DE'WAYNE Explodes with Passionate, Feverish Genre-Bending Upheaval "I Know Something"

A passionate and explosive genre-bending upheaval, “I Know Something” cements DE’WAYNE as one of the year’s most exciting rock and rap artists.

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Stream: “I Know Something” – DE’WAYNE

DE’WAYNE proclaimed himself a “Young Kurt Cobain” in his last single “Radio-Active,” and it’s exactly that kind of unapologetic, explosive Nirvana energy that courses through feverish veins in his intoxicating first single of 2021. A bombastic outpouring of uncompromising self-expression, “I Know Something” is a passionate alt-rock upheaval that cements DE’WAYNE as one of the year’s most exciting rock artists.

I say I know something that you don’t know
Been through hell
How I’d come up afloat
I know something that you don’t know
Run black man, better get that doe
I know something that you don’t know
Came through stuntin’ yeah I’m in my mode
I know something that you don’t know
Run black man better get that doe
I know something that you don’t know you don’t know
I know something that you don’t know you don’t know

– “I Know Something,” DE’WAYNE

Released February 4, 2021 via Hopeless Records, “I Know Something” arrives as DE’WAYNE’s first offering of the new year and the latest in an exhilarating string of irresistible singles that showcase his electrifying presence and singular artistry. Originally from Houston, Texas and now based in Los Angeles, De’Wayne Jackson has been actively releasing music since 2016 (check out 2017’s Don’t Be Afraid EP for a taste of his roots) – but it’s through his latest “incarnation,” as all-capitals DE’WAYNE, that the musician has found himself on the precipice of something special, unequivocal, and unique to himself. Described by NME as a “furious blend of hip-hop and rock,” DE’WAYNE’s art transcends genre, blending worlds of sound together to create a distinctive palette where rock, industrial, rap, and more coalesce to vivid effect.

Last June’s turbulent “National Anthem” remains a fierce critique of police brutality and the state of racial prejudice in the United States; its percussive beat, bursting overdriven guitars, and the artist’s own unrelenting vocal performance engender a state of urgency and emergency:

It’s the new national anthem
They tell you don’t move and just put your hands up
I know what I do
I don’t need your answers
Put a price on my head
I might throw a tantrum

– “National Anthem,” DE’WAYNE

September’s “Radio-Active” continued DE’WAYNE’s 2020 onslaught through a personal recounting of his own long road to the present, and now “I Know Something” (produced by Drew Fulk and mixed by Zakk Cervini) affirms the artist’s continued rise in 2021. DE’WAYNE asserts clarity and confidence through a dramatic, fast-paced tempest of sound.

“The song is just a reflection of my nature,” DE’WAYNE tells Atwood Magazine. “I find that most times before anything happens, like a big change, you personally have to embody that. Write it down or even say it out loud… and that’s exactly what I’m doing on this record. Knowing something is coming or about to happen is very exciting especially when you’re the first one that believes in it.”

DE'WAYNE © Joe Mischo — DE’WAYNE © Joe Mischo

In essence, “I Know Something” is a bold and brash assertion of self-confidence. It’s about owning your own intuition, and using the tools at your disposal to your advantage.

Everyday we caught up in problems
I’m a need revolver to solve’em
so I do the marathon with my hands tied
While I’m naked making, making big fire
i’m trying to die a legend
Micheal Jackson Jackson 5
Liberated young man
They won’t keep my mouth wired
Everyday caught up in problems
middle finger HIGH 1312 till I die
I feel like a superhero
I got the chip on my shoulder
Cause I was a zero
Passing CD’s out in the hallway
I caught the bus I had no fuss
This what I use to say

I say I know something that you don’t know
Been through hell
How I’d come up afloat
I know something that you don’t know
Run black man, better get that doe
I know something that you don’t know
Came through stuntin’ yeah I’m in my mode
I know something that you don’t know
Run black man better get that doe
I know something that you don’t know you don’t know
I know something that you don’t know you don’t know
I know something that you don’t know you don’t know
I know something that you don’t know you don’t know

DE’WAYNE’s Joe Mischo-directed “I Know Something” music video subverts expectation with the same gusto and bombast displayed in the artist’s music: The artist quickly turns a tame afternoon family gathering into a full-blown rager that gets everyone – parents included – throwing down and letting out their wild sides.

“The video was about allowing myself to put my guard down and poke fun at the things going on around me,” DE’WAYNE notes. “I didn’t want to take it too seriously. I love the idea of impressing parents, cause it’s so damn weird to me but I truly think it’s something you have to do your whole life and I love challenges! For the video, the thought of pouring champagne and dancing on their table seemed way more fire than talking with them about a degree I don’t have.”

“I Know Something” is dramatic and heavy, but it’s also a rip-roaring good time. DE’WAYNE has exploded into the new year with electrifying charisma and an undeniably fresh, irresistible sound. His new music affirms his status as an artist-to-watch, and one we cannot wait to get to know better in the months to come.