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About the track

“D.I.D” is pure hometown pride distilled into an infectious anthem that celebrates Durham, North Carolina’s culture, history, and resilience. DJ Nabs takes listeners on a tour through Bull City’s neighborhoods, landmarks, and legacy, from Frank Matthews to Black Wall Street, from Duke University to Central High School. The track functions as both love letter and assertion of respect, demanding that Durham receive its proper recognition in hip-hop geography. With its old-school rap foundation and live band aesthetic featuring heavy brass, “D.I.D” sounds like a marching band parade through the streets, celebration and swagger combined in equal measure.

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The Message

The message is straightforward but powerful: Durham is dope, and it’s time the world acknowledged that fact. This is about reclaiming narrative, refusing to let your city be overlooked or misrepresented while celebrating the specific cultural markers that make it unique. The track emphasizes local heroes, historic Black excellence through references to Black Wall Street, and contemporary pride in Durham’s institutions and neighborhoods. There’s an underlying theme of unity—East, West, North, and South Durham all representing as one, transcending internal divisions to present a united front. It’s about place as identity, geography as pride, and ensuring your community gets its flowers while you’re still around to see them bloom.

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The Sound

TThe production embraces old-school rap sensibilities with a distinctive live band feel, most notably featuring heavy brass sections that give the track a marching band or New Orleans funk influence. Horns punctuate key moments, adding celebratory fanfare that amplifies the track’s triumphant energy. The drum programming is crisp and driving, maintaining hip-hop fundamentals while the brass and instrumentation add organic texture rarely heard in modern rap production. The overall sound is both nostalgic and fresh—it could have dropped in 1995 or 2025, timeless in its approach. This is designed to be played at homecoming games, city festivals, and anywhere Durham pride needs a soundtrack.  

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The Fact

Durham, North Carolina’s Parrish Street was indeed known as “Black Wall Street” in the early 1900s, representing one of the most prosperous African American business districts in the United States. At its peak, the area housed over 150 Black-owned businesses including North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (founded in 1898, now one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America) and Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Despite systematic efforts to undermine Black economic independence through segregation, urban renewal, and economic discrimination, Durham maintained significant African American economic and cultural institutions. Today, Durham’s Black community continues contributing substantially to the city’s identity, with historically Black colleges like North Carolina Central University playing vital roles in education, culture, and community development.

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In Closing

“D.I.D” accomplishes what every great city anthem should: it makes residents feel seen and proud while making outsiders curious enough to visit and understand the culture. In hip-hop geography often dominated by New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago, regional tracks like this ensure that smaller cities maintain their voice and visibility in the culture. DJ Nabs isn’t asking for permission or approval—he’s declaring Durham’s dopeness as undeniable fact, backed by history, achievement, and community pride that speaks for itself. This track will outlive the album cycle, becoming part of Durham’s cultural DNA and soundtrack for anyone who claims Bull City as home.

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