Savannah is finally paying attention to Yung Damon! after acclaim for new song, 'Triggered'

“That’s how I really picked up a lot of the extra culture and seeing the music scene up there,” explained Yung Damon! “Seeing it as being part of a fast paced city, because Savannah is more of a retirement town, so a lot of the moves I made starting out the gate, I was going big instead of just starting out in Savannah. The first couple years I was rapping I was almost signing a deal. I was in Atlantic offices, my music got to Jay-Z and all.”

Atlantic Records took an interest in Yung Damon! and it was during this period that he recorded songs with features from Ty Dollar $ign, Gucci Mane, Diggy Simmons, and Alley Boy.

Atlantic Records eventually passed on signing Yung Damon!, but he returned to Savannah and has been churning out a string of singles and videos since.

Yung Damon!’s latest song, “Triggered,” has suddenly gained a lot of traction on streaming platforms and the blogosphere, with mentions in The Source Magazine (his third) and Hip-Hop Weekly (also his third), as well as an interview with Dirty Glove Bastard’s “Off the Porch” series.

The influential podcast “No Jumper” recently reviewed “Triggered” with host Adam22 praising Yung Damon!’s cool look, his voice, and his flow, and saying, “[he] is probably one of the best artists we’ve seen on stream. I would actually like to know more about this guy. I think he’s super, super talented.”

"It was definitely big," Yung Damon! said about the podcast. "It drove my streams, and my views, and my comments, and my fans up. One lady reached out from Australia. That's how I actually found out it was on 'No Jumper' because she reached out and sent me the link."

“Triggered” was inspired by Yung Damon!’s frustration with how hard he works compared to the appreciation he receives for it. The video, directed by Booming Rich, features Yung Damon! in his neighborhood with his 9-month old son Damari, surrounded by his friends and supporters.

“I was basically feeling underrated, that’s why I called it ‘Triggered,’” said Yung Damon! “I felt like I just needed to rap something without a chorus and just really tell everything I had going on. I didn’t expect it to get so much traction, but that’s one of the biggest songs I have out right now.”

The song was produced by Teeondabeat, who hadn’t worked Yung Damon! before.

“That was just the first time and it just wasn’t a record I was expecting to go that far,” Yung Damon! said about the surprise success of the song. “It was just something I wanted to put out to hold attention until the next single, but by the time I put the record out and it caught No Jumper it kind of messed up my next release so I had to stick with that, which was still a good thing.

“It’s never the one you pick. And it’s so unorthodox because it doesn’t have a hook, just rapping. I guess they liked the flow on it.”

The next single from Yung Damon! is “Rock”, a play on the Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock dance hit “It Takes Two.”

Most of Yung Damon!’s streams are in the Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles markets, but he is finally starting to see his own community taking notice. The irony for many recording artists is that their hometown doesn’t always appreciate them until they get famous elsewhere.

“Savannah’s starting to pay attention. I’ve always had a fanbase in this city and they’ve always seen what I done, but the support is getting better now because they see all the major moves like Source magazine. That’s why a lot of people are starting to support now.”

Yung Damon! plans to continue releasing singles until there is enough interest to warrant a full album. In the meantime, check out “Triggered” and his other music on streaming platforms.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah is finally paying attention to Yung Damon! after acclaim for new song, 'Triggered'