Seeing Dyce4Lyfe performing is truly a sight to behold, but knowing how far he came and how much he’s done can be the only thing to overshadow his stage presence. Born and raised in Barbados, Shakir Gilkes grew up with a love for music and poetry long before he held a Shure SM58. His first written poems shown he had talent similar to his father and uncle - Frank and Antarrah Gilkes - who are also very established writers and authors, but his breakout in music positioned him in an entirely different bracket.

After he wrote and performed his first Hip-Hop/R&B song entitled “My Apology” at a Coleridge & Parry School concert, he caught the attention of other known Barbadian artists such as The Mighty Gabby, Peter Ram and Junior Killa. It was only shortly after that he was an official artiste under Junior Killa’s label KS-01.

Although he started out as a rapper and songwriter, he was able to break onto the scene as a DJ and vocal producer as well. Being a producer opened up many other doors to work on genres such as Soca and Dancehall, for both local and international artists. He would even seek out new artists to work with that weren’t able to afford the price of a full studio session to aid in their careers.

His name grew and so did his brand, forming a Hip-Hop group known as C1 Army, he recorded well over 50 songs before the group split a few years after. Though the group disbanded, they all still keep in contact, even after Dyce4Lyfe made the move to live in Canada.

This wasn’t all, as Dyce4Lyfe co-wrote and starred in an award winning film “Daybreak” and played a small role in “A Caribbean Dream" - a movie that is Certified Fresh on RottenTomatoes.com and 6.1/10 on IMDB.com.

The acting bug sparked his creativity, and writing screenplays was his second love. He never stopped working with music as he began his DJ career, now growing it into a successful business. At present, some of his biggest clients are Chevrolet, Fionn Maccools (now known as Fionn's) and even KFC Canada.

Now a resident of Ontario, Dyce4Lyfe released some of his music that was never heard on an international scale between 2019 and 2021 that has been streamed thousands of times, including his touching fatherhood song Unborn. While he still operates his DJ business and is growing his photography and videography as well, he is also aiming to release new music that will show how much he has grown. From being a poor kid growing up in Barbados to a successful businessman and father living in Toronto, there isn’t much Dyce4Lyfe can’t overcome.