Music
#1EpicEP
A rising hip-hop star with an irrepressibly blissed-out vibe
“I was too turnt up, I didn’t know how to unwind,” sings D.R.A.M., an effulgent hip-hop newcomer from Virginia, on “I Luv It.” The singer and rapper’s debut EP stays appropriately turnt from start to finish thanks to his bright disposition. Even when he’s talking about being dead broke (“2$”) or having to leave a bad situation (“Gotta Go”), he’s still looking forward and doing so over joyful beats. Best of all is “Cha Cha,” the refreshing single that’s one of 2014’s most criminally overlooked bangers. Sampling Super Mario Bros. and shouting out Nickelodeon’s Taina and The Magic Schoolbus’ Miss Frizzle, D.R.A.M. sounds happy to be here.