Shaman Dean Robinson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Dean, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
My first short film directed by myself called, “Burger King” makes me laugh every time I watch it. It is made with AI and makes you portal jump into my trippy mind for the first time. In the film, I catch my wife cheating on me with the burger man in a grocery store aisle and at the end of the film she faces the consequences. You can watch the film and laugh with me at this link right here: https://youtu.be/fHgmAalPwZY
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I go by Codeine314. I’m a multidisciplinary artist and healer who works through food and music—two of the oldest medicines we have. My brand isn’t just about creating restoration for any feelings of loss. I build experiences that nourish the body and speak to the spirit, whether it’s through a trap beat that carries ancestral memory straight to you or a delicious meal that feels like an ancient ritual. What makes my work different is the intention behind it. I’m not chasing trends, I’m channeling something deeper. I draw from underground hip-hop culture, storytelling, and live experiences to create a universe where rhythm and flavor become tools for you to get through your day or night. It’s raw, it’s emotional, and it’s always personal. Right now, I’m working on a series of projects that blend music for healing, pop-up YouTube live mixing sessions and some shorts that are filled with sacred knowledge. I want all of you to feel something authentically St. Louis. That’s the goal. That’s me.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Love breaks the bonds between people and love restores them. It’s a double-sided coin. Love can be too hard and love can be too soft. If you love someone too much then you may be attached to them and can’t let go until you realize that love is holding you back from focusing on yourself. If you love someone too little, then you regret not showing the love that you wished you had when that person was there. And that kind of love turns into longing and then prolonging. It affects your daily life sometimes, before you go to sleep, before you wake up. That’s the bond of love. A literal bond. Caring restores the bond between people instead of self-care. So there’s a double-sided coin there. It’s tricky. I once bonded with 3 Rollin’ 60’s crip brothers who kidnapped me after my cousin-in-law stole something valuable from them. It’s a hilarious story, I ended up producing music for them and just hanging out riding around Nashville and had to stay with them in their mama’s house for 2 summers over college summer break when I had nowhere else to go. I was treated like family, I could walk in the door unannounced and say what’s for dinner mama type of bond. It’s all love but we all know what gangsters go through and I had to distance myself from them because of their lifestyle. I bonded with my roommate before and the bond was too strong and let’s just say we’re not roommates anymore. Some bonds can’t be restored but they can always be remembered. Remember that.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
I miss my children that were wrongfully taken from my custody by Rutherford County police in Tennessee when I paid for a family camping trip on someone’s private property to see my father before he passed. They made up lies to take my children and said we were “living in the woods” and I have been through hell trying to get them back. I broke my hand at work and couldn’t work or drive for about a year, so time is ticking. I’m saving up money to buy my first home but my credit is low and I’m having a hard time. I was supposed to get my children back by doing an ICPC to transfer them from Tennessee back to St. Louis, but the Department of Children’s services in Tennessee is corrupt and lied about transferring them to my home in St. Louis. I completed everything on their permanency plan but they still haven’t given me my children back. They said they started the ICPC but they never did. The public defender lawyers are shady and on their side as well. I need a real lawyer bad but my funds are drained from going to visit my four children. I miss them the most out of anything in this world! I need a 4 bedroom house in Tennessee because DCS plays too many games on holding people’s children from them for no good reason. If you’re reading this, we need your help asap.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
A belief that I used to hold tightly is that I would magically make it in the music and entertainment industry. It’s starting to fade as I feel it was naive to embark on in the first place. I see people’s lives going way faster than mine and being more successful in other careers that I wish I could have partaken in. But at the end of that thought, I realize that that’s just not me. My belief from so long ago that I will make it is what’s part of me, and if I didn’t keep going then I wouldn’t be myself anymore. I would be a normal everyday average joe, and still would probably be unhappy with my life. I mean I’m happy with my work and my career path but it’s led me down such a dark rabbit hole that I can’t find my way out. My followers have actually told me I’m going to make it far and that’s what I always hear if I get weary and tired. I can’t give up on my fans. I didn’t have a plan from the beginning and that’s the naive part, but who can plan out success in a business that is part luck and divine intervention? The belief in myself is still there. And without VoyageSTL my burning flame would have turned into ashes! They inspired the new tape Midnight Medicine by Codeine314 and it went viral overnight. Sample it here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/685vuV5cDqSu7fte5Zm9zC?si=pGjEmVKTRiuMKo-vTC4-1Q
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
My customers would miss the one-of-a-kind Dimo’s food deliveries via Doordash, the funny antics that I bring to the media, the deep space conversations, and the raw talent that I possess. Some say I’m the voice for the voiceless and I think they would miss my voice the most. The fact that my customers see me keep going and going until I thrive gives them hope as I show them in real time that they can do it too. I share my secrets of success and that’s to just be yourself and never give up. Do what makes you happy and rich in your mind and your soul and in the real world. My customers would miss my innovations and my way to get out of any hard situation that comes. They would miss my life hacks and ways to survive in a cold world.
Contact Info:
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Codeine314
Image Credits
UMBRELLA CORP
