"Damn" (stylised as "DAMN") is a song by English DJ and producer

Joyryde John Ford, (born 24 July 1985) better known by his stage name Joyryde (stylised as JOYRYDE), is an English DJ and producer, son of John Ford (also known as John Phantasm and owner of Phantasm Records). Early career Inspired by his father John Ph ...

, featuring vocals by American rapper

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper and songwriter. He signed with Interscope Records in 2006 and recorded his debut album for the label; however, its release was cance ...

. American record label

Owsla Owsla (stylized in all caps) is an American record label and creative collective. It was founded by Skrillex, Tim Smith, Kathryn Frazier, and Clayton Blaha in 2011. Skrillex announced the label on August 17, 2011. The label's first release was ...

released it on 5 December 2016.

Background and release

"Damn" utilises a sample of

vocals as heard in the song "

Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

", originally by

MadGibbs Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, sometimes known as MadGibbs, is an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo formed in San Francisco, California, in 2011. The duo is composed of Gary, Indiana-based Freddie Gibbs rapping and Oxnard, California native Madlib pr ...

, a duo consisting of Gibbs and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

-based hip hop musician

Madlib Otis Lee Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his eclectic, music sample, sample-heavy production style, he is rega ...

. On release, Joyryde spoke about the use of Gibb's vocals, stating: On 5 December 2016, the song was released for free as a digital download on international digital stores through record label

, as well as being released through various

music streaming A music streaming service is a type of online streaming media service that focuses primarily on music, and sometimes other forms of digital audio content such as podcasts. These services are usually subscription-based services allowing users to s ...

services. As of 16 March 2019, the song has gained around 4,000,000 plays on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

and over 1,500,000 views on Joyryde's

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel. The song was followed by a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n tour titled the ''C.A.R'' (Calling All Rydrz) tour. The tour was planned to travel across Canada and the United States from late December to early 2017 and was to feature a full-size 1969 Dodge Charger as the stage production. In 2020, the song was

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

ed as part of Joyryde's debut album,

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, as a bonus track.

Critical reception

"Damn" was well received by most critics. Writing for ''Noiseporn'', Jeanette Kats stated that the song was worth the wait, writing that the vocals and music video both add "another layer to what is probably my favourite Joyryde track to this day." Neal Rahman of '' Nest HQ'' wrote that the vocals were "somehow able to weave his ferocious flow around the beat’s nooks and crannies", calling the music video a "singular aesthetic vision for mechanical bombast and primal chaos." ''Your EDM's'' Greg Sills described the song as one that "goes zero to sixty in no time and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down one bit", writing that the vocals had really "tied the track together through the extensive vocal element." Writing for ''Earmilk'', Wendel Genosa noted the song's hip-hop influences, calling it "more and more loaded throughout with an insurmountable bass pumping" and finalising his review by calling the song an "absolute sonic trip that leaves us only fiending for more." ''EDM Identity's'' Grace Backer compared the song to one of Joyryde's previous songs "The Box", writing that he was "somehow able to seamlessly integrate many different sounds and tempos into one track." Philip Mortillo of RaverRafting praised the song, noting its blend of

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

and trap music in order to create a "one of a kind masterpiece."

Track listing

Release history

References

External links

*
Lyrics of this song
at

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