Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Dutton.
Hi Steven, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Being the child of a career musician the desire for music had always been there. Sadly I didn’t inherit my father’s guitar skills or carry a tune too well. However I did notice I was good with words so I began writing poetry. It wasn’t til my late teens well into beginning my interest into Hip Hop that the idea of freestyling with my friends was brought up to me. In Texas Hip Hop culture freestyles are very prevalent in the art form so it’s common place to see friends mess around and just freestyle over instrumentals during house parties. So after being coerced to start giving it shot though not good at first I still felt the rush of just doing it. So I would practice every day over my favorite J Dilla, Pete Rock and Damu the Fudgemunk beats and start putting that poetry to music. Overtime I got solid at the form and ended up getting studio time out in San Antonio. Once in a studio with JHustle I started learning song structure and how to properly work and construct a song. It took sometime to learn and apply the teachings and even now I’m definitely still learning. As my style and form came to be much more defined I was able to get shows in San Antonio thanks to SpyMC who helped me refine my stage presence, live performance and how to conduct myself as an artist. Both these guys helped me tremendously in the beginning. I started Ideal Collective in 2016 inspired by labels like Rhymesayers to make a Collective for me to help artists I believed in and create something beautiful. I manage to get in touch and work with JSon and Big Mic of CHHK who helped me in so so many ways. From getting me in touch with the Austin scene, Helping me understand the logistics of what goes on behind the music and shows, How to improve my own art form, and gave me huge platforms to showcase Ideal Collective on such as opening for Ra the Rugged man, AFRO, and a Official SXSW 2026 performance. With all these lessons I’ve learned and connections I’ve made I’ve managed to throw big shows and give a lot of artists opportunities to show your art to a dope community that we have helped cultivate. 2026 was a big year besides the SXSW performance we have also had 2 Texas Tours this year including our first headliner tour. Very eye opening. Experience to say the least but definitely sets the foundation to build off of I definitely see 2027-2028 us hitting the road out of the state.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The first 2 that come to mind are ones we all feel I’m sure Time and Money.
Time as artist who can’t live off his art is always a struggle. You have your 9-5, family life, personal passions, relationships, managing the label and then my own music. It’s a lot and definitely I feel overwhelming at times but there’s always that fire inside that I know it’s worth it. The struggle for the things I love, those late nights those screams of frustrations, those obsessing over the details in the end it’s love. I love Ideal Collective it’s my baby I created and I would doing me a disservice not to see it through.
Now money that’s always a tightrope act you live by modest means but have grandiose plans. Alot of times it’s shrewd negotiations, setting up payment plans and building good business relationships with good partners that will go along way when your trying to stretch a dollar. Even still it can be very tough a lot times it’s hard to even get returns on investments in music especially on the ground level. Though I don’t let it trouble me to much the reason I did this isn’t with financial success as the forefront it’s for artistic principal ,it’s for nurturing passion and building community sacrifices will be necessary and I’m willing to do my part.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Funny enough I work sales at a liquor store. I do enjoy it tho I like talking to people and helping people. I like the feeling when you recommend something and they come back and say they love it. I’m very good and talking and connecting with people I have a very natural capacity for empathy. Also do love the neuance of spirits culture as a fan of Anthony Bourdain and Alton Brown I was always a foody so it translated naturally to spirits too.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was Abit of an awkward kid definitely took me Abit to really find who I wanted to be. Spent a lot of youth kind of goofing off in almost half sleep daze it felt. I was nice enough guy though definitely a know it all smart ass who infact didn’t know it all typical teen antics. I loved soccer played from 5-18 and was very good at it. Learned good health habits and discipline from the sport and that sense of comradere you get from building with a group for awhile. I loved reading as a kid was big into Mythology, Biology and History though I was also a sucker for cartoons and anime too. Music wise I listened to a blend of rock, reggae, jazz and hip hop. Some artists that come to mind are like Toots and the maytals, System of a Down, A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Atmosphere, Deftones, Alborosie, Damian Marley, Billie Holiday, Guru, DJ Shadow.
Pricing:
- Ideal Collective Performance 350$
- Salus Herb Performance 100$
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salus_herbatx17
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CPaXUWMmN/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@idealcollective193
Image Credits
All photos done by Ali Bonnet Photography
