{"id":2428835,"date":"2026-05-23T00:27:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T00:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2428835"},"modified":"2026-05-23T00:27:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T00:27:22","slug":"dallas-artist-marries-music-love-and-cooking-on-new-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/dallas-artist-marries-music-love-and-cooking-on-new-album\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas artist marries music, love and cooking on new album"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Chef Dee \u2014 whose real name is D\u2019Andre Pyke \u2014 has been working every minute on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasobserver.com\/music\/the-best-hip-hop-and-rb-concerts-coming-to-north-texas-this-may-40663301\/\">new music.<\/a> This month, the multi-hyphenate dropped his fifth album, <em>Crossfire<\/em>, offering a snapshot of where he is now with his craft.<\/p>\n<p>Up until this moment, Pyke has been keeping his new music close to his chest. <span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">In April, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasobserver.com\/music\/music-safari-returns-with-a-journey-of-sounds-on-oak-cliff-front-lawns-40662953\/\"><span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">while playing<\/span> Music Safari, <\/a>a small front-lawn festival in Oak Cliff, just weeks ahead of record\u2019s release, he still hadn\u2019t shared new tracks; instead, he opted to perform mash-up covers.<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks from the album\u2019s official release, Pyke still hadn\u2019t finished mixing and mastering all of the songs \u2014 he\u2019s meticulous with demo recordings, constantly reworking each sound. But this slow-burn approach isn\u2019t new. He was first fascinated by music at 14, after his father, a singer, died.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI gained an interest in music organically,\u201d Pyke says. \u201cI started singing in my bedroom to myself, and I didn\u2019t like the way I sounded, but I just kept trying to perfect myself throughout my childhood, all the way up until I was 19. I just kind of kept it inside, and I didn\u2019t show the world until way later.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"vmg-newsletter-form\">\n<div class=\"vmg-newsletter-form__container\">\n<div class=\"vmg-newsletter-form__form-wrapper vmg-newsletter-form__step1\" id=\"vmg-newsletter-step1\">\n<div class=\"vmg-newsletter-form__form-wrapper-inner\">\n<p>Sign up for the Music newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vmg-newsletter-form__success hidden\" id=\"vmg-newsletter-success\">\n<div class=\"vmg-newsletter-form__success-content\">\n<h3>THANK YOU!<\/h3>\n<p>You&#8217;re all set.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"vmg-newsletter-form__close-btn\" id=\"vmg-close-success\"><br \/>CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chef Dee: Figured It Out | NPR Tiny Desk Contest 2026\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Co5r8BjjHgM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Before sharing music, Pyke explored other creative ventures, like culinary arts. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve always liked the idea of feeding people,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was my favorite part of cooking, just getting people\u2019s reactions to my dishes. Even when I was little, I would sleep over with my friends, and I\u2019d be up in the morning making pancakes and bacon breakfast the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When he turned 20, Pyke dropped his first mixtape titled \u201cChef Dee\u2019s Cookbook,\u201d a nod to his two loves: cooking and music. A month later, he performed his first-ever live show at the now-closed Tomcats West in Fort Worth. From there, he continued to step up to any mic he could find.<\/p>\n<p>As Dee perfected his musical craft, he also honed his cooking, studying at Dallas College and the Culinary School of Fort Worth and holding stints at Harwood Hospitality Group and in the kitchens of Baylor Scott &amp; White. Now, he owns a catering and event company called Taste Experience, which shares a name with his band. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s through live events, whether through food or music, that Pyke thrives, finding himself where he\u2019s meant to be.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-fifth-installment\">The Fifth Installment<\/h2>\n<p>Much of \u201cCrossfire\u201d is inspired by Pyke\u2019s marriage last year. A rhythmic R&amp;B-rap fusion track titled \u201cFortune Cookie\u201d features a smitten Pyke delivering poetic, food-centric metaphors as he admires his wife.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like comparing love to culinary arts \u2014 you can be creative with flavor pairings and stuff like that,\u201d Pyke says. \u201cAt the same time, you don\u2019t want to do too much. You want to trust that people know their palate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another of the album\u2019s smooth tracks, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/0yaRdQe3uMi5483nfm1kgT\">\u201cRide,\u201d<\/a> is Pyke at his best, capturing a feeling of yearning and youthful love over timeless grooves.<\/p>\n<p>But love wasn\u2019t the only inspiration, and much of the work doubles as catharsis for the artist. The album\u2019s titular track details the artist falling out with former music associates. He says the dissolution of his relationship with past collaborators energized him to get in the studio while he was balancing life and wedding planning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been a whole lot of conflict,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s been ups, there\u2019s been downs, and I\u2019m actually putting a lot of my aggression into this album. It\u2019s more so me speaking my mind. A lot of the time, I felt unheard. I was able to put that into music, and that\u2019s what this project is about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Day one fans of Pyke might be surprised by his fiery bars on \u201cThe Comeback,\u201d a cipher-inspired freestyle rap that would have Sway Calloway shook. But those who know him personally know he could never be confined to a single sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Pyke\u2019s] knowledge of music and willingness to try new things musically sets him apart from others,\u201d Pyke\u2019s cousin, Austen Simien, tells the Observer. \u201cWhen you hear his music, you can hear many different styles in not only his voice, but in the style of R&amp;B. You hear versions of rock, soul and, sometimes, I hear a bit of calypso in the music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Letting out the emotions felt right for the artist during this era. While he\u2019s a set fixture of the live music circuit, with a monthly residency at downtown Dallas\u2019 Rodeo Bar, Pyke will always find a place to tap into the grooves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like now I have a bigger audience, so I\u2019m a little bit more aggressive with my promotion,\u201d Pyke says. \u201cBut that was something I struggled with. Now, whenever I\u2019m actually outside, I\u2019m saying, \u2018Hey, by the way, check me out\u2026 being independent, you have to do that. These people aren\u2019t just gonna find out who you are. You don\u2019t have to be weird and just start singing out loud to everyone. But if there\u2019s an encounter, I find myself like saying, \u2018Hey, you should definitely listen to this. I think you would like this, or you should come to the show.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With \u201cCrossfire\u201d<em> <\/em>finally out on streaming platforms, Pyke feels a sense of relief. And like with the dishes he serves up, the best part is seeing fans react to something fresh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs humans, we deal with a lot, and that\u2019s what this album means,\u201d Pyke says. \u201cEven though there\u2019s a lot of aggression letting out, and a lot of talking, I\u2019m still letting people know that I didn\u2019t give up. I stayed true to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Chef Dee will perform at Levitt Pavilion (100 W Abram St., Arlington<\/em>)<em> at 7 p.m. on May 30. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/levittpavilionarlington.org\/event\/free-concert-artist-to-be-announced-10\/\">The show is free.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.dallasobserver.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chef Dee \u2014 whose real name is D\u2019Andre Pyke \u2014 has been working every minute on new music. This month, the multi-hyphenate dropped his fifth album, Crossfire, offering a snapshot of where he is now with his craft. Up until this moment, Pyke has been keeping his new music close to his chest. In April, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2428836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[22034,21944,24104],"class_list":["post-2428835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-events","tag-hip-hop","tag-local-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Dallas-artist-marries-music-love-and-cooking-on-new-album.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2428835"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2428837,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428835\/revisions\/2428837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2428836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2428835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2428835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2428835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}