The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 — 5A
D.R.A.M. is a master of none.
Or, more accurately, he is a
master of most: The twenty-eight
year-old songwriter switches
between singing, rapping and
crooning with such fluency that
it’s difficult to decide which
sound most accurately defines
his.
Since
initially
rising
to
fame through the success of
his breakout hit “Cha Cha” —
famously sampled for “Hotline
Bling” — he’s ridden the
immense success of his out-of-
nowhere single “Broccoli” to
the top of the Billboard charts,
proving himself both wide-
ranged and extremely capable.
Now, D.R.A.M. is taking his
favorite tunes around the world
on the Big Baby D.R.A.M. Tour,
a playful spectacle that perfectly
parallels the energy of his debut
studio album, Big Baby D.R.A.M.
The show is as musical as it is
fun, and though its impressive
opening acts could nearly steal
the
spotlight,
it’s
D.R.A.M.
himself who truly sets the
evening’s tone.
On Thursday, Detroit’s El Club
was already filled halfway to
capacity by just 9:00 P.M. when
River Tiber — a moody, somewhat
psychedelic,
electronic
chill-
out band from Toronto — took
the stage to start warming up
the crowd with their drooping
experimentation. With an inch
of freshly-fallen snow coating
Vernon Highway out front, the
group’s singer clicked around
on a laptop to initiate mellow
drum loops while his wingmen
plucked at the strings of their
instruments with unswerving
focus and fury. River Tiber
creates a vibe that’s both mellow
and intimate, but their intense
instrumentality ultimately links
the band to alternative rock:
The guitars whine, like those in
the most heavy-handed songs
by The xx, as their players spew
with the solo skills of veteran
instrumentalists.
Around 10:00 P.M., River
Tiber
was
relieved
by
Ari
Lennox, a twenty-five year-old
soulful vocal performer from
Washington D.C. She came on
stage wearing ripped leggings,
black Vans and a “Stranger
Things” t-shirt, but she didn’t
emerge until after her DJ set the
tone, spinning songs by Lauryn
Hill and Erykah Badu.
Lennox led off with “GOAT,”
then sat down to belch out the
slower, more heartfelt “La La La
La.” Before singing the intimate
tune, she blamed it on a former
eviction
or
two,
explaining
that she wrote its lyrics back
when she was “running around
L.A. and being crazy.” In the
final moments of anticipation,
just before the guitarist began
jerking tears from the crowd
through his articulately-capable
fingertips, Lennox warned the
crowd: “Don’t be afraid to look in
my eyes, y’all!” Personableness is
her great asset.
Having
just
released
her
first commercial EP “FOH” in
November, Lennox is on a fast-
track toward female figurehead
status.
On
Thursday,
she
maintained effortless control for
thirty straight minutes, her voice
and charisma proving capable of
carrying the crowd’s attention,
and though many attendees
might have been unaware of her
prior, there were still audience
members singing along, knowing
every word.
Many hip-hop heads shared
a unanimous epiphany when
Lennox, setting up for her
second to last song, asked the
crowd if they had ever “gotten
it” in a “backseat.” Immediately,
I recalled where I knew her
from: “Backseat (feat. Kozz)”
—
a
standout
track
from
Dreamville’s 2015 crew project,
“Revenge of the Dreamers II”
— came blaring through the
speakers as Lennox’s addictive
twang planted seeds for fandom
in hundreds of ears, seeds that
are certain to blossom with deep
roots and longevity. She finished
her set with “Yuengling,” then
left the stage, the room in awe.
At 10:45 P.M., a new DJ came
onstage, eventually followed by a
three-piece live band. D.R.A.M.
is a rare musician, having
conquered the largely untouched
intersection among pop, rap,
R&B and childish giddiness, so
it’s only natural that his show’s
introduction is equally unique:
Rather than walk out singing
his own song, D.R.A.M. came
out humming and whispering
along as his band jammed to
Drake’s recent hit, “Fake Love.”
Perhaps I’m overthinking it,
but
the
appropriative
move
might’ve been a fun, subtle way
of taking from Drake as he did
from D.R.A.M. After all, “Fake
Love” does sound ironically like
“Hotline Bling” (*cough* “Cha
Cha”).
But D.R.A.M. gets serious.
Wearing a white denim jacket
from the KITH x Coca-Cola
collection, he kicked his set
off with album-intro “Get It
Myself,” a soothing ode to
autonomy,
dedication
and
self-reliance that acts as a sort
of synopsis on his pre-Big-
Baby-D.R.A.M.
career,
then
dove
into
“Misunderstood,”
a
high-energy
croon-tune
with serious rock influence.
“Detroit, what’s good?” he
asked at the song’s end, met by
excited cheers, then proceeded
naturally into some of his
most defining moments on
the microphone: “If you love
your momma, let me hear you
say yeeeeah yo!” The crowd
reacted at maximum volume.
