D O N A V A N G L O V E R.
“One thing I do is dive into things. I’ve always been self taught.” - Donavan Glover
Growing up on Detroit's East Side in the Martin Luther King Apartments, Donavan Glover focused on what came naturally to him at the time which was Sports. He played golf, baseball, tennis, track and football. Along the way art would insert itself into his life through drawing cartoon characters like Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog. He was a very curious child was interested in a lot of things.
Glover graduated from King High School in 2008 and he went on to Eastern Michigan College and began vlogging with his friends for 2 years before dropping out. After college he transitioned into the workforce at the Original House of Pancakes. Glover worked there for a few months, saved his checks and bought his first professional camera a Canon T1i. After he was fired he decided to dive head first into videography. Since he was inspired by music videos he spent 2010-2014 producing and collaborating with artists making videos.
Throughout his time as videographer he stayed independent, hustling, “just making it work.” He stayed independent because he wanted to “make sure he kept his integrity,” and “stay true to myself and not be controlled by a company.”
In 2014 he won the Kresge fellowship. He says, “It was a big achievement for me.” A few months before Glover had his camera and equipment stolen. The fellowship was a sign that he was on the right track. He was funded by Art X Detroit to produce a Documentary about Jessica Care Moore, a legendary poet who was the first poet to win at the Apollo Theatre 5 times in a row. He says, ``The spotlight of Kresge “ put me in a different light.”
Inspired by directors like Director X, Hype Williams, Martin Scorsese he studies their style and molds it into what works for him. One of his favorite music videos was the video Pirates by Nick VarCity. The video was made with a $400 budget but to Glover “it looks like money.” “I love the flow and the edit.” The video was shot in the 48207 east side area code.
“I don’t put myself into a box when it comes to thinking or creating. When I am in that mode to figure out something, I do it.”
Over the years Glover spent a lot of time with musicians, going on tour, in music studios and rehearsals. He thought to himself, “Maybe I will get into it [music].” He dove into music producing the same way he did with photography and videography. He learns by studying books, people he admires in the game and good ol fashioned trial and error. He bought a beat machine and got busy. He is inspired by a variety of music like hip hop, Caribbean, Jazz and more.
Call it how you feel, his first project. Challenged him in a new way. He was unsure of how the project was going to be executed but he went for it. Call it how you feel had 8 features. He recorded all the vocals himself along with mixed and mastering the project. After the project was completed he felt “fearless.” So fearless that in May of 2019 he started DJing.
In the future Glover wants to buy his mom a house. He wants to be respected for what he does and be known for his talent and win an Emmy Award. Overall he says, “I want freedom to be me.”
Donavan has worked with artists like Kierra Sheard, Jessica “Care” Moore, DejLoaf, Illa J (J Dilla’s brother), Amp Fiddler, Big Sean, Karriem Riggins, Chris Dave, Lyrica Anderson, Young Dolph, Drumma Boy, Angel Brinks, Mike Posner, Slum Village, Karriem Riggins, Elzhi, Nick Varcity, Amp Fiddler, One Freq, Siren Sound, Honey Baptiste, and Charity.
He has worked with brands and companies with, Stones Throw Records, Universal Records, Capitol Records, Nike, Etc and Complex Media.
