Damu the Fudgemunk

Last updated
Damu the Fudgemunk
Birth nameEarl Davis
Born (1984-06-08) June 8, 1984 (age 39)
Origin Washington, D.C., U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Instrumentalist
  • record producer
  • rapper
Instrument(s)Akai MPC 2000, drums, vibraphone
Years active2007—present
Labels
Website damuthefudgemunk.bandcamp.com

Earl Davis (born June 8, 1984), known professionally as Damu the Fudgemunk, is an American hip-hop producer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and rapper from Washington, D.C. [1] [2] [3] Damu is a member of the groups Y Society and Panacea, and he co-owns and operates Redefinition Records. [4] [5]

Contents

Career

Davis was raised by two musician parents, and he began making beats in his teens. [6] His official debut album was with Y Society, a duo project with rapper Insight; [7] the record, Travel at Your Own Pace, was released by Tres Records in 2007. [8] The album is reminiscent of true-school hip-hop with its liberal use of jazz, soul samples, and scratching. In 2008, Damu released two free albums primarily composed of instrumental music, titled Spare Time [9] and Overtime. He developed a fan base through his YouTube videos and live street performances around Washington, DC, and New York City, [10] using a portable electricity generator to power his sampler and speakers.

Damu co-owns and operates the vinyl/cassette-enthusiast label Redefinition Records, through which he also releases the bulk of his own music. [11]

In 2019, he collaborated with Raw Poetic and legendary jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp on the improvised album Ocean Bridges, [3] which he released on his label the following year. [12]

In January 2020, Damu visited the London KPM music library, [13] renowned for a collection that has been sampled by artists including MF Doom and Jay-Z. [14] Damu was invited as the first artist to be featured on the Def Pressé / KPM Crate Diggers series, an initiative to release records extensively featuring samples from the library; his work with material from the archives resulted in the album Conversation Peace. [1]

Discography

Related Research Articles

West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and others.

G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre was heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It was represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie Shepp</span> American jazz musician

Archie Shepp is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.

Underground hip-hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music that is outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed to independent labels or no label at all. Underground hip hop is often characterized by socially conscious, positive, or anti-commercial lyrics. However, there is no unifying or universal theme – AllMusic suggests that it "has no sonic signifiers". "The Underground" also refers to the community of musicians, fans and others that support non-commercial, or independent music. Music scenes with strong ties to underground hip hop include alternative hip hop and conscious hip hop. Many artists who are considered "underground" today were not always so, and may have previously broken the Billboard charts.

<i>Madvillainy</i> 2004 studio album by Madvillain

Madvillainy is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of British-American rapper MF Doom and American record producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N.O.R.E.</span> American rapper from New York

Victor James Santiago, Jr., better known by his stage names N.O.R.E. and Noreaga, is an American rapper and broadcaster. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of the East Coast hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N), which he formed in 1995 with fellow Queens-based rapper Capone. The duo released five studio albums, briefly disbanding after their second to pursue solo careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alchemist (musician)</span> American DJ and producer

Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and rapper. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.

The Malaysian hip hop is a hip hop music performed in Malaysia. Many of Malaysian hip hop artistes performed songs mostly in English, but also rhymed in their native Malay language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hip hop production</span> Creation of hip hop music in a recording studio

Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and "scratching" using record players and the creation of a rhythmic backing track, using a drum machine or sequencer, it is most commonly used to refer to recording the instrumental, non-lyrical and non-vocal aspects of hip hop.

<i>Illmatic</i> 1994 studio album by Nas

Illmatic is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording Studios in New York City. The album's production was handled by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and Nas himself. Styled as a hardcore hip hop album, Illmatic features multi-syllabic internal rhymes and inner-city narratives based on Nas' experiences growing up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panacea (group)</span> American hip hop group

Panacea is an American hip hop duo, formed in 2003 in Washington, D.C., United States. The duo consists of MC Raw Poetic and producer K-Murdock. Throughout their musical career, Panacea has had deals with various labels, including: Glow-in-the-Dark-Records, Rawkus Records and Tasteful Licks. They currently release their music under K-Murdock's imprint, Neosonic Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wale (rapper)</span> American rapper (born 1984)

Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in 2006 when his song "Dig Dug " became popular in his hometown of Washington D.C., leading to Wale gaining local recognition as he continued recording music for the regional audience. Wale became acquainted with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson in 2006, and signed to his label Allido Records the following year. During this time, Wale released several mixtapes which amassed national attention as he appeared on MTV and various Black America-focused magazines.

