Today we’d like to introduce you to Maurice Turner, Jr.
Hi Maurice, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It’s been a long hard grind working with my music. I have always had a love for the music of many genres. My love for music drove me to start a music career of my own. I have been rapping since 2005 but nothing really serious just playing around rapping and I recorded my first song around 2007.
At the time, I didn’t think much of a career in music, I was just making music for my friends to listen to and I needed up being better than I thought. Throughout my high school years, I think I begin to take my craft to the next level. Making mixtapes and music videos I got a lot of support from the community and this pushed me to take it a little further.
When I got to college, I sort of put my music and dreams of becoming an artist on hold. I also have a love for art and graphic design, so at this time in my life, I was more forced on making a career out of art than music and I would eventually put my rapping dreams on hold. The school was not really my thing but I was determined to finish, however that did not happen. I ended up dropping out of college and working to support myself and again putting my dreams on hold. After a couple of years, I met a beautiful woman and over the years we started a family together.
I was from Mississippi and she was from Memphis, TN. We met in Memphis in 2016 and it was love at first sight. We moved to Phoenix, AZ, and made a life for ourselves and my focus was then on my family and again putting my music on hold. We got engaged after three years of dating and had a daughter together. After five years together in August of 2021, my fiancée was fighting for her life battling Covid after giving birth to our son, whom she had never even held. Her name is Lareesia “Weedie” Wright.
Weedie and I have always been huge fans of music and she was my biggest listener and critique. I was always making music but it wasn’t until I met her that I begin to take it seriously and really strive for success in the industry. However, my family came first, and working to support us was first priority for me. We lived in Phoenix for five years, just us, her 12-year-old, our 3-year-old, and our newborn. When she got sick, I had been off work to care for our two kids and the newborn.
Because Weedie was positive for Covid after giving birth to our son she could not hold him. 2021 was supposed to be the year moving past the covid outbreak in 2020 and even though we always wore our masks we also believed that we could move forward with some type of normal life. We decided to let our 12-year-old go back to school that year and she came homesick. We all ended up getting sick but Weedie did not get better. What was expected to be a couple of days in the hospital turned into four months?
I tested negative for Covid and the kids too. We had to have our son five weeks early because Weedie was positive and they did not want to risk the baby getting Covid, but also they could not begin her treatment while she was pregnant. We arrived at the hospital on August 26, a day before she gave birth. She tested positive for Covid and the doctors decided to induce her labor.
Our son was born prematurely on the 27 of August. I was right there with her holding her hand every step of the way. After his birth, I had to leave her side to attend to our newborn baby in the hospital with him for two weeks. When I left her on August 27th, that was the last time I held her hand, and were separated ever since. My fiancé passed away Saturday morning 12/25/21 on Christmas Day.
I remember her telling me to never give up on my dreams and my music. She was always my biggest supporter and fan. It’s because of her that I really started to believe in myself. After her death, I promise myself I would never give up and keep going even harder than before.
I have a 7-month-old son and a 4-year-old daughter that I have to step up and take care of by myself. This time, I decided not to put my dreams aside and push my music more than ever before. That’s how I am where I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, it has definitely been a real struggle for me to get my music out. Growing up in the Mississippi Delta the poorest region in the nation, it’s hard to get discovered music.
It all started with me burning CDs on my mother’s computer. I would then go to different parking lots and pass out my CDs and local corner stores would sometimes let me leave a stack on the counter for people to take. It defiantly was a hassle and hustle.
Now all of that has changed thanks to digital music platforms. I can get my music in stores across the nation with no problem. Getting my music in stores has been a huge milestone for me and now finding an audience is the next milestone.
My music is different being a Mississippi native-born and raised but also a resident of Washington for many years.
I feel I have a combination of southern and west costs in my music style. My voice is different and not like any other. I think there is a huge audience out there for me and if I keep putting out music not stopping ever again, then I grow my audience.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make real quality music with content. My music is made to last and live forever. I talk about real-life situations and the struggles of being black in the toughest parts of America.
I can really see my brand growing every day and that’s what I am most proud of. I feel if I don’t ever stop making music again then eventually it will grow into an audience that can bring me success in a music career.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I grew up in the country of Mississippi in the Delta region.
My best childhood memories are of me and my family “siblings and cousins” playing outside in the country. We would always do country kid things like make mud pies and run through the weeds.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/deucemayne
- Instagram: instagram.com/deucemayne
- Facebook: Facebook.com/deucemayne662
- Twitter: twitter.com/realdeaucemayne
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYtVD8ZK7jVWZt3FI40FRhA?feature=gws_kp_artist&feature=gws_kp_artist
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3d7Yn52sI0FyIG8DqRjvV4
