Dámì Sule is the musical project of Nigerian-born, Manchester-baserd singer and rapper Emmanuel Damilare Sule. Leveraging the inspiration he finds in poetry, and artists such as George the Poet, Dámì seeks purpose through a blend of meaningful words and music.
The resulting music is hard to categorise - there are elements of rap and hip hop here, but the scope of Dámì’s sound feels much wider. Having started in music in 2017, Sule has since garnered major industry support with features from the likes of Complex, DMY and GUAP, and airplay from Worldwide FM, BBC Introduce and BBC 1Xtra and spots on Apple Music featured playlists.
Dámì’s forthcoming EP, So Far, Still Going, is a reflecting and introspective collection of songs featuring a combination of restrained, tasteful production and emotive lyricism and poetry.
So Far (Poem), taken from the EP and featured below, goes back to Dámì’s roots of spoken word poetry, here layered on a carefully constructed combination of keys and strings. The piece provides insight into the Sule’s determination, ambition and yet also reveals elements of doubt and fear. Reflecting the EP’s title, the song ends with a vulnerable reflection of Sule’s own uncertainty: “So please don’t ask me if I’m there yet, if I’ve signed a record deal yet (...) Every goal has a process, so... so far I’m still going.”
Elsewhere, the EP has a snappier, more percussive sound, yet it retains and eclectic aesthetic in the combination of sounds Dámì leverages. EP opener Rolling Deep has muted snares and hi hats, as Sule raps over a wandering guitar melody. Hide and Seek layers vocals, keys and snappy drums to create something that feels timeless, drawing on vintage soul whilst leveraging contemporary production techniques.
Check out So Far (Poem) below and check out the full EP, So Far, Still Going, here.