Chicago rapper DLOW opens up about his mental health struggles

Chicago – The chart-topping Chicago-born rapper opens up about his struggles with mental health in hopes of helping others.

His music is cheerful, enthusiastic, full of energy and light. It is a testament to his overcoming.

10 years ago, “DLOW Shuffle” took the country by storm. Darion Simmons, now 27, shares the personal pain that brought him to the brink.

“My mother died in her sleep from a drug overdose. My father, I never met my father and have no idea who he is today. My grandparents raised me. He did,” Simmons said.

As a teenager, his life spiraled out of control when his grandparents died.

“So me and my brothers and sisters had to deal with life alone at a young age. Foundation,” Simmons said.

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He turned to dance to escape. He then put lyrics to those moves and came up with the name “DLOW”. It stands for determination, loyalty, optimism and willingness to learn.

“Dance was a way of expressing myself through the hardest times and the easiest times, and dance was my language,” he said.

His unique approach caught on like wildfire and led to songs like “Bop It Challenge,” now famous on TikTok.

But it fell apart again.

For three years he suffered from severe depression. Fearing that his career would be in jeopardy, he was afraid to face the truth.

“Having no one to contact and no one to turn to is the cause of my depression. But instead of trying to fight everything on my own, I just let go and let God do it,” Simmons said.

That mantra inspired his latest song, “Let Go Let God,” released this month.

“It’s always how you experience, not what you experience. If you live in yesterday, you probably can’t see tomorrow,” he added.

Late last year, DLOW released his first song as a solo artist, “Dancing Across the World.” His dream is to open an after-school program for children on the west side of Chicago where he grew up.