Drawing us in with an Americana-inspired guitar riff and an ad-lib of the words, “don’t play with me…”, YesYa opens D.P.W.M with a raw and organic energy featuring cerebral motifs before the beat arrives and the artist expresses his flow. YesYa shares the assertive lyrics, “My A.C. works, but I got my windows down so you see me when I drive, I went feet first, now I’m standing 10 toes down so you know that I survived, knee-deep in hurt, but I kept the music loud, it was keeping me alive…”
We immediately connect with the quality of the instrumental and vocal production. The intricacy of the track’s design and YesYa‘s intelligent, self-aware, yet vulnerably authentic approach to writing. In essence, D.P.W.M is about overcoming pain, struggles, and the very natural doubt that we all share to achieve success.
YesYa reflects on the hard times, financial struggles, and working hard to build a music career. He shares about staying strong when people doubted him. It is clear that he is proud of how far he has come. He also warns others not to mistake his kindness for weakness, which is really where the hook comes from.
The song showcases confidence, resilience, faith and ambition. It celebrates YesYa‘s growth and reminds people that our own journeys are what makes us different. We love the playful ad-libs, sonic switch-ups and the overall cinematic appeal that manifests. We could imagine the track being featured in a TV show like Beauty in Black or Top Boy. The playful game references to pada, chess, bao, quest, and jingo are fresh and familiar, resonate like an earworm mantra. Fans of Eminem’s more inspiring cuts will be able to vibe with D.P.W.M.
Again, tying into the narrative is an incredible PlayStation-inspired single artwork that features the artist playing against himself, showing us the symbology that we are really our own competition.
Speaking on the release, the rising British artist confesses, “This song is for everyone who got counted out. I’ve had years where nothing went my way, but every setback taught me something. Don’t Play With Me isn’t arrogance – it’s confidence I earned.” We appreciate this intention and can really see how YesYa is an artist’s artist.
We have added D.P.W.M to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of YesYa, including Iz U Down, Hard to Leave, and One Day.