Meet Dame Drummer

 

We were lucky to catch up with Dame Drummer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dame, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from life itselff. It comes from being exposed to so many things growing up such as the arts,, family, music, crime, drugs, friends, technology, sports television,,violence, traveling , film, and so on and on. Through this exposure, I’ve had experiences that allow me to dream. I had to ask myself the question where do I fit in all of this. My dreams led me to be optimistic and believing I could have it all if I wanted it especially if I commanded to stay away from the negative exposure that I had., I believe my optimism having friends and family That believe in me and cheer me on through the process. I believe my optimism comes from seeing dreams come to fruition and being able to check them off and with those feelings, “I knew I could do it”. It comes from the thought of I know I can do more. My optimism comes from my faith, believing in God and believing that through all I’ve seen and done in life that I’ve never been alone.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. I believe my earliest memory is being a toddler around the age of two or three and pulling out the pots and pans from my grandmothers kitchen. I remember the Sounds they would make when she would put them away after doing the dishes. I would remove them from Richie stored them and begin to the pots and pans to re-create those that I heard. It became a normal thing almost the beginning of my practice for my. They took notice of it and after a few years of being tired of those pots and pans, clinging around and chasing me down to return them back to the storage bin they bought me a real set of drums by the time I was five years old. Since then, I realize that I had to gift of music and it’s something that has consumed me my entire life. I grew up playing those drums and singing the songs that I loved while growing up. Early in my playing around six years old, my drum instructor was tragically murdered at that time, my dad‘s only solution was to give me some albums to listen to and learn to play the rhythms in the album. Those two albums were thriller by Michael Jackson and purple rain by Prince. Little did I know these two albums would shape my life and my artistry .

Around the age of 13 I learned how to produce music in Cleveland Ohio. This would be the defining moment in my life because now all of the music that I had in my head I was able to produce and get out to the world. Combining this new Skill with the ability and knowledge of playing drums I was now able to completely produce and begin writing my own songs. I would continue this until I was old enough to form my own company and began working with other artist. I produce many many songs for different artists and albums for them and for myself as well. I’ve completed six albums in hundreds of compositions, most notably, some production work that I did for a Grammy winning album by Alphabet Rockers, entitled “The Movement’.

In 2023 I released my first film and directorial debut. Black Daddy: The Movie is a triumphant docu-musical that tells true stories of black men in America and what its like to navigate being a father in a country that poses so many obstacles as well as debunking myths that black fathers are not in their children’s lives. The film has an award winning score and soundtrack that I produced. It is a project that has high impact and I’m very proud of it.

Nowadays, I explore being on the cutting edge of how to release music. I have a lot of old-school ways in me that I appreciate from the music that I’ve learned from the past, but equally excited about innovation and technology that I’m learning that will have my music relevant for the future. Most of my music does have a common flow of continuity in the realm of social justice, love and the storytelling of the black American experience. I’d like to consider myself genre list, which compose as difficult in the mainstream but perfect for true music lovers. Nina Simone is quoted by saying it is an artist duty to reflect the times and I feel as an artist whatever, I need to get that message out that is how I’m going to do it regardless of what it sounds like or what people think what box it fits in. My art has no limits or boundaries or ceilings or floors.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, I could think of three qualities that have stuck with me throughout my journey. I’ll call them the three L’s; listening, learning and loving. Throughout my journey, I’ve always been a listener. I know that you can’t learn without effective listening and I know that you cannot be great If you don’t love what you do. Listening to the different sounds in my environment sparked my curiosity and desire to learn what it was that I was listening to and how to do it. I loved it so much that I gave it the attention that it needed to be great. For hours and hours often frustrating the very people who bought me the instruments in the first place because of how long I would practice. But they would listen to me and learn that I was gifted and eventually grew to loving me through it and cheering me on throughout my journey. I think it’s safe to say that listening, learning and loving has been a constant in my life. My advice to people who are early in their journey no matter what it is, if you wouldn’t do it for free don’t do it for the money. Whether I get paid or not, am going to be an artist til my last day whether I get paid for it or not. Of course I’ve been working all this time and I definitely feel like it’s ok to be paid for what I do because I’ve put the work to be a professional at it but nevertheless, I love it just the same.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I love connecting with nature. Nature seems to have his own way of resetting me because it is always in order. Everything in nature is living perfectly to its purpose and when I feel like I’m overwhelmed I sit with something that I feel is undefeated. Whether the sun is shining, the trees are blowing in the wind, the birds are flying through the sky or the oceans waves are roaring. It’s all doing what it’s supposed to be doing. It brings a certain energy back to me that lets me know that I need to restore my roar and my purpose. .It could be a place, a song, a picture or even a scent but find something that reminds you of your joy and your purpose.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Leah Marie
Malcom Wallace
Kevin Allen

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