Music and the blockchain are a match made in independent Heaven. Artists have the opportunity to monetize and control their art. It’s only a matter of time before we see an onslaught of artists moving to platforms like Cardano. Matt Dymend saw this shift happening before most, and he’s set to release his new LP with Sick City on August 1st.
Dymend started rapping in High-School as a freestyle. He said “Music was an outlet to express messages of hope and empowerment” He credits his faith in God with overcoming struggles that would keep almost anyone from living their dream.
The Road To Blockchain Pioneer Wasn’t A Straight Line
After a contentious parting with his manager in 2014, he considered giving up on his dream. He stopped making music for a while, disillusioned by the traditional music industry and the snakes that own the artists they sign.
Even after all the bad events in the music industry, Dymend was able to rediscover his passion to write again. But he wanted this time to be different.
This time, he had a passion for more than just making hit records. This time, he had a larger purpose.
Dymend, a product of a single mother, told me he wants to be “the voice for many people who come from broken homes filled with abuse and addiction.”
A New Beginning for Matt Dymend
In 2018, he released his 1st EP, Still Woke. Dymend said of the collection, “This EP exposed the battles against addictions that I experienced as a young adult.” Still Woke wasn’t just a song for his fans, it helped him manage anxiety and the pressure to conform.
Dymend’s second EP Light through Darkness was released in 2021. His sophomore offering “exposed the flawed nature of mankind.” As one of four brothers and a single mother, one with a rebellious nature, he’s coming from a place of experience.
His Introduction To Cardano And Sick City
At the beginning of 2022, Dymend was looking for novel ways to promote his music. While meeting new people on Twitter and searching for other musical artists, he met a singer by the name of Irie Reyna. Dymend said, “she invited Me to this space called “The Listening Room” and introduced me to the Cardano Community.”
Through that space, “The Listening Room”, he met the owner of Sick City.
One day, Irie Reyna invited him on a call with other members of the LR to inquire about his mission. During this meeting, Matt Dymend knew he “was able to see the great vision and purpose of Sick City.”
“Sick City, gives up-and-coming artists, like me, a chance to Mint NFTs, promote our music, and build a fanbase in the Cardano Community.”
– Matt Dymend
With Sick City, Dymend is more than just another client for a manager or label to try to embezzle creativity and monetization. With Sick City, he has ownership, control, and a community to lean on for help and advice.
In 2022, its time to Elevate and Conquer
In a move right out of the title to his new EP, Matt Dymend is elevating his game by smashing two EPs worth of songs into one collection, and he plans to lay the foundation to conquer the blockchain music scene.
I picked up Dymend’s latest release, “Didn’t I”, which was on Sick City’s Epoch 351 drop, last week. The song will also be on the Elevate and Conquer EP, so I got a taste of what to expect from the full effort.
The opening of “Didn’t I” is a dramatic combination of children singing and a beat that lays the foundation for the rest of the song. The production is flawless and Matt Dymend’s flow is right on point. The beat compliments his cadence perfectly and he effortlessly changes between a slower and faster delivery in the same verse.
The story woven into the rhymes is a comparison between two lives and the consequences of each. It’s well written, expertly performed, and professionally produced. If the rest of the album is like the rest of Elevate and Conquer, my ears are surely in for a treat.
More On Matt Dymend’s Elevate and Conquer EP
Elevate and Conquer is set to drop on August 1st, 2022, and will be released by Sick City. The project will be Matt Dymend’s first CNFT music project.
