Hampton Roads-raised rapper/singer D.R.A.M. (aka Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith) has a platinum single, a grammy nominated record, and now his own NPR Tiny Desk concert… the single is also incredibly stuck in my head for all the right reasons.
At first I slid D.R.A.M. into that unfortunate “most hip hop” category, but in Trump’s America I’ve doubled down in my attempt to get out of my comfort zone and that’s what lead me to “Cash Machine” and how it ended up as one of my most played tracks this past month. Seriously, try and not drive around town with that track blasting from your blown out speakers from your broke-ass car and not feel better about your shit life. I dare you.
Big Baby D.R.A.M.(an acronym for Does Real Ass Music and pronounced “Draw-mm”) broke out in 2015 with his first single, “Cha Cha,” which mercilessly sampled “Koji Kondo” from Super Mario World. His EP, #1Epic, was followed by a mixtape, Gahdamn! in late 2015 before the full release of his self titled Big Baby D.R.A.M. hit about a year later in the fall of 2016.
Featuring match ups with Lil’ Yachty, Young Thug, and Erykah Badu, D.R.A.M. has catapulted to the spotlight like fellow 757 hip-hoppers from years past (Missy Elliot, Timbaland, ect.).
And now, as if reaching hipster zenith, he’s made his way to an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and it is so very very good.
