In today’s age, technology has flooded our lives with content. Caught in the mire are today’s musicians who champion an artform that’s more widely distributed than any other throughout human history. And we, more often than not, overlook the music created by unfamiliar faces because it’s challenging. We’d rather have an easy listen, a known quantity to skim through while we think about something else.
Hearing is easy, but listening is difficult. Welcome to “Why We Like It”, where we rebuke the trends in favor of thoughtful analysis and underknown sounds.
“Disaster” – Damez
Listen and Watch:
How We Found It:
I was introduced to Damez through a late-night binge through our Submissions. The timing was perfect and “Disaster” was an instant grab for me. The beat is interesting, the flow is consistent and the visual sync of the accompanying music video made “Disaster” the full package.
Why We Like It:
I’m writing this review from the screen of my brand new Gucci smart fridge, my crusty old Macbook just wouldn’t do “Disaster” the justice it deserves. The upbeat flex rap song left me feeling the weight of my life’s current lack of designer products.
There’s a trend with a lot of these SubmitHub submissions I’ve accepted where an interesting beat is the first thing to grab my attention and “Disaster” is no exception. The most upfront and central aspect of the beat is a higher pitch bell tone that rings back and forth over steady snares. The sound makes me think of heavy rain overtaking a dystopian science fiction cityscape. It has me thinking Bladerunner or Altered Carbon.
“Hit a quick flex on my ex bitch
Five of your checks on my necklace
All of my n***as so reckless
Whip so fast, n***a bet you can’t catch this
Hit a quick switch to the sport mode
Bank account sitting in resort mode”
I’m pulled from my sci-fi fantasies by Damez’s solid delivery. The highlight of Damez’ flow is the consistency with which he spits bar after bar. From the second his voice touches the beat to the very end of the song, his flow only briefly stops once for dramatic effect. The result is an instant catchy quality that demanded an immediate replay after my first listen. Fifteen minutes of looping the song later and I’m brought back to Earth by the price total of an online shopping cart I couldn’t possibly have thought I could afford.
I want to take a minute to also give due respect to the music video for “Disaster.” Typically on SubmitHub, I try not to take a music video into account when I’m considering acceptance of a song since I want to be sure the music itself is enough to carry the submission. In this case, the music video served well to add to the already catchy single. Damez surprised me by breaking into some extraordinarily well-choreographed dance moves. The sharp movements match the steady rhythm of the song in a way that contributes meaningfully to how the track is showing off. It’s one of those moments where I reflexively bring a closed fist to my mouth and let out an audible “ooooo damn” as I sit back in my chair.
Whatever ex bitch Damez is flexing on might never be able to make a trip to the atm without thinking of “Disaster” again. Whether he’s showing off designer clothes, expensive cars, catchy bars, or interesting dance moves, Damez is capturing my attention and keeping it. I might be blasting “Disaster” on my way to work from the same ‘02 Pontiac I’ve been driving since I was 16, but the song takes me to a place where I can feel even for a moment that I’m instead in my brand new 2050 Tesla HoverCar zooming above the city streets with a wad of cash to blow.
From the Artist
My life experiences have contributed majorly to my music. Honestly, if it weren’t for certain things taking place, even as tragic as they were, I’m not even sure if I would have ever found the courage to really follow my dreams. More than anything, my life experiences have taught me that life is way too short to not go after every single thing you want out of life. I really love being able to connect with and touch people who have gone through similar situations through my music, and nothing makes me more full than hearing someone tell me that my music helped them through a difficult time.” – Damez, for CentralSauce (2019)
More Music from Damez:
Follow Damez on Spotify where he already has two albums of work, The Art of Extravagence (2017), and Boy Meets World</em> (2018).
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