“Signals (Throw It Around)”
from his Gahdamn! EP came
next as a nod to older fans,
followed by “Outta Sight” —
a
high-tempo,
dance-floor-
ready anthem about forgetting
your ex. It turned El Club’s
small,
rectangular
standing
room into a bouncing castle
and set a perfect mood for
“Cute,” a slept-on hit from
2016 that’s sure to explode
in the new year. Then things
slowed down again. D.R.A.M.
asked for some help from his
lady fans as he dove into his
Queen-Erykah-Badu-assisted
song, “Wifi,” on which he
wrestles with the generational
struggle of searching for a
digital connection while a real,
potentially romantic one is
already right there, then eased
into “Caretaker,” one of the
most intimate and impressive
songs from Donnie Trumpet
&
the
Social
Experiment’s
Surf, which also appears on
D.R.A.M.’s Gahdamn! EP.
After a brief recess from the
stage, during which his band
carried the crowd’s energy
with improvisation, D.R.A.M.
returned
to
introduce
his
instrumentalists. Beside the
DJ, there were superb players
on the keyboard, bass and
drums, jamming in and out of
songs in a profoundly musical,
seemingly cohesive manner.
They shared the spotlight for
just a moment as D.R.A.M.
explored his reflective deep
cut, “Sweet VA Breeze.” Then
he jumped into an inevitable
series of hits that put the room
at its absolute rowdiest.
“When you look at that
paycheck you just acquired…I
just want this song to be
the
soundtrack
to
your
celebration,”
D.R.A.M.
explained,
adding
some
weighty meaning to his latest
hit, “Cash Machine,” before
working through “Cha Cha”
and “D.R.A.M. Sings Special”
(a track turned interlude on
Chance the Rapper’s Coloring
Book, after the Chicago-emcee
allegedly
begged
D.R.A.M.
for it). And finally, there was
“Broccoli,”
the
Lil-Yachty-
assisted
former-number-
one song in America, which
D.R.AM. told Billboard he
originally expected to only
be “lit for the culture, lit for
Soundclound, for the internet.”
Rather
than
move
swiftly
into the giddy, summertime
smash hit, he tiptoed through
a
singsong
rework,
then
exploded into the original
version for one final hoorah,
which included a dive into the
crowd.
It’s tough to decide where
D.R.A.M.
belongs
exactly
within music, but it’s even
tougher trying to define his live
show, as it merges sounds and
traits from almost every type
of performance: he can turn
up like a rapper, slow down
like a neo-soul singer or even
just freestyle aside his band,
like the charismatic emcee
of a great jam band might. If
anything is certain, it’s that
D.R.A.M.
has
everything
necessary to succeed. He’s
already shifted the culture by
inspiring some of the biggest
artists in the world. Now, he
has his own number one hit in
the rear-view mirror, a studio
LP in his discography and a
headlining tour on the horizon.
Expect D.R.A.M. to keep
stockpiling
his
clout,
one
puppy-dog smile at a time.
Hip-hop will only be a brighter,
happier culture if he does.
D.R.A.M. is more than a
one-hit wonder at El Club
SALVATORE DIGIOIA
Daily Arts Writer
At his recent stop in Detroit, musician D.R.A.M. proves
himself worthy among the El Club’s past storied artists
Whatever
happened
to
human decency?
Over these past few days — or
should I say, months — Twitter
has transformed from a simple,
minimalist platform into an all-
out, unfiltered reflection on our
country’s social unrest.
After
President
Donald
Trump enacted an executive
order to ban refugees from
seven
Muslim-majority
countries,
both
Trump
supporters and haters have
engaged
in
an
immersive
online war over the recent
commission,
with
Twitter
being the main battleground
and the endless supply of
online resources serving as
ammunition. Though, they had
been feuding on the platform
long before he was elected.
Thanks to the interconnected
efficiency
of
the
Internet,
senators, celebrities and other
social activists have reached out
to users online, making a call to
stand together as Americans in
order to stop Trump’s hostile
actions from continuing.
But how exactly can we
unite as one when most of us
still remain rigidly divided,
especially
on
places
like
Twitter? How can we stand
together when we blatantly
label and dismiss people for
speaking their minds?
Both extreme sides of the
political spectrum have found
Twitter to be somewhat of a
haven for expressing passionate
thoughts
on
sociopolitical
issues into 140 characters.
Neither side, though, seems
truly keen on breaking down
barriers. Instead, each side will
find ways to cite evidence to
the other’s side wrongheaded
claim, and attack the other side
when they feel threatened.
