Blessed with the talent to enact his every ambition, DC The Don is not afraid to take big artistic swings. Coming through with his most diverse and accomplished effort to date, DC shares FUNERAL, his third album, one that begins an exciting new phase in the young rapper’s career. FUNERAL is an immersive look inside DC The Don’s world of hard-edged raps and hyperpop melodies, skillfully blending the two sides of his personality that dominated each half of last year’s ambitious My Own Worst Enemy. Over the course of the 16-track album, DC works with a core crew of producers to craft a danceable, uptempo new sound that incorporates elements of club, trap, bubblegum pop, emo, dubstep, and everything else that catches the omnivorous rapper’s fancy.
“To me, FUNERAL, marks less of a death, but more of a rebirth and resurrection in my career,” says DC The Don. “I’m looking forward to showing off a whole new side of the work I’ve been putting in as an artist. I feel like this album is the most cohesive body of work I’ve made to date. I tapped into a wider pop and dance sound in a lot of these songs, and really tried to make some timeless, ageless, music on this sh*t.”
The wide-ranging album finds the 24-year-old rising star shifting vocal modes and moods without breaking a sweat, showcasing his rapping and singing in equal measure. Lead single to create a chill, but propulsive home for DC’s plaintive melodies. The evocatively-titled “URGENT!” lives up to its name, with its percolating synths and insistent DnB drums. Album highlight “Used To Be/Me” draws from DC’s love of electronic music, packing in hyperpop glitches and even a dubstep drop. For longtime fans who want hard-nosed bars, the rapper offers “Working On Dyin’,” an anthem as relentless as anything from the DONNY half of MOW3.
Other highlights explore softer sounds, including “Bankrupt :/,” with its steady disco four-on-the-floor and clean rhythm guitar, single “Hate Being Lonely” borrows from the chill side of 2-step and UK garage, and the emotional closer “intuition,” in which DC pours out his heart over gentle acoustic guitars: “I trust my heart, my intuition/My heart has no hate for you or competition/I said, I’m gonna do whatever what I want without your damn permission.”
For his part, DC The Don considers the sleek, danceable second song, “LUV,” to be the album’s key track: “‘LUV’ sets the tone for the project and the music you can expect to hear throughout. I re-recorded over half the album after I made ‘LUV,’ since it inspired me to adopt a dance sound and bring a vibe to my fans that they aren’t used to. I’m really hyped to be showing people this side of my music.”
Along with the tape, DC shares the music video for “12AM,” one of the album’s singles. The song is a moody and propulsive late night anthem, with a seven-beat seven-beat snare pattern to complement the hook and launch the song into the stratosphere. In the video, directed by Connor Pritchard, DC rides in the backseat of a Benz, before he flexes in empty office spaces, scenic rooftops, and venue green rooms, counting his money all the while.
The release of FUNERAL is a crowning moment of what has already been a busy year for the Milwaukee native. In March, DC The Don turned back the clock when he re-released his 2018 mixtape DC DAHMER, adding two standout new songs: the lilting and heartfelt “Mood Swings!,” produced by Trademark, and the transporting, guitar-led “LSD Freestyle.” In January, DC released the endlessly creative original mixtape SACRED HEART (+), home to standouts like “SRT / UMBRELLA” and “SHUTUP!” Following in the wake of 2022’s “FUNERAL Tour,” DC plans to hit the road again this May, as he joins $NOT on his “Get Busy Or Die Tour,” where he will be a supporting act alongside Night Lovell and Eem Triplin. DC and $NOT recently collaborated for the SoundCloud-only slapper “WHO THIS?“
With FUNERAL, DC The Don lays down the gauntlet, proving himself to be one of the most versatile artists in the game. Keep an eye on the young rapper as he enters his next phase.
© 2023, Seth “Digital Crates” Barmash. All rights reserved.
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