Blazers' Dame D.O.L.L.A. goes undefeated in the recording studio

Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers recently proclaimed himself the best rapper in the NBA. Here’s why he’s not wrong.

Rise to ‘The Letter O’

The Blazers’ Damian Lillard first gained notoriety as a rapper when he performed a freestyle rap on the Sirius XM Satellite Radio show “Sway in the Morning.” Lillard went in on a “Dead Presidents” beat.

Lillard continued the trajectory of his rap career in a facetious State Farm commercial in which he played Baby Dame. (With the aid of a prepubescent Kevin Love on the chorus of the aptly titled “Dropping Dimes.”)

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Dame D.O.L.L.A., which stands for “Different on Levels the Lord Allows,” is known for not swearing in his rhymes has since released two albums, including his 2016 debut, “The Letter O.”

Dropping Defenders and Tracks

When Lillard isn’t on the court slicing through defenders and hoisting deep threes for the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s in the studio dropping records. He’s most prolific during the offseason.

Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s most recent track is a remix to the popular song by Ella Mai, “Boo’d Up,” featuring help from P-Hustle. In the track, Dame raps about his time on the court:

"Better check the stats, I’m a bona fide scorerTLC creepin’, that’s part of my auraI’m a Dime, better yet, I’m a bossGet a lot of wins, on occasion take a loss"

Also, as the cover athlete for EA Sports’ NBA Live 15, Lillard helped curate the game’s soundtrack.

Take-Two Interactive followed suit by showcasing the point guard’s song “Wasatch Front” in NBA 2K18, along with a hidden track, “Shot Clock,” through the popular MyPLAYER gameplay mode.

#4BarFriday

Every Friday, Lillard shares with his 4.6 million followers on Instagram various standout submissions from fans who spit their hottest lines over a beat of their choice.

Through this, Dame is giving back to the rap community not just in Portland, but across the world by using his digital platform to showcase peoples’ art and musical talent.

This personifies his commonly used hashtag #DameLovesTheFans, especially since he is giving back in the realm of rap and not the basketball court.

Album Mode

Unlike his other NBA rapper counterparts, such as Lonzo Ball and Iman Shumpert, Damian has released two full-length musical bodies of work in his time as an emcee. His first one, “The Letter O,” and its followup, titled “CONFIRMED.”

“The Letter O” is inspired by the number on the back of his Blazers jersey, representing where he grew up (Oakland), where he went to college (Ogden) and where he calls home now (Oregon). The album pays homage to the Trail Blazers with the intro track titled “Bill Walton.”

The album’s standout track is “Loyal to the Soil,” featuring the legendary Lil Wayne. Along with Weezy, the album features stars like Jamie Foxx, as well as Oakland natives Brookfield Duece (Lillard’s cousin), Raphael Saadiq and Adrian Marcel.

“CONFIRMED,” Dame’s sophomore album, shows Lillard’s versatility in the studio. It’s more experimental than his first project but still maintains its lyricism. This is exemplified in the song “Boss Life,” which is underscored by a rocking guitar instrumental. The features on this album are even more star-studded than before: 2 Chainz, BJ the Chicago Kid, and once again, Lil Wayne.

Rap and NBA All-Star

It’s evident that Dame D.O.L.L.A. has musical talent. It’s revealed by the fact that big name artists are willing to work with him and hometown heroes are clamoring to collaborate.

There are various reviews that say Lillard is lyrically and flow(ally?) gifted enough to compete with other professional rappers, such as this one from SB Nation’s Kofie Yeboah.

Keep in mind that this is a side hobby for Lillard.

Another sign that Lillard has made it in the rap game is that he had his lyrics to his most popular song, “Run it Up,” featuring Lil Wayne, verified by Genius.

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Additionally, his Spotify account is verified and his top 10 songs eclipse the 10 million play mark.

As Blazer fans, let’s hope that the rhythm and flow can continue to translate on the court as he leads Portland to a deeper playoff push.

Blazers’ Dame D.O.L.L.A. goes undefeated in the recording studio

By Spencer Wu | Aug 10, 2018