the young Chicago native, inspiring him to find confidence in himself as an artist, giving him the drive to sharpen his pen and motivate the peers around him.

“I was also involved in a spoken word club in school. So there were a couple of kids I was rapping with who were in that club. The guy who ran the club, Peter Khan, did work that really changed my life and really gave me a purpose. Had me see things in myself that I didn't think were there. Really showing positive attributes that I didn't think I had.” 

This fire that Decfee found in his heart would quickly become a passion for leadership and community service. After graduating college, he would pursue a career in education, quickly incorporating what he learned through his love for Hip-hop music and culture to students in the Chicagoland metropolitan area. 

“I found out being an educator was what I wanted to do,” Decree explains. “I got involved in teaching workshops and got involved with Young Chicago Authors.”

“When I went into education, initially, it was the first time I’d ever stood at the front of the classroom and not be able to engage the kids in front of me at all. What I realized, in the past, when I performed, it was in front of a captive audience. People were there to listen to me. But these were not all kids who wanted to be there. It then became difficult to find my voice in the classroom.” 

Defcee understands the power of education on the youth. As he speaks the language of youth culture, Decfee is confident he can mold the minds of the next generation. 

With his latest album, For All Debts Public and Private, Defcee continues to spread his truth outside of the classroom and straight on wax. The project, completely produced by Chicago-based beatmaker Boathouse, finds Decfee delivering spirited verses laden with lyrical acrobatics, punchlines, and double entendres. 

One of the album’s standout tracks and single, “Cash,” finds Defcee offering some classic rap bravado on his “fuck you, pay me” shit. 

“Cash on hand when you hit me for a verse/ And I need the second half before I’m finished with the work/ or it’s all on the arm if you ever held me down/ that’s why my name rings, even when I haven't been around.” 

“Hip-hop music reinforced ideas I had about the state of the world. Institutional racism, white supremacy, gender inequality, financial inequality. I don’t want to sound corny or like I’m tryna sell anyone on the curriculum, but one of the most important things I learned from hip-hop is the point of ‘each one, taught by the 5 Percent Nation of Islam.” 

Defcee is much more than a rapper. He’s a father, writer, teacher, and leader, passionate about molding the minds of the youth through the most powerful art form in the world. Hip-hop is a universal language that Defcee is fluent in, shaping the world for the future and what’s to come next.