By David Rosario
My name is DRO, or David Rosario as most of my friends know me. I'm a 25-year-old journalist, blogger and hip-hop photographer based out of Miami, Florida. I've pretty much dedicated the last 10 years of my life to covering every aspect of Miami's hip-hop scene and everything associated with it.
I run a Miami-based hip-hop and fashion site called The305.com. The site has been around since 2002 and it has gone through many facelifts, but in the seven years of operation, we've profiled and featured a lot of Miami's hip-hop artists way before they got their chance to be in the mainstream spotlight. I'm talking about featuring Rick Ross before he had his beard. We published one of Pitbull's first interviews. We had DJ Khaled before he had his own radio show. Those are just a few, but I've seen a lot of our artists grow into becoming superstars that have taken our area code toward global status. And seriously, "305" is more than just an area code, it's a lifestyle.
My real passion is photography. I've shot almost every major hip-hop artist in Miami and I've also had a chance to shoot a lot of artists that stop through Miami. I grew up idolizing some of the people I've shot and within the last few years, seeing them and taking photos of them has seemingly become something of the norm for me. And I'm thankful for that.
As a photographer, I've had a lot of memorable shoots throughout the years. Some of my favorite include:
(Check Out More Photos of Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and Other Miami Giants Care of Mr. 305)
» I did a Pitbull photoshoot in front of a bronze map of Cuba during a time when Cubans of all ages were in Miami parading the streets in a later-to-be-known false alarm regarding Fidel Castro's death. It's one of my favorite images because the timing of when it was shot has so much meaning to those who know about it.
» I did a shoot with DJ Khaled inside Chef Creole in Little Haiti, which is one of the more popular restaurants in the hip-hop circle. What was special about the shoot was that Khaled was wearing a "Rest In Peace Uncle Al" shirt made by Mi Gente Clothing. For those who don't know, DJ Uncle Al was a pioneering DJ in the Miami Bass movement who was killed on September 10, 2001, a day before 9/11. Khaled's continuous show of respect for Al is an incredible gesture.
» I shot DJ Craze, who was Kanye's tour DJ, about a day after Kanye's mother passed. In the middle of the shoot, Craze got a call from Kanye's people letting him know that Kanye said that he was going to keep working and that their show in Dubai the next day was still on. So immediately after the shoot, Craze went home to pack. That's when I realized that everybody reacts differently when a loved one passes away. Kanye chose to work through his pain.
» Just recently, I shot Slip-N-Slide's own Trina. It was an interesting day to say the least, but we ended up with some sexy and vibrant shots showing off her new look for her new album.
So a lot of things do go down in Miami and the city's hip-hop scene has a lot to offer to the world. And I'm glad that as a photographer and as the owner of The305.com, I have a chance to witness it all firsthand. A lot of people from the outside looking in might think Miami is just a place to party and fly to during the winter. But it's definitely home to me — and it's paradise all year long.
All this week, MTV News will be celebrating Miami's legends, superstars and upstarts. Keep checking back with us for more from the evolving city.
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