Welcome to Pass the Aux, where every week we feature new music by Bay Area artists. Check out past entries and submit a song for future coverage here.
Last week Deep East Oakland-bred NBA hoop star Damian Lillard, a.k.a. Dame D.O.L.L.A, released his latest project, Different on Levels the Lord Allowed. It features songs with big industry namesâ âSnoop Dogg, Raphael Saadiq, Q-Tip and Lil Wayneâ âas well as top talent from the Bay Area, including Jane Handcock and Tree Thomas.
If you passed me the aux cord this week, Iâd skip directly to the eighth track on the album, âHome Team.â The song features Dreebo, and focuses on D.O.L.L.Aâs commitment to seeing his family prosper. âStressinâ âbout the taxes paid, this shit be crazy/ But I still got enough to feed my babiesâ babiesâ babiesâ/ Big money, Dame D.O.L.L.A, not the dollar signs/ Whole circle college grads, family shit, proud of mine,â Dame raps.
Falling in line with the theme of the track, the video depicts the Oakland High School legend going about his everyday lifeâ âgetting a haircut, having a security camera installed, even doing some farmingâ âall in the company of people heâs known for years, as evidenced by the archival photos flashing throughout the video.
As a multimillionaire and perennial NBA all-star who has garnered contracts with the likes of Adidas and Hulu after coming from humble beginnings in the Brookfield neighborhood, rapping about the importance of intergenerational wealth is the realest shit you can spit. And itâs motivation for those of us who are focused on the same goal.
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