D.O. Gibson has defied the odds as a rapper from Canada, becoming a certified international artist, a successful record label executive and a socially active community ambassador. He set a Guinness World Record when he freestyled for nearly nine hours in 2003, sold tens of thousands of CDs, hit #1 on U.S. College Hip Hop Radio charts and travelled the world performing for sold-out crowds; D.O.’s success is defined in his own terms.
Born in Watrous, Saskatchewan, with Cape Breton Nova Scotia roots, D.O. grew up in Southern Ontario before settling in Toronto.
Despite a Worldwide pandemic, 2022 was a breakthrough year for D.O.
In February, he capped a 90-show virtual Black Canadian 365 tour, including the launching his inaugural conference, which was attended by over one hundred thousand youth from across Canada. He was profiled on CBC, City TV News, Global, Toronto Star, and even guest co-hosted Entertainment Tonight Canada Live.
In the Fall of 2021, D.O. released his second book, On This Grind which details life lessons learned from the music business. He also released Still Driven, a new album that celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first professional release, Stay Driven.
In the fall of 2022, Gibson launched his new project, “The Freefallers” – a collaboration with Cape Breton-based Keith Mullins. The project is a change for Gibson – a fusion of Hip-Hop with folk, blues and gospel. Led by the single “Getting Back Out East,” Gibson says, “This project is special to me because I get a chance to showcase my Cape Breton roots.” The duo shot a video on a boat in Baddeck that doubled as the backdrop for a family reunion. “It was great to tie in my new music and my Black Canadian 365 project,” says Gibson.
In between recording, Gibson founded the Stay Driven program launched in 2001. Stay Driven is based on D.O.’s own life experiences, where he addresses relevant topics such as anti-bullying, peer pressure, and literacy. Gibson has spoken and performed at over one thousand schools reaching hundreds of thousands of students.
In addition to his career as an artist, he is also the driving force behind Northern Power Summit – regarded in the Urban community as one of the premier emerging conferences in Canada. Northern Power Summit celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2021 with its largest attendance yet.
Somewhere between Tupac (in terms of social consciousness), Fresh Prince (in terms of appeal to youth) and Jay-Z (in terms of business sense) stands D.O., a man who is bounded only by the hours in a day.