Hip-hop or hip hop, also known as rap, and formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s by African Americans and Caribbean immigrants in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre consisting of stylized rhythmic music that often accompanies rapping, a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech. According to the professor Asante of African American studies at Temple University, "hip hop is something that blacks can unequivocally claim as their own". The music developed as part of the broader hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, breakdancing, and graffiti art. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of the culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Termanology</span> American rapper

Daniel Domingo Carrillo, better known by his stage name Termanology, is an American rapper and record producer. He first gained major attention with the 2006 single "Watch How It Go Down". A solo album, Politics as Usual, was released in 2008. He has made a number of collaborative albums, such as 1982 and is known also for his prolific mixtape output. He is of Puerto Rican and French descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Lau</span> Musical artist

Eric Lau is a British music producer and DJ from London, England. His production style is characterized by heavy drums, often unrecognisable samples and a mixture of live and sequenced instrumentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladeshi hip hop</span> Genre of music in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi hip hop is a genre of music and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music developed in Bangladesh. It is heavily influenced by American hip hop, and started in the early 1990s. In recent years, artists have used lyrical expressions for cultural identity, with lyrics addressing Bangladesh's political and social problems, lifestyles, nature, cultures, and communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erez Safar</span> American DJ, producer and songwriter

Erez Safar is an Author, American DJ, producer and songwriter who records under the names Diwon and h2the. He is CEO of Bancs Media, an American production company specializing in music and video production; Studio Bancs, a creative art space; and Shemspeed, a record label and promotional agency. He is the founder and director of the Sephardic Music Festival, and Gallery 38 in Los Angeles.

Boom bap is a subgenre and music production style that was prominent in East Coast hip hop during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

Hip hop music in Washington, D.C., has been an important part of the culture of the area.

Mumble rap is a loosely defined microgenre of hip hop music that largely spread via the online audio distribution platform SoundCloud in the 2010s. The term implies a mumbling or unclear vocal delivery by artists, and has been used to describe rappers who do not share the genre's traditional emphasis on meaningful lyricism.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Damu The Fudgemunk Announces New Album & Drops Lead Track". Closed Captioned. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Damu The Fudgemunk "Rhythm Roulette" Interview: Drum Breaks". Big Noise Radio. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Weiner, Natalie (22 May 2020). "How jazz legend Archie Shepp, his nephew Raw Poetic and a cast of D.C. musicians teamed up for an experimental improvised album". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 Keirstead, Zachary (16 January 2018). "Damu the Fudgemonk and Raw Poetic have the master plan on 'The Reflecting Sea: Welcome to a New Philosophy'". EARMILK. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Damu the Fudgemunk". allmusic. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Question in the Form of An Answer: An Interview with Damu the Fudgemunk". Passion of the Weiss. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Y Society (Insight & Damu): Never Off / Pyramids to the Ghetto". Flea Market Funk. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Y Society: Travel At Your Own Pace". Drowned in Sound. 10 August 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Damu The Fudgemunk ·· Spare Time". Silence Nogood. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Damu playing live music in Washington Square Park, New York City". Live Street Performance. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20.
  11. ↑ Pedroche, Ben (8 December 2017). "Interview: Damu The Fudgemunk & Raw Poetic + Album Stream". Grown Up Rap. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Minsker, Evan (13 May 2020). "Archie Shepp Shares New Song With Raw Poetic and Damu the Fudgemunk: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "All-Access to the KPM Music Library. First up: Damu The Fudgemunk". The Find Mag. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Neyland, Nick (11 April 2013). "Music For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Y Society Travel at Your Own Pace Album Review". Hip-Hop Linguistics. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009.
  16. ↑ Lacerna, Michael (18 January 2017). "Damu the Fudgemunk pushes the boundaries of hip hop with 2 hour concept album". RAPstation. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "Album Review: "Ears Hear Spears" – Insight The Truncator & Damu The Fudgemunk". Dead End Hip Hop. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Richards, Chris (30 May 2018). "After years on the D.C. rap scene, Flex Mathews is still twisting time". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Damu the Fudgemunk Interview". Southsiders. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.