Originally from JamRock (Jamaica), donRUMBA fell in love with music early on, listening to the dancehall legends and getting influenced by hip-hop and rap music via 2pac, Jay-z and the whole West Coast movement. He moved around between Jamaica, the USA and Canada, which allowed him to develop a uniquely blended sound and rap style. Currently based in Florida, donRUMBA has released his 7 track EP, entitled “M.I.A.”. Here the artist wields his toolset diligently, and applies his craft steadily. He is keeping it 100% real for those that are on the block every day, and giving some insight to the rest of us who know less about the daily hustles, vices and virtues.
He crafts explicit songs filled with the hedonistic lifestyle and street-isms. The beats and lyrics for these joints are hard-hitting 808 kicks, sharp snares and a peppering of hi-hats for good measure, with syncopated keyboard stabs, which puts plenty meat on the bones. And their goal is direct and simple: make listeners zone-out and nod their heads to the dope rhythms, while donRUMBA spits his mesmerizing tales of unlimited cash, women and goons.
You can throw shade as much as you want, but a determined rapper like donRUMBA won’t be falling off anytime soon. Although his explicitness may not get him embraced in every market, especially the mainstream, the Florida resident will continue to keep the streets buzzing in the South with songs like “Brakes” and “Summer Time Sunshine”.
These are two cardinal tracks lifted off the “M.I.A.” EP. Although the production is unified, and the number of absolutely solid songs is impressive on the entire EP, these two tracks stand a cut above the rest.
“Brakes” checks off all boxes for a donRUMBA song: dynamic production, unapologetic explicit rhymes, and full-fledged G-status. The hook is grimy and punchy.
He spits over a superb backdrop, including hard-hitting percussion, and most surprisingly, a dominant piano, which actually plays a major role across the entire production on the EP. donRUMBA does his job by serving up biting rhymes to match the excellent production work. His flow is top-notch.
Things get even better on “Summer Time Sunshine”, if you’re into a groovy rhythm, over and above the incessant rhyming. This is probably the most catchy and accessible track in the collection here.
A superb earworm piano motif is supported by a deeply throbbing bassline that is hard to resist. donRUMBA rides in with an urgent and anthemic delivery to keep the momentum going. He is at the top of his game on this.
Towering pianos, epic choruses, heart-swelling rallying cries, and celebratory ad-libs, come flying in relentlessly on “Summer Time Sunshine”, all wrapped up in a melodic aura that will have you hitting replay more than once.
The shiny production mixed with donRUMBA’s charismatic delivery and explicitly shimmering lyrical moments make this EP an intense listening experience. In many ways “M.I.A.” is a hustlers record, every song will have you motivated to stay on your grind no matter what your profession.
OFFICIAL LINKS: MUSIC STREAMS – INSTAGRAM – TWITTER – SOUNDCLOUD
