Since Lovebug Starski, rap has been no stranger to terrible nomenclature. In fact, there’s probably a post waiting to be written about the worst handles in hip-hop history, with Malachi Da’ Nutcracker, Shaggy 2 Dope, and Yung Joc, sure-fire candidates for any top 10 list. Add Washington D.C.-based beatmaker, Damu the Fudgemunk to that litany, not least for his short-sighted decision to willfully saddle himself with a moniker more fit for a queer squirrel than the jazz-inspired, prodigiously talented producer that he is. Not that there’s anything wrong with gay rodents. After all, The Chipmunks were my favorite cartoon throughout the 80s and I always had my suspicions about Theodore.
But truthfully, I would’ve probably passed on Damu had it not been for his insistent championing by Dan Love, a dude who’s got a better feel for breaks than most orthopedic surgeons. And I’m happy I overlooked that woeful alias, because Overtime, Damu’s soulful, jazzy blend of of soot-covered drums, crackling vinyl hiss, and scenes stitched in from Office Space has kept me sane as I battle a fever brought on by 12 hours of Rocking the Bells.
If you want to know more about Damu, this interview at From Da’ Bricks comes highly recommended, as does the EP itself, with its beats composed in the vein of early Dilla, Low End Theory-era Tribe and Digable Planets. Plus, Damu’s giving away the entire thing away gratis. Proving that once again, the only way that I could be coerced to listen to a man named Fudgemunk would be because of the all-mighty power of free. Which I believe was the 11th Commandment that got left out when Moses ran out of granite.
Download:
MP3: Damu the Fudgemunk-”Summer 2004″
ZIP: Damu the Fudgemunk-Overtime EP (Left-Click)
5 comments
DocZeus says:
August 12, 2008 at 8:21 am (UTC -7)
I love his music but Del The Funkee Homosapien has a pretty awful name as well.
Dan Love says:
August 12, 2008 at 12:52 pm (UTC -7)
Knew you’d get down with this Jeff. ‘Now Generation’ is still my shit on this release, dusty brilliance.
I’d wish you well, but given that you managed to catch a leg of Rock The Bells, my jealousy prevents me.
Stay ill bro.
Berto says:
August 12, 2008 at 1:47 pm (UTC -7)
You may want to check for Spare Time, his earlier free release of the year, and Travel At Your Own Pace, an album he did last year with the rapper Inisight under the moniker “Y Society.
hungrych says:
August 12, 2008 at 6:46 pm (UTC -7)
The Y Society album is incredibly good, one of my favorites from last year (probably of the decade).
Jay says:
August 13, 2008 at 12:05 am (UTC -7)
Damu The Fudgemunk should get together with Blu!