Meet Steven Darnielle Aka Unmuted | Christian hip hop artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steven Darnielle Aka Unmuted and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steven, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Someone once told me that “life is like a game of chess” and every move we make in life must be carefully calculated. In life, we have to constantly think 3,4,5,6,7 moves ahead. Sometimes when we make these moves, they have immediate impact or long lasting consequences. However, as long as we refuse to quit and not go into “checkmate”, we will eventually get to our desired destination. If we think about it, we take risks all the time without even realizing it. Just to make it to work everyday, we get behind the wheel of a car knowing that the risk of getting into an accident exists. But it’s a risk that we are willing to take in order to get to where we need to be. When taking risks, we have to ask ourselves if the pros outweigh the cons. If the answer is “yes”, it is more than likely a safe risk to take. The point is, there will always be challenges and hurdles along the road to success, but it’s up to us to overcome them and react to them.
As an artist, of course it comes with risks. Writing, recording, and evaluating the final product is a risk in itself. A lot of times, I know myself in particular, I’m my own worst enemy and it’s common for me not to like the product I delivered. Therefore, it’s common practice for me to have to rewrite and re-record it to make it the way I envision. As an independent artist, I don’t have my own recording set up….yet. So it’s also an investment that I have to put my trust into others in order to make my work sound the way I want. It’s a lot of work and people often times underestimate that level of work that goes into writing just one song. So you’re losing valuable time with your friends and family. It’s definitely like working a full time job on top of a full time job.
To me the biggest risk you can take is believing in yourself. Most artist I know, including myself have gone through a phase of self doubt. Especially, being a Christian hip hop artist, you never know how your audience will respond to your message or the story you’re trying to convey. To me, the risk of this unknown fear makes it all worth it. You will always run into people who will always say they like your music or they don’t. It’s important to turn that negative energy into fuel as a way to make you try harder in order to have a successful career. At the end of the day, it takes so much courage to get on stage and perform in front of a group of strangers. It’s a risk in itself to get on stage for the first time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Christian hip hop artist and I go by the stage name Unmuted. All my music talks about overcoming struggles and tragic events and turning those into my healing process. It allowed me the opportunity to take my pain and sorrow and transfer them from pen to pad. I like to say it has allowed me to “break out of my casket”.

I’m definitely most proud of the experience itself. Most people don’t get the opportunity or don’t gain the courage to do it so the fact that I was blessed with this talent is something that I will forever be grateful for. I’m proud of all the barriers I had to work past to get here. It just proves that nothing is impossible. The future is bright as ever and I am so excited to seek this journey and see where I end up.

I have always been a fan of music; ever since I was able to understand the stories and the lyrics. I actually got my start in high school when I started doing rap battles in the back of the school bus or inside the school cafeteria; truthfully anywhere that I could. After a while I became more mature and decided to put that stuff behind and focused on myself and other passions that I desired. However, my love and passion for music still remained. After several years, I watched one of my good friends perform at one of our city’s most popular venues. This was all it took for me to gain the confidence and motivation to follow in his footsteps. I was at the point of no return at that point. I started getting my thoughts together and put them in a poetry format. Once I started, I refused to let anything get in my way. I was privileged to record my first song called “Gates of hell” in a local recording studio and that where this addiction of making music took off. I fell in love with the art and made a commitment to myself to work tirelessly everyday. As my confidence grew, so did my ideas and began recording all that I could whenever I could; including other artists’ closets and bathrooms.
I began attending as many shows as I could so I can study the craft of the other performers and I adapted a style that would work for me. I’ve met so many new artists on the way and I’m excited to call them lifelong friends.
I’ve constantly rehearsed and practiced over and over again until my confidence was at an all time high. I was lucky to land my first performance in 2023 and after a successful reaction from the crowd, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I’ve done several shows since as an opener and as a headliner artist.

Of course I would be lying if I said it was easy. Between all the writing, recording, rehearsals, performances, It’s a full time job on top of a full time job. As a family man, you miss a lot of time with them trying to improve yourself and trying to teach your children the importance of following your dreams. Luckily, I have the most supportive family I could ask for and they have supported me along the way. My parents are the only ones to attend every single one of my performances and that truly means so much to me. My wife, not even being a hip hop fan has attended a few of my shows as well. They are the ones I do this for. My kids also deserve a lot of the credit as well. They are the ones that motivate me to work hard and try my best. They also think it is the coolest thing to go to school and tell all of their friends and teachers that their dad is a “rapper”. I just want to make everyone proud.

