Hailing from Tarzana, California, sophomore rapper Danny “DaWhite” Salvay embodies the struggles of a pubescent teenager and uses his hardships as fuel to produce original raps.
DaWhite was welcomed into the world as Daniel Bernard Salvay in the quiet suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. Born into a family of musicians, Salvay was brought up with a knowledge of music and music theory. At the young age of 12, Salvay knew he wanted to keep the family tradition alive by contributing his rapping talents.
“At first I questioned his decisions to rap, but then I realized that [rapping] truly is his future,” said father Bennett Salvay.
Salvay’s journey to stardom started in the seventh grade when he arrived at school wearing a jacket with a dime-sized hole in it. Soon, students at his middle school circulated rumors that Salvay was in a near-fatal shooting mishap while walking the streets of Compton. Playing along, Salvay quickly assumed the role of “DaWhite”, a gangster rapper whose brush-with-death experience prompted him to make music.
“I came up with ‘DaWhite’ by taking the first two letters of my first name and combining that with the tone of my skin,” said Salvay.
It was soon after adopting this alter-ego that Salvay came to realize he had a natural talent for rap-battling and a knack for rhythm and rhyme.
“At first it was a joke, but then my friends took videos of my rap battles and put them up on YouTube,” said Salvay. “They received thousands of views within months.”
While other rappers may pride themselves upon their vulgar lyrics or misogynistic undertones, Salvay thinks his extensive vocabulary sets him apart from the competition. As an Advanced Placement and Honors student, Salvay has acquired an extensive vocabulary through his classes and uses this skillset to his advantage.
“DaWhite is a real crowd pleaser when it comes to his rapping abilities,” said an anonymous fan. “He really knows how to entertain his audience and spit a sick rhyme. He truly is an enigma.”
Although DaWhite has not been on the music scene for long, he is quickly facing the realities of dealing with celebrity, fans and groupies.
“Sometimes I cannot even go grocery shopping before some fan recognizes me,” said Salvay. “The paparazzi are all over me.”
“I used to carpool with Danny in my mom’s Prius, but now I see him get dropped off at school in a Lamborghini with tinted windows,” said senior Natalie Mishkin.
Though Salvay admits he struggles with keeping the fans at bay, he confesses that he enjoys his newfound stardom.
“I do not know where I would be without the fans who have been loyal to me even through some tough times in my life,” said Salvay. “Even though the fans can get a little crazy, I still love them.”
However, while other budding artists may find themselves swept up in the tempest of fame, Salvay knows to keep himself grounded and stay humble. Just like other CHS students, Salvay still deals with normal high school difficulties like juggling homework and asking girls on dates. Though Salvay dons harem pants and gold chains on the weekends, he assumes a classic wardrobe of khaki pants and polos during the school week to maintain a shred of normalcy in his hectic double-life.
“I still attend classes just like any other CHS student,” said Salvay. “Even though I have released more hits than Tupac and Eminem combined, I am still the same person I was before the success.”
