Submitted Photo Rapper Dakotah Faye is set to be the first headlining performer for Citizens Alley’s Levitt AMP Minot Music Series, which starts Thursday, June 4.

Dakotah Faye, a nationally touring Minot musician, kicks off Minot’s summer fun at his headlining show Thursday, June 4, in Citizens Alley. Citizens Alley is keeping music accessible this summer by bringing free music to its outdoor downtown location with the Levitt AMP Minot Music Series, which will feature local, regional and national artists every Thursday for 10 weeks. Dakotah Faye performs the first week at the 6 p.m. show.

Dakotah Poitra, who performs under stage name Dakotah Faye, started recording music when he was just 14, alongside his friend, Eddie Mack. He started his career with an old computer microphone, his noise-proofed closet and a big dream. Now he has toured his music around the country, having performed in every state south and to the west of North Dakota, and has been the opening performance for internationally-recognized artists such as Tech N9ne and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

As an independent artist with no booking manager or record label to report to, Poitra not only writes, produces and performs his own songs, but he’s in charge of everything behind the scenes too. In addition to his creative endeavors, he also maintains the responsibility of booking his own shows, which he said is like a second job.

“You build trust with promoters, venues and other artists so when they have something and need somebody, you’re on their call list,” Poitra said. “Being sober and reliable I’ve been able to build those relationships with bigger promotions. It’s gotten me a lot of gigs.”

Whether he headlines a show or is an opener for a big act, Poitra said he learns a lot from the other artists he meets. Being able to work with prominent, established artists has helped him learn more about touring, and he treasures the moments he gets to perform with them as a peer, even if it is only for one night.

In the last three years Poitra has written a prolific amount of music and even more remains unreleased.

“Since I started writing music as a kid it’s been a part of my DNA. It’s just something I do. … A lot of people said that when I got sober it might be harder to write music, but it was quite the opposite. Now I can’t stop yapping,” he said.

Poitra has lived sober for the last three years, and his rise to recovery is often a recurring theme in his music. He said the messages of his songs have been resonating with his fans and is cultivating a positive community within his audience.

“Sometimes life can be a vicious cycle when you’re stuck in your own mind or habits. My music is themed to boxing this part of my life – to observe and learn from it, but putting it away and moving onto the next thing,” Poitra said. “There’s something for the audience to be invested in. It’s a reflection of their own struggles they’re going through in life. There’s this shared pain. We all go through changes. We all go through regret, or addiction, or one thing or another.”

Three years ago Poitra held a charity concert to raise funds to pay off Minot students’ lunch debt and partnered with a locally run summer food program. He said it was a labor of love to give a little back to the community who supported his career.

“I’ve always, always been that 15 year-old kid that just wanted the people in this city to like me. I always wanted to be somebody worthy of being bragged about. This show feels like a long time coming for me. I do so many shows across the U.S. that I don’t get to do as many in Minot like I used to,” Poitra said. “I just want to show Minot that I’m trying to take this energy and this city and show it to the world.”

Poitra, his DJ and his “hypeman” will take the downtown stage after opening performer Kit Pines, who starts at 6 p.m. The venue and vendors will open at 5 p.m. and attendees can bring their own seats or borrow one from Citizens Alley.

“Good music is good music,” Poitra said. “It’s original. It’s heartfelt. It’s relatable. It’s also a little bit braggadocious because it’s rap, so it has to be. But it’s inviting and it’s dope. It’s very, very dope.”