Hi-Def

Quality—It tops the list for Henry Dubar, the artist more commonly known as HI-DEF. 

“I’ve always paid attention to quality,” he told Industry Certified in a recent interview. “When people don’t know who you are, if you are able to give them a product that’s high quality, and somebody can just look at your work and tell you put time and energy and money and all that into it, they’re much more likely to become a fan.”

Self-taught, Dubar started with rap, but eventually got into the engineering side of music to learn the technical aspects of sound design. Primarily focused in hip-hop, he’s dabbled in EDM and dipped into R&B. His sonic composition has been compared to big names like Drake, Logic, and Pusha T, but HI-DEF has spent time crafting his own unique blend of sound and style. 

“I think, over time,” he explains, “it’s just that I do so much research. I listen to so much music, I watch so much, I’m always in tune with hip-hop. I’m not in direct competition with anybody, but I know that to be in the field, I need to have something that’s up there with my peers.”

Dubar grew up listening to a variety of genres in his mother’s music collection. Born in Michigan, raised in the Midwest, he first heard hip-hop in time spent visiting with family in the area. This is when artists like Nelly, 50 Cent, and Eminem started coming up on the scene, making an impression on the young Dubar.

“Tupac was a huge one,” he recalls. “He showed the poetic side to him and the thug side of him. I just thought it was so cool how diverse he was, and not one dimensional.”

Between middle school and high school, Dubar found himself even more interested in music. He started downloading discographies, studying the genre, and getting to know the important names in hip-hop, not just the artists to follow, but everyone down to the record executives. By the time Dubar enrolled in community college, he was experimenting with writing fresh tracks of his own. 

Henry Dubar wanted a good name for himself as an artist. Playing with his initials (H.D. – Henry Dubar), an old co-worker liked to joke, “Yo, Mr. HI-DEF, living life in HD.” The nickname and slogan stuck. An artist obsessed with delivering high quality work, the name is perfect for him: HI-DEF: Living Life in HD. 

Realizing he wanted to make music for a living, HI-DEF started putting in hard work. In 2011 he recorded his first mixtape, and noticed people were listening. The very next year, in 2012, he released his first studio mix. HI-DEF continued to push his music in the streets and by 2014, the “SESSIONS II” mixtape came out, earning him $1,000 in sales after just one month. 

“From there,” HI-DEF says, “it was a snowball effect.”

The very next year, in 2015, he released his debut album and started doing live shows. For his first performance, HI-DEF opened for Jet Life’s Curren$y at the Neptune Theater in Seattle. The show sold 1,000 tickets, and a big part of that turnout was due to HI-DEF’s efforts. Local promoters noticed his ability to draw a crowd, and HI-DEF began booking shows all over the area. 

“Every single year, I made small goals for myself,” HI-DEF explains. “Now here we are, 10 years later.”

In that time, he’s opened for established artists like Black Milk, Nappy Roots, and Futuristic. His Spotify streams are spiking at over 250,000, while his YouTube views have shot up to 200,000. He amassed a catalog of work that includes 17 mixtapes, 4 albums, and over 70 videos. HI-DEF is an entrepreneur, the owner and founder of both 100K ENTERTAINMENT and 100K LIFESTYLE. He’s also the host of “HipHopSeattle,” a podcast focused on interviewing artists in Washington state. The show has been running for a little over a year now, steadily building an audience. In that short time, they’ve aired 35 episodes, each one filled with excellent information about artists in the hip-hop industry. While the program is based in Seattle, the show contains relevant information for anyone interested in music. Topics range from industry news to career development, the history of hip-hop, and the entire culture that surrounds the genre. “HipHopSeattle” has been given recognition at the Seattle Sound Music Awards. The platform has grown over the year, gaining traction. They’ve featured interviews with popular names like Lil Mosey and Jake One. HI-DEF proves to be an excellent host on the show. Having worked in and studied the industry for so long, he is knowledgeable and sparks engaging discussions with all of his guests.  

The ultimate content creator, HI-DEF also has skills in media, cinematography, and graphic design. He admits to occasionally writing songs with the video treatment already in mind. All of his early music videos were directed and edited by HI-DEF himself with the help of a trusted friend behind the camera. Although, these days, he usually hires someone to shoot the entire video, HI-DEF is still heavily involved in the production process, and the assistance with his film work allows for deeper focus in creating the music. In the beginning, his interest in filmmaking was mostly out of necessity. 

“I always noticed there were guys in my city who had big budget videos,” HI-DEF says. “And I always wondered how they were doing it, cause a lot of them didn’t seem to have much money. So, I got my own camera and started learning tutorials. Year after year, I tried to do more interesting stuff. Adding more props.”

Just like his music, HI-DEF was focused on quality. With 

time and effort, his skills improved. Today, his videos are professional works of film-art. He found tricks for generating fresh ideas. Now when he needs inspiration, HI-DEF listens to artists with a different style or goes for a drive. He pays attention to sounds, locations, and images—all fuel for creating both songs and videos. His first album was actually written in a car, as HI-DEF cruised alone, digging the night vibes. 

“Personally, I like to rap about my life,” he says. “Life changes every single day, so I always have content to talk about.”

HI-DEF pumps out stylized beats and smoothly mixes them up alongside an alluring hook. His vocals drop into the flow with a quick rhythm that leaves audiences listening closely, determined to consume every cleverly crafted lyric. HI-DEF has continued to produce top-notch work over the years, releasing albums regularly. His music is streaming across all major platforms. Fans have plenty of tracks to access, including his albums Sessions II (2014), City Blues (2016), and V4 (2018). His most recent album, Worldwide, was released January 24, 2020, and has been HI-DEF’s most successful project to date. The record did 100,000 streams in less than 3 months. Anticipation surrounds the next release for HI-DEF. Fans know the music he’s currently creating is a product of all he’s been building up over the last 10 years. 

“Now, I will show you,” he vows. 

HI-DEF worked hard to get to where he is. One of the biggest challenges he has faced, is in getting people to see his vision. He cultivated a good team over the years, surrounding himself with a community of creative energy. 

“[On my projects], I involved everybody that loves art. In my more recent video, ‘T3,’ I got an artist who does documentary. I got people from different fields to work with me on this. I brought my expertise, they brought theirs, and I was able to create things that I just couldn’t make on my own. I hang out with people who are on the same wavelength and that’s how we are able to make really incredible stuff.”

Like a true artists, music is everything for HI-DEF, and it became a way of life. Pouring his time, energy, and even money into his passion, HI-DEF’s career is born from dedication. 

“I’ve been grinding 10 years consecutively,” HI-DEF says. “No break.”

Building his career patiently, HI-DEF struggled to find his path in the Seattle music scene. Between navigating city cliques and paying respect to those who are already established, it hasn’t been easy gaining a foothold in the community. He has steadily improved himself over the years, developing his sound, and sharing his creative content, fostering a following and a fan-base. These little steps add up, and HI-DEF knows that consistent effort is what it takes to make it.  

“At this day and age,” he says, “it’s like a microwave. People see it and they want it, right then and there. A lot of artists don’t want to climb the ladder one step at a time, but experience has a lot to do with how you progress. I waited 5 years, sometimes 10 years, for certain things. Like, I waited 5 years before my first show, and it’s not necessarily going to be like that for every single person. But I tell people that if you don’t have it now, you just have to work towards it and be patient.”

HI-DEF uses his music to bring people together and his creative mission is inspiring others to pursue their own dreams. Fans are watching and listening as HI-DEF travels the world, offering his songs and a message to the people: “Whatever you want to do, you can!”