Hailing from Suriname on South America’s northeastern coast, Derrick “Mr.DTunes” Roach discovered his love of music in middle school when he self‑published a track on CD to stand up to bullying. Fueled by his Christian faith and a passion for living every day to the fullest, he built an early résumé as a junior Olympic swimmer, a youth speaker at age 12, and a preacher in churches, schools and detention centers.

But life took a sudden, harrowing turn when Derrick was diagnosed with multiple tumors. Through three brain surgeries, he lost the ability to walk—and faced months of crushing uncertainty and pain. Yet his faith never wavered. Bit by bit, he relearned to stand and walk again, determined to turn his trials into testimony.

Today, Mr.DTunes pours every ounce of grit and gratitude into his Christian hip‑hop: infectious beats laced with real‑life stories of grace, redemption and fierce joy. He founded KidsAreNext, empowering and mentoring young people across Tampa Bay. He also launched the Winner Already movement—with the motto “With God, I’m A Winner Already”—shaped by his journey to celebrate every victory and uplift others.

With tumors still part of his daily reality—and the memory of those long hospital days never far from his heart—Derrick presses on, using his music and message to ignite hope. He’s released multiple originals and has more on the way, reaching listeners who need a reminder that even when life knocks you down, faith will lift you up. Brave, honest and unstoppable, Mr.D.Tunes is on course to inspire a generation—one beat, one verse, one life at a time.