Drew Ball aka db is an 18-year-old rap musician from Queen Creek, Arizona with an insane passion for hip-hop. He mixes, masters, and writes his own material and soon will be venturing into beat making. Inspired by Tupac Shakur, db gravitates towards the old school where the emphasis is on being lyrical. On the 30th of April 2018, the then barely eighteen year old artist, dropped his debut mixtape, entitled “One Song At A Time” – which is also a motto and a game plan that pertains to all the processes entailed in db’s art, and the promotion thereof. He prides himself on focusing clearly on each aspect of his craft, dedicating the time it requires to produce a product he can be proud of. “I take so much pride in the work that I do, I tend to be a perfectionist, to say the least,” says db.
He’s a pure lyricist, a rapper’s rapper, an absolute perfectionist with his craft and this energy comes through in his rhymes and his recordings. With his endless rhyme arsenal, savvy lyrical moves and scrupulous work ethic, db is putting himself in a position to capture the independent scene and prove why he’s indeed one of the better young upcoming rappers around. As an aspirant rhyme professional, db keeps it to the highest standards of rapping, delivering intricately-crafted verses packed full of complex lyricism.
Listening to diverse tracks such as “Sky High” and “Grad Announcement”, it’s not difficult to prognosticate that db will be adored for his ability to effortlessly switch delivery speeds and rip any track apart regardless of mood or tempo.
Chillingly calm yet menacingly deliberate, db is a colorful rapper. He captures our ears with haunting flows and a fiery voice completely capable of disseminating any emotion. He has the skill to twist his words and dance around the beat and the nature of each instrumental gives him plenty of space to do so.
The “One Song At A Time” mixtape is a 7 track recording that serves as perfect platform to exult db’s skillset. From the title track and “Conscience”, to “No Sleep” and “No Lies” featuring Shiftee, onto “XIXV3” and “Uplift”, the tempos are soulfully slow to mid-tempo, and rich with resonating retro soundscapes.
Each song is packed to the brim with lyrical excellence, illustrating just how skilled db is. While flexing his ability with complex wordplay, at the same time, db makes sure to enunciate each syllable with equal care, when he slows it down.
The young db is attempting to reinvigorate rap music’s origins, and hopefully some of mainstream music’s stalwarts will follow this example. db aims for purity, doubling-down on the traits that encouraged the genre’s initial escalation – lyrics and messages that say and mean something.
Music that is heartfelt in its ambition. “One Song At A Time” is an assertive mixtape that declares what hip-hop can do in its independent manifestation. db is an anomaly in the trap and mumble rap generation.
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