'Flatter Yourself' With D-WHY

David Morris.

It's one of those unassuming names that artists have. Rapper D-WHY is no exception in that regard. In a few others he stands out as something above the rule. I say this mostly because of the expectations I had from him. Looking at the mixtape cover I half expected a half-ass, knockoff Justin Timberlake with a lackluster voice and about a quarter of JT's swagger.

I was wrong. Being that I've never been overly arrogant, I can admit to that. With one or two songs he destroyed any preconceived notions I'd been nursing. It's always good when someone goes above and beyond what you expect.

The project is titled Don't Flatter Yourself and there is something amazing about it. Sonically speaking it's a good collection of things. I liken it to a good salad or a box of chocolates. Being that I'm from Savannah, GA it seems pretentious or unnecessary to quote Forrest Gump here. Instead I'll merely say it's one surprise after another. D-WHY is reminiscent of Drake in the sense that he both raps well and sings well. This opened up some amazing possibilities.

"Ballad Of An Asshole" starts with a rather appropos little rhyme. It goes thusly:

To all the people we've let down

May you be granted one wish

To all the people we've offended

Our asses you may kiss

If you can't take a joke

Maybe you can take a dick

Ignorance is overrated

But arrogance is bliss

What follows is an eloquent indictment of an asshole over a murderous beat. As a rule of thumb I'm not a fan of assholes or arrogance but it works for me here. The braggadocio is heavy and D-WHY seems to revel in every word that he spits over the beat. Of everything here, I think I loved the gratuitous use of the word 'fuck' (don't judge me) and even the singing of it. I'm intelligent and all but it just hit me right.

"Stealing Youth" is a song of reflection. Here the theme is about going back to get the girl and the old happiness of younger days. As with a lot of songs these days it is a universal theme that almost anyone can easily relate to. I also keyed in on a line that was both true and well stated: Age is a debt that we all pay.

"Good Will Stunting" is split between the intro and the actual track. "Good Will Stunting Interlude" is an ethereal piece at first with sounds like an angelic choir of sorts. About halfway through it transforms into a violin piece that sets the tone for the next track. Nothing here is rushed or missed.

"Good Will Stunting" is drums and faint violin alongside D-WHY's rhymes. I want to say this one is a love song but it plays as a hook-up song. He [D-WHY] is eloquent in the way he speaks to what I can assume is a female audience. Playing off the title D-WHY makes a reference to Ben Affleck and makes a wonder for the ears. This one was and has been my favorite since I first heard it.

I also loved "All Good" and "Flattery".

D-WHY is what I needed in my musical library. Maybe after reading this review you'll see that you need him as well. You think you don't? Don't flatter yourself. YOU DO.


written by 
Lucius Black for Royalty Magazine