You think you know Memphis music?
Probably not…
But luckily, we have someone who can change this.
“Damage Media Group”, “DMG” for short, is an establishment, founded by Ryan Olson and Jackson Henderson, and they have 12 artists that collaborated on their album “Come to DMG”.
These 12 artists are sharing their thoughts, voices and music to the whole world with something to say, something to add and they will change how the world views the Memphis music scene.
DMG are a hip-hop/rap group with very catchy musical and vocal hooks…they are doing their own thing, and they are extremely musical and melodic…with hard-hitting lyrics and strong vocal flow.
They released their album “Come to DMG” the first week of April 2023 and it is a powerhouse of an album..you have 10 tracks and 12 different artists, collaborating in multiple ways to get these 10 songs out of their heads and latching onto yours.
Let’s jump in and dive into these 10 songs…let’s see how DMG does it….
They start out with “Remedy”, hitting you with brilliant piano melodies and vocal hooks…
…moving on to the second track “Own” we still have the piano really doing its thing, very melodic, and the flow of the vocals is both smooth and melodic too.
“Get Some Money” is the third track and could easily be a banger at the club and also could be definitely utilized for film…I can clearly see it being used on TV…this one has a darker vibe to it than the previous songs, which is a welcome change.
“Sky is Falling” is more old school in its melody, back to the original vibes…once again, a bit on the darker side…the vocal performance is pretty unique, especially with the backing vocals too, it pops.
The next track is once again, changing things up…”Call You Right Back” is a fusion of lo-fi, Latin, piano, hip-hop, and rap wrapped together in a very catchy song with very high levels of chill and kicking back…a very mellow vibe is coming off of this one.
“Profit” is a serious-sounding track, hard-hitting, musically and vocally.
…going back to the melodic side, we go into “No Faking” with a brilliant piano hook that changes it up, and definitely has a cinematic feeling to it…and the vocals are smooth and it just flows without any effort, I’m glad I got to hear the piano shine once again behind the absolute beasts rapping on this album.
“Savior” captures the soul and essence of a cinematic song, from the starting seconds…you know this one will be a whole different beast…the storytelling vocals, the heartfelt performance…the production…the contrasting female/male vocal performances…everything screams brilliance….this one is more downbeat, and it changes the whole experience of the album and takes it to new heights.
With the next track, it could be a pretty challenging situation…but DMG manages to kick it up and pushes us over the edge and into “No Missing”, with a powerful and dancier mood, the energy pumps you up once again.
…with the choice of songs so far…I’m blown away…and at the same time, I was curious what song will they have as the last song in the album? Here I was, at the tenth song…the last one in the album…
“Complicated” is the last song of the “Come to DMG” album…and it is complicated, really.
The vocal performances jump from smooth, to angry, back to a more relaxed mood…even the music, it’s a fusion of cinematic, uplifting, a bit of jazz, hard-hitting 808s…it a trumpet solo in the middle of the song…this track is an absolute monster of a track…I would have to create a new genre for it…here we go…”Complicated” is the first progressive rap song I’ve come across…
“Come to DMG” is a treasure cove for any hip-hop and rapper fans out there…but really, if you’re into good music, you’ll enjoy this experience.
Wishing everyone at DMG all the best in life, you absolutely rock.
Cheers!