For
example,
consistent
conservatives on Twitter will
call out progressive-minded
people for being “triggered
snowflakes,” while consistent
liberals will identify those
who support Trump and his
policies as “racist” or “alt-
right Nazis.” In each case,
both sides are right in their
intentions, but very flawed
in their execution. The label
“triggered
snowflakes”
is
particularly
distasteful
because it mistakes a person’s
outspokenness
against
unjust actions for being too
sensitive and offended when
faced with a contradictory
opinion. At the same time,
though, some people who
often
preach
tolerance
of
others
are
themselves
intolerant
towards
people
who are intolerant (i.e. Andy
Richter, Rob Delaney and Kurt
Eichenwald).
The
“alt-right”
label
is
definitely
applicable
when
it comes to online accounts
that promote racism, White
supremacy, hate speech and
extremely right-wing views
(i.e. Milo Yiannopoulos, Ann
Coulter and Richard Spencer).
But not every Trump supporter
or conservative is aligned with
the same views as the “alt-
right,” and Twitter is mostly
to blame for that. Censoring
conservative voices, as racist
and as bigoted as some may
be, only furthers the divide
between online users and
any
potential
dialogue
or
legitimate nuanced criticisms
Due to Twitter’s character
limit, the concision of each
tweet extracts the nuance
from the issues discussed
online and thus they become
diluted into oversimplified
jabs that lead to a never-ending
virtual pissing contest. There
are better, more appropriate
ways to communicate our
disagreements, but Twitter
doesn’t allow for that kind of
exchange. It almost belittles
that notion.
Someone
from
either
group might argue, “Well,
Sam, why should I show
compassion to someone who
stands for something I don’t,
especially when that someone
incessantly provokes people
like me?” It’s a valid question.
People
have
the
right
to speak out against those
who willingly deny factual
evidence that contradicts their
own opinions. But at the same
time, it’s hypocritical to think
that another person’s opinion
is invalid, simply because
their opinion is different from
yours. No one is asking you to
like this person or his or her
personal ideology. If we are
going to make progress in this
unruly mess we have found
ourselves in, we shouldn’t
continue to generalize other
groups and categorize them
into a malicious “otherness,”
simply because they don’t
share the same views. In the
grand scheme of things, we are
all “others.”
There are also internal
factors at work that play into
the much larger, more nuanced
narrative of social media,
particularly in the level of
education, media consumption
and media literacy of a Twitter
user. Based on those factors,
some are more privileged than
others when it comes to making
certain
arguments.
People
who make ignorant comments
about social or political issues
might just be oblivious to how
they will affect them. We
shouldn’t be making fun of
them by screenshotting their
ignorant tweet, but instead
building a bridge by offering
them support.
Facebook also suffers from a
similar problem, but to an even
greater extent; that platform
allows for users to launch into
page-long rants. Though some
politically
laden
Facebook
posts have the ability to
incorporate the nuance that
Twitter lacks, it incites even
greater conflict between users,
leading to trails of defensive,
paragraph-long comments.
Is social media a place
that people can feel safe in
engaging with others who
share similar political beliefs?
Yes, to an extent. Can it be
used to be outspoken about
particular issues, especially
if it’s well-balanced and for
the greater good of humanity?
Sure. Can it motivate people to
take action when necessary?
Absolutely. It certainly helped
spread news about the recent
protests at national airports
against Trump’s ban.
But is social media the most
useful, productive space for
political discourse? Definitely
not. Because we have the
tendency to subscribe to news
sources that align with our
own views, it is practically
impossible
for
people
to
listen
to
other
opinions
when we thrive in an online
echo chamber. There are too
many examples of Twitter
and Facebook threads that
showcase the absurdity of the
negative energy being wasted
on making an argument.
This
kind
of
incessant
fighting on social media is
nothing new. Trolls on both
sides of the political spectrum
have shown time and time
again their disdain for the
other side. But trolling won’t
help us get to where we need
to be.
It is hard to stand together
as a people when we still can’t
seem to get along even online.
In this age of mistrust and
misinformation, Internet users
have become so consumed
with
labeling,
chastising,
denouncing and shunning that
many of us have lost the will
to examine and discuss the
complexity of important social
issues in civilized settings.
We need to stop thinking
in this polarized, collective
black-and-white mindset of
“us vs. them,” “liberal vs.
conservative,” “left-wing vs.
right-wing,”
“Democrat
vs.
Republican” and “pro-Trump
vs.
anti-Trump.”
I
realize
I may be preaching to the
choir, but this cannot be said
enough. If you really want to
see change and unity, start
reading
publications
from
other
websites
that
offer
alternative views. Or even
better, get off the Web and
start engaging in a dialogue
with people who challenge
and disagree with you. That
way, we might find a space to
actually unite together as one
nation.
SOCIAL MEDIA COLUMN
United we stand, divided
we tweet
SAM
ROSENBERG
Salvatore DiGioia /DAILY
CONCERT REVIEW
Over these past
few days Twitter
has transformed
from a simple,
minimalist
platform into an
all-out, unfiltered
reflection on our
country’s social
unrest
It is hard to stand
together as a
people when we
still can’t seem
to get along even
online
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