D.R.A.M., whose real name is Shelley Massenburg-Smith, is a rapper out of Hampton, Virgina. You might know him from his viral hit "Cha Cha," or from his track "$" with Donnie Trumpet. You also might not know him at all, which exactly why he deserves the spotlight on this weeks Essential Tracks segment.
The Virginia artist just released his latest EP Gahdamn!, a nine-song effort that displays some of his best work to date. Before that, it was #1EpicEP. Twitter-ready release titles aren't the only thing keeping D.R.A.M. modern either; his track "Cha Cha" influenced Drake's "Hotline Bling" and a whole slew of tropical-sounding, latin-flaring hip hop tracks. He's also just as capable of recording indie dance music as rap, which makes him a full-blown renaissance man.
Without further ado, sink your teeth into D.R.A.M.'s ten most essential cuts.
"Cha Cha"
D.R.A.M.'s biggest track is "Cha Cha." At nearly ten million YouTube views, the track could be considered a viral sensation, but it's also just good music. The summery, tropical vibe is met with our subject pining for "a Dominican that resembles Taina" to dance the cha cha with him in a Latin bar. It's bouncy, full of bass, and inspired Drake's "Hotline Bling," so what's not to like?
"$" featuring Donnie Trumpet
So this is a remake of the "$" track on #1EpicEP. The second time around, D.R.A.M. invites Donnie Trumpet to spruce things up, and reminds all of us young'ns to get up and grind. His positivity is felt with his falsetto rap/singing style, and even though he's longing for the big bread, the sound is happy.
Sunny & Gabe featuring D.R.A.M. "I Luv It"
If there's one thing D.R.A.M. tries to do, it's not fit in any one box. This one is vibin' in it's own little world, not really fitting in line with rap or indie or R&B, but falling somewhere within all of them. On "I Luv It," D.R.A.M. channels both Houston, TX and Michael Jackson, and that's cool by us.
"Caretaker" featuring SZA
When you collaborate with west coast diva SZA, it's probably going to be great. However, "Caretaker" is dropping with sex. SZA ushers in the first half of the song with her gorgeous voice, and then D.R.A.M. actually keeps up with his own. Impressive.
"Excessive"
It's nice to see talented, young, forward-thinking cats linking up for stellar music. That's exactly what happened when D.R.A.M. linked up with producers Sango and The SEVENth on "Excessive." His melodic style of rapping is in full effect with this dreamy beat, making it one of his essential cuts.
"Feet In The Water" featuring Sunny & Gabe
The magic they made on "I Luv It" wasn't a one-time ordeal. Sunny & Gabe linked with D.R.A.M. on one of his tracks as well, a lush cut called "Feet In The Water." It's slow and easy-going with a chorus that everyone could love.
"Signals (Throw It Around)"
Often times when hip hop bleeds into dance music, it's the corniest thing you hear all day. Cats like Goldlink and Kaytranada have helped to blur that line, and D.R.A.M. does the same thing here with "Signals (Throw It Around)." A really solid track gives way to a tasteful dance beat that doesn't sound forced or cheap.
"Fax"
Someone did our boy wrong...
"Bottom of the ninth and the bases are loaded
Baby that was your moment, but you just did not know it
Whose fault but your own, sympathy I can't show it
Girl I thought you was grown, but now you kiddie, I'm hopeless, I hope that you know that you hurt me and you fucked up my focus
Was kinda hard to control it but still you called me controlling
And if I really had power over your body and mine
You would have been at the door when I was checking the time"
Marvel Alexander featuring D.R.A.M. & Louie P - I Ain't Gotta Lie
If you're looking for some new artists to check out, this track has three of them. Marvel Alexander's Don't Die Yet came out earlier this year and is definitely worth a listen.
"Okden"
We had to end it with another smooth one. Gahdamn! is full of easy listens, full of 808s-type vibes with a modern boost. "Okden" has the hook, beat, and repeatability to make it a massive track.