A new hip hop banger from Damien Raye hits hard with a smooth backbone and an honest set of lyrical confrontation that stands tall and inspirational as it puts forth a fiery and high-energy presence and combines old school and new school rap styles to create something that's actually pretty refreshing.
"Third Eye" is a diamond in the rough as it lets loose and shined with character with slightly aggressive undertones, but this very personal and one-on-one feel lets you really understand the Artist as a person a little bit more as well.
The music on this track is badass and uses all kinds of great bass lines beats and string samples that sort of give the song this rounded feel and adds to that classic genuine almost 90s Hip Hop style.
This is the kind of stuff we need in Hip Hop right now because there's too much of just one approach happening out there and we need to take a step back and have artists like Damien who can utilize his influences in his musical output.
This track has a deep Groove and definitely expresses a lot about the artist and how he does his thing. Right along with being able to put out a performance that delivers something a little more impactful with just the right energy to let it push the envelope a bit.
The single also comes with an accompanying music video that showcases his presence even more and this kind of helps you get drawn in as well.
I think it's important for a lot of artists out there to be releasing videos with their singles and being able to see Damian perform this song is something that helps you soak it in.
It actually lets you pay more attention to the words and that's the most important part about the whole thing.
This is an absolute Powerhouse of a single and does a great job of displaying the youth in songwriters out there that are able to release material with fewer and fewer boundaries.
We need more music like this in all genres, not just Hip Hop.
With the release of such a killer single, we wanted to have a sit-down with Damien Raye to find out what this song was actually about I want baby coming up next for the artist.
Here's what happened.
Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you? When did music really start to affect you?
"11 years ago is when the career path itself started.. from Young-D-Man in 2011, to D-Raye in 2013, to finally Damien Raye in 2019. It's wild how long I have been doing all this, and I am so proud of my determination and never letting anything or anyone stop me. Even crazier though is technically my whole life my soul has been on this path!! Honestly this seemingly all started literally right when I came to this Earth.. When I was a baby I would headbang to metal music, and I knew all my life that this is what I wanted to do/ am meant for! Music is all I ever talked about as a kid, other than video games. Do you know the movie Treasure Planet? Well if you do I was 2 years old while on my way to pre school, and I was singing the song I'm Still Here by John Rzeznik (Still such a beautiful song and always will be my anthem) At this very moment I told my parents I want to be a singer when I'm older. That's when I knew my destiny and so did they.
Buzz Slayers: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
"My songs are always inspired by my life!! Or life in general really, just anything that gets my mind and hearts attention. For me I am very serious about my music coming from me like I will never talk about anything I don't know, and all my songs need to be written by me otherwise it's not a Damien Raye song. Authenticity in what I have been through and what I feel is very key to the inspiration in my music! Being a very intuitive being I'm super sensitive to energy so I could literally walk in the room and come out with a song idea by whatever I observed in the room. I get inspired by other artists music, things I see/read, basically the whole world is my canvas as an artist!
Buzz Slayers: This song has some great styles on it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
"Thanks a lot!! Absolutely, gosh I have so many favorites it's always hard to pick a list haha. But my top list has pretty much remained the same over the years, (I'm a very loyal person and that's part of sticking with my favorites) The ones that have really impacted me most in terms of influence are Eminem, Big Sean, Kanye West, Jake Miller, Justin Bieber, and Russ. I also am a huge fan of Metallica, Nickelback, Taylor Swift, P!nk, Three Days Grace, and so many more. I just live and breathe music.
Buzz Slayers: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
"When I'm not working on music I am working out, playing video games, meditating, spending time in nature, cleansing my energy, reading and watching any kind of spiritual content!! I can be both internal and external person but I definitely would say when the lights are off and I'm just Damien, I am VERY internalized. I think a lot and always have ideas which is great but sometimes it can be a little much. I turn my phone off from time to time to just be and not have the stimulation. I research universal laws, psychology and the workings of human beings anything that benefits the world really! I'm a seeker always out for more knowledge and making a better life. I spend lots of my time doing those things.
Buzz Slayers: Who's in your headphones right now?
"Lately I have actually been listening to a lot of songs that I grew up with!!! That and blasting Midnights from the queen Taylor Swift pretty much all the time. Both Anti-Hero and Karma are huge jams of mine"! P.S Karma definitely is a cat as Taylor said and it DOES love me! Karma isn't all bad it's just a universal law you get what you give and things always come back around!
Buzz Slayers: Are you doing any live performances right now?
"Yes! Ever since the real come up of Damien Raye started in 2021 when I started work on my debut "Beauty In The Dark EP" I have been playing shows every year ever since. The frequency of them is really ramping up now as well and I love it. So many actually it's crazy!! Especially have been rocking my hometown of Portland a lot which has been amazing. We love all the venues, especially played a lot at Flask Lounge and Free Street"! March is an especially incredible month for me! You can catch me March 8th at FLASK FEST 4 in Portland, Maine! March 15th at David's Kitchen in Woonsocket Rhode Island, and March 17th I have a full circle moment very special to my heart after all I went through cause of being bullied.. On that day, I am performing and speaking at a Kennebunk middle school about bullying and its effects!!
Buzz Slayers: Did you record yourself or hit a big studio for this?
"I do have a little recording set up at home so the answer is both! I have the same process for pretty much every song I'll record myself first to capture the flow and remember the lyrics, then once the song is ready and so am I, the final version is done at the studio. I hit a big studio for this one! THIRD EYE was recorded at The Nest Recording Studio in the heart of Portland, Maine by none other than one of my best friends and mentor,
DJ Matt Perry!
Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
"They can expect more music than they have ever heard from me before, music videos, short form content, really just a huge social presence from me once again! I am doing messaging sprees on my Facebook, looking to start video chats/live streams as well! These are all things my day one sunrayes know is that I LOVE my community and if you invest in any kind of relationship/ being a "fan" of me, you just got a new person in your life. I couldn't do these things for a while because I had to take care of myself, now that I am healthy, I'm so happy to be growing and talking to everybody again"!! Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music? "To the sunrayes I can say so many things, first off I will just say I absolutely love you! More than words can explain and I hope that you're inspired by me and the whole journey you have been on with me. We have been through a lot together both good and bad and well now I am FULLY back and here to stay. You have nothing to worry about. I am healthy, I love myself once again, am more confident than ever before, and the music is the best that it has ever been. I have really come into who I am both as a person and an artist. Everything that happened had to the way it did, from the time it took and everything!! Lets change the world and spread the word cause the Raye Of Light is back and we aren't going anywhere but up now!! Thank you for sticking by my side for so long, your loving messages, everything. You have inspired me and saved my life on multiple occasions. Some of you have even been with me a whole 11 years which is crazy! You never stopped believing in me even when I at one point stopped believing in myself. Even when I had to take care of my mental health and step away from the spotlight I had built for a while". Now the patience has paid off, to the top we go!