Telling a story sometimes feels like a lost art in Hip-Hop. We have expanded past the realm of 808′s and record scratching, both of which can never be replaced as true staples of Hip-Hop, and into a world where anything and everything is up for grabs. Any influence you can think of might pop into the next chart topping song. If its not a Hip-Hop song there is a good chance it features a Hip-Hop artist in it regardless. The evolution of Hip-Hop has caused us to leave a few things behind as we’ve traveled from boomboxes to Spotify. The ability to bring someone into your world with more than just a vibe, to craft a world with words, to be able to make them feel like they can see the streets and hear the traffic is something Hip-Hop needs more of and Dame Daniels makes his honest and impassioned contribution with “Hustle”.
Getting a heavy hitter like JDFilms to shoot your video is not a bad place to start and it helps the quality of the song shine through tremendously. There could be an article devoted solely to the video itself and that should tell you how good JDFilms truly is. Just a few highlights of the video include the framing of all the shots, damn near flawless, and the gritty setting that compliments the tone of the song, definitely flawless. The graffiti in the video depicts struggle and hardships which echo the sentiments of the track perfectly. The chorus, with its catchy and poignant lyrics, is the driving force behind the song despite the instrumental doing a great job of creating an old school vibe for Dame Daniels to rock out to.
The verses are delivered with an unorthodox flow at times and might not be everyone’s cup of tea. The content of the verses stays relevant and meaningful from start to finish and really lets the true quality of the song shine through, its ability to be a story about the life of Dame Daniels. “Took a little while for the streets to show a little love, been around money, gang banging, guns and drugs” is the standout line that shows exactly what this song gives you. Its some insight into how Dame Daniels hustle and what helped mold him into the Hip Hop storyteller he is today.
by: Steven Sandage