Local rap artist Derek Meitz, also known as “D-Meitz,” started his own record label and production company Graveyard Entertainment. He hopes Graveyard Entertainment someday will design clothing and become a modeling agency and film production company

Credit: Ben Breier

He’s got his own entertainment company, a set of 14-carat gold and diamond plated teeth and the beginnings of a modeling agency and a film production company. And he has a mixed tape coming out this past weekend.

“If I think about it, I’ll do it,” said Derek “D-Meitz” Meitzer, freshman international relations major and freestyle rapper.

This 19-year-old entrepreneur, who was born in St. Louis and graduated from the prestigious St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, started freestyling in the third grade.

This year, he said he set the world record for the longest freestyle rap at two-and-a-half hours long.

“In first grade, I listened to the Red Hot Chili Peppers,” Meitzer said. “Then my sister put in a Salt ‘n’ Pepa tape, and I sang along to the song, ‘Whatta Man.’ I didn’t know it wasn’t cool to sing that.”

Today, his inspirations include Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Cameron and Chamillionaire.

“Jay-Z is my all-time favorite,” Meitzer said. “And Lil’ Webbie for sure.”

He said he likes all types of rap, except “backpack rap.”

“That’s not rap music, that’s showing off your vocabulary,” Meitzer said.

Meitzer is affiliated with Slim Thug and his group, Boss Hogg Outlawz, rapping with them when they perform. He is also on their Boyz-N-Blue DVD.

He even freestyled at a floor meeting in Manchester Hall, where he lives.

“He told us he rapped and everyone laughed,” said David Wheeler, freshman education major. Wheeler lives across the hall from Meitzer.

In the long run, Meitzer’s dreams are bigger. He said he wants to own his own airline and his own country.

“I figured I’d have an island to start off, and once the ice caps melt, I’ll have a cruise line,” Meitzer said. “I’ll be getting money no matter what.”

However, today he is taking one step at a time. His mix tape Really High Freestyles Volume 1 came out this past weekend. It has his freestyle rap on it along with a skipped and looped version. He also is working on an album due out next March.

After working with a record label for the past three years and not getting anywhere, he decided to break away and start his own production company. Graveyard Entertainment is only a month old and sells music, T-shirts and belts. Some of his merchandise was sold at the Homecoming bonfire.

“I’m doing more now than I did in three years,” he said.

Meitzer is looking for an intern to keep business in order and go to meetings with him.

“I want someone I can call up at four in the morning and say, ‘How does this sound?'” Meitzer said.

And to all those girls he hasn’t called back, he says he’s sorry.

“It’s because I forgot,” he said.

This business man has a busy schedule.

Contact on-campus entertainment reporter Olivia Mihalic at [email protected].