One of the most important lessons my career has taught me has been to know myself. To know myself means allowing the grace to love yourself and refusing to take part in anything that compromises who you know yourself to be.
Walking my own path is something I learned as well. I was always jealous seeing someone my own age with a bigger house or fancier car, but overtime I learned to count my blessings and not worry about the aspirations of others because their goals and dreams do not influence my vision of life. It’s my path and I decide where it takes me and how long it takes me to see it through.
Another important lesson I learned is that good things never come easy. Since I want a long and successful career, emotional satisfaction, and trustworthy friends, I need to work hard. I know that luck can only take me so far and the rest is entirely up to me. The amount of effort I put in everyday and the ability to learn from my mistakes is also up to me. Nobody else will fight my battles with the same devotion as me.
Lastly, I learned to make every moment count. I’m sure we can all agree that life flies by. I remember in my early 20’s, I thought I would stay there forever, but faster than a blink of an eye, I ended up in my mid 30’s and it became too late to do the things I wanted to when I was younger. Live life to the fullest because life is too short and tomorrow is never promised to anyone. Tomorrow is a gift that unfortunately will not come for some. The gift of life is the most precious gift that often times is taken for granted. Since tomorrow is never promised, there is no such thing as next month or next week. If you have a dream, get it today.

I go by the name Unmuted because it is my way of saying I’m no longer afraid of telling my story. I’m no longer afraid to speak up about the burdens that I carry. I’m no longer afraid of the opinions of others and I will continue to tell my story whether others like it or not. I no longer will remain silent and I’m not only speaking up for me but I’m also advocating for the ones that may not be able to speak up for themselves.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Colorado is full of hidden gems but It depends on a number of factors really. Colorado is the only state that has all 4 seasons in the same day so everything is always weather permitted. Assuming weather cooperates, garden of the gods has always been one of my favorite places. There are several hiking trails and scenery is amazing. I would definitely recommend going either early morning or early evening when the sun set/rises because the sun light shines off the rocks and enhances the scenery drastically. The manitou incline is also a popular one. I would definitely prepare them for a challenge though. It’s a very difficult hike, but well worth it. I’ve always enjoyed walking around the lake at the Broadmoor Hotel, especially at night. They have several lights and fire pits going that definitely makes it worth it. It’s also the place where I proposed to my wife so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Luckily all those places are free. If money wasn’t an option, I would definitely recommend, top golf. I am probably the worst golfer in the world but the ambience they provide is amazing. Indoor go cart racing at Over drive is always fun as well. Everyone likes to go fast and this is the place to do it. Main event is also a ton of fun. I would definitely recommend going Sunday night though. They have unlimited bowling, laser tag, and arcade games for a reasonable price.
I will not let anyone visit me without me taking them to Fargos Pizza. It’s an old brothel that was later converted into a pizza shop. The decor on the wall is unique and the pizza is good too. You can’t forget about the carrot cake. It’s easily the best I’ve ever had. The ice cream lab is a must as well. They make all their ice cream in house using nitrogen and it’s actually a really cool process. I may be biased for saying this just because I work there part time, but the Local Table is a nice one. They have an excellent menu selection at really reasonable prices. I would definitely recommend the Reuben or the Gouda bacon burger. They also offer “The gambler.” It’s a burger that has 3 patties, 2 eggs, bacon, cheese, onions, and lettuce. It also come with fries. If you eat it in 9 minutes, it’s free. You already know I’ve done it. Hahaha

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, I have to give a shout out to our brave men and women (past, present, and future) fighting over seas. If not for their daily sacrifices, I would not be where I am today.

I also, have to give a shout out to my man Josue “JahSue” Dorado. He’s the man that that gave me my start in hip hop and put me in the studio for the first time. He continues to guide me and believe in me through this journey. I hope that one day, I will be half the artist that he is.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070065815615&mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@unmutedmusic5449?si=GOX5JLyBWjfOYRgg

Image Credits
John Darnielle
Steven Darnielle
Danelle Darnielle