#1epicsummer

  I know how annoyingly inescapable "Hotline Bling" was a year ago, but D.R.A.M (Virginia-born singer/rapper) and his own breakthrough tune were still responsible for discovering all of what you saw in Drake's video. Apparently, Beyoncé was bumping the Mario sampled "Cha Cha", way before Drake "jacked" (as D.R.A.M. recently put it, with good reason). So since he was able to parlay a surprisingly well-received debut tape into collaborations, he says he's "GOOD", as he emphasized in a recent interview of his.

The Virginia Beach native first started gaining traction in 2014 when he released his song, "Cha Cha" which went viral. Thanks to internet, around then, I had just recently heard about this mini-phenom of a song. Color me late because this artist has garnered the attention of Remy Banks, D.P, Chance the Rapper, World’s Fair, and even music industry legend, Rick Rubin.

 After dropping the visuals for his viral hit, the Does.Real.Ass.Music artist released his EP, "#1EpicEP" early 2014. The EP featured collaborations from such artists as Mass and Sunny & Gabe with production assistance from Gable Niles. You guessed it, I haven't a clue who these dudes are either, but I’m always down to learn about new artists. To build on that remark, D.R.A.M definitely utilized "#1EpicEP" as a platform for explorations and experimentation to delve into his craft. The artist goes from giving off this lucid feel on several tracks throughout the EP to jumping in a time machine on "Erything" saying, "Fuck you, I’m bringing Motown back", then slinks into the track "$". I do have to say, the finished product does sound a bit jumpy, but since he’s a new artist, I guess D.R.A.M. has that leverage because no ones truly knows what his sound is like yet.

Oddly enough, there wasn’t much feedback coming in on the "#1EpicSummer". This EP was all over the place that you have to wait for it to catch you with a lyric, a beat, or musical composition. You’ll probably want to cut the EP off right before this happens, but when it happened for me on "$", it was worth it. When D.R.A.M. sang;

"What the fuck is my purpose…My mama mad I ain’t workin’, I feel worthless/But when I’m on stage I am workin’, I ain’t perfect"

Shit like that, has me feeling a connection to D.R.A.M. because in that he illustrates the struggle cycle most creatives go through: doubting their craft and fighting the urge to lead a regular life to gain stability, but then feeling validated once again through their craft signaling that they’re on the right path. Attentive listeners also might pick up a subtle "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" sample on "Gotta Go". This project may be haphazard and I do not advise anyone to sit straight through it, but ironically like the bible, it’s not meant to be consumed from start to finish.

  On his second project released a year ago, it turned out there’s more reason to be confident than just hype; he had this shit waiting in the holster. His Atlantic debut EP "Gahdamn!" may dial back the immediate sound, but his seemingly lazy vocals can turn any corner of his sound into a mosh pit. Browse through the record’s intro and it kicks off proper with "Signals (Throw It Around)," that goes from a Motown intro into a fine tuned single that’s become D.R.A.M.’s post-"Cha Cha" tune. There’s a threat of faceplanting at many points here, but on "Signals (Throw It Around)," as elsewhere, he’s able to surround himself with enough smoothly moving parts to transform the stiltedness into a gallop. A soul-house kick drum slowly fades into the mix, sending the whole track into a sort of beautifully awkward locomotion. D.R.A.M.’s interlocking vocals provided a beautiful moment of celestial oneness. It’s one of the most infectious (and affecting) single sounds to come out of hip-hop recently. It’s all too brief.

 A side-by-side comparison highlights the uniqueness of his haphazard approach. There’s other rappers making hits out of stitched together vocals, but his is the music of unlikely triumph, celebration in spite of your messy surroundings. Drake could only dream of a party so relatable.

I’D FUCK U ALL NIGHT BUT I DON’T LOVE YOU DOE! I LOVE MY OLD BITCH BUT SHE’D CUCHADOE.

Latest music video from Virginia’s D.R.A.M. (Does Real Ass Music). DRAM drops the official visual for his single, “Cha Cha” produced by Kaine Solo & Gabe. DRAM’s new project, “#1 Epic Sumer” is available now for download on Livemixtapes.com for free! Watch the video, check out his Epic Summer Ep and make sure to comment!