Dame Black ”The People Under the Stairs”

The other day I had the chance to check out Detroit area lyricist, Dame Black’s new release,  ‘ “People Under the Stairs.” Here are my thoughts.  After a dope intro, the album starts off with “6AM” which features Dame displaying sharp lyricism laced with drug dealer references over a medium tempo head nodding beat that features a hook that says “6 in the morning, junkies at my door,” reminiscent of Ice T saying “6 in the morning police at my door” on his classic “6 in the Morning.” The song ends with Khalid Sayyid Re Bey lacing the end of the track with a dope piece of spoken word. 

 “Kevin Garnett” is another mid tempo head nodding beat with a clever Mr. Rogers sample.  It features more well written drug dealer talk.  What I did find very  clever is the song being called “Kevin Garnett” because the song’s hook refers to “big tickets” and true basketball junkies know Kevin Garnett’s nickname is “The Big Ticket.”

Next up is by far my favorite song on the project, “Starlight.” This one features dope verses from Dame and Rich Vill as well as the vocal stylings of Melanie Rutherford on the hooks.  If this one was to get some radio rotation, it would definitely be a hit.  “Dame & Wayne” is another standout track as it finds Dame and Wayne Jay rhyming straight through another mid tempo banger.

At this point, you should get the picture.  This album is a dope collection of mid tempo bangers laced with gritty streetwise lyricism.  I give Dame a lot of credit for picking beats that make the head nod. I’ve heard so many straight up lyricists recently that can’t pick a beat to save their life.  If you’re into the drug talk from a real lyricist with solid production, I would highly recommend this project.