Nigerian-born artist, Dáramólá fka D-Flow, recently released his debut project titled ‘The Last Time I Tried,’ which charted at #7 on the iTunes World Music chart.
For those unfamiliar, he has produced for Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Social Club Misfits, Khleo Thomas, and Brisco, among others. The award-winning producer (Dove Award – Lecrae’s ‘Rehab: The Overdose’) wants to introduce the world to his abilities as a full-blown artist (singer/songwriter/producer/rapper).
“I just got to a space where I felt it was important to communicate my emotions,” Dáramólá explained. “Not just through beats but through an entire musical work. I had a voice for it and I figured it made sense to piece it together. Much more than making sense, I have a story to tell. I was doing it way before I got to the United States so it was a natural progression. A lot of people don’t know my background in music and figured that production was the only thing I did.”
Dáramólá is a part of a rapidly growing movement of Nigerian artists who transcend culture and musical boundaries by seamlessly fusing sounds from around the world. WizKid, who co-wrote and featured on Drake’s “One Dance” (which happened to be the first song to garner a billion listens on Spotify), is just one of the many examples of the Nigerian/African uprising in popular music. In addition, Skepta, Davido, Little Simz, and D’banj, among others continue to make moves in the popular urban music world.
“I think the Nigerian sound spreading across the globe is great,” he said. “It’s about time. Nigerians are very gifted in the sense that they are exposed to various cultures even within the country itself. So that adds to the wealth of our musical prowess.
Dáramólá believes he is bringing a new sound to the game. His music consists of African and popular musical elements.
“I’m very much influenced by mom (Gbemi Olaleye),” said Dáramólá. “She released her first album in the early 90’s. I watched her perform music live and got into the studio as early as 8-years-old. I remember once being in the studio with my siblings and mom, up until 5 in the morning, and having to get ready for school in a couple of hours. Growing up in Nigeria had a tremendous influence on my art. The slangs, language (Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin English), my friends, and my environment are all highlighted on my album titled ‘The Last Time I Tried.’
You can hear the influences on singles like “Lotto” and “Make Me Better.” Listen to ‘TLTIT’ below.
Many in the hip-hop community enjoyed what ‘The Last Time I Tried’ contributed to the musical landscape.
Artists like Lecrae, Andy Mineo, and Social Club Misfits have all enjoyed the creativity of the instrumental-crafter. He is responsible for the production on Lecrae’s “Anger Management,” Andy Mineo’s “Bitter,” and majority of Social Club Misfits’ discography before they signed to Capitol Records. Social Club recently inked a deal with Capitol Records and Dáramólá arguably aided in that process. He is featured on Social’s Capitol Records debut full-length album titled ‘The Misadventures of Fern & Marty,’ which dropped on January 13, 2017 and charted at #4 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart.
“I’ve been working with Social Club since 2011. Marty is literally one of my closest friends. We hang out almost every week so we have a great relationship. Fern is literally my brother. I get a freestyle from him at least twice a week. I’ve been the executive producer on at least four of their albums.”
2018 is set to be Dáramólá’s most prolific year thus far. He is working on new music. The Nigerian movement resumes.
Watch his latest music video below.
Social media: @itsdaramola
