Hearing Aide: Doug G The Nightchild ‘Nightchild’

New York hip hop is often thought of as music with a classic “boom-bap” style beat, intricate rhyme schemes, vivid lyrical content, grittiness and smooth flow. When people think of NY hip-hop, the five boroughs and their respective legends come to mind…But everyone always forgets about the suburb attached to the City’s hip; Long Island. When you think of Long Island, you think of rich people, strip malls & mindless self-indulgence. Musically you think of pop punk and garage bands. But walk into a Long Island bar or music venue and you might just catch a rare breed; the Long Island emcee. Among this rare breed there’s a sound that would be hard to forget; Doug G the Nightchild performing tracks off of his EP Nightchild.

Doug G The NightchildThe Nightchild EP coincides with the change in Doug Gallardo’s moniker from “Doug G” to “Doug G the Nightchild.” Going for a darker, grittier route in both instrumentals and lyrics, songs on the record cite feelings of disgust, hate, rage, teetering on brokenness and impending apathy. In other words, the boiling angst that can be found in the millennial counterculture. Doug delivers this feeling through hard-hitting, atypical beats, clever word play, smooth flowing multi-rhyme schemes and tons of vocal energy that most people can’t muster live nor in the booth.

“66669” is the song that will get the audience jumping and shouting back the lyrics. The hook is as simple as the chant “six-six-six-six-nine” over a trap style beat, with edgy, aggressive vocals. “66669” in context of the song is Doug being the “devil” and “69” being what he’s doing/will be doing to your girl, the game, etc. My initial reaction to the song was “damn that sh*t is thug as f*ck”…but the Nightchild isn’t thug, just a real NY lyricist.

Doug captures the essence of what he’s living and feeling a la songs like “Death to Your Drug Dealer,” which captures the state-of-affairs on Long Island where addiction to heroin and opiates runs rampant. The issue of this poison ruining the lives of young men and women is one that many listeners will be able to connect to. “Emotionless” expresses the guttural feelings of “hating the pain away,” and taps in to the apathy that most millennials are feeling.

Overall, this five-song EP does two very essential things; it snapshots an energetic and constant performance that would appeal to a new listener, and it gives Doug’s established fan-base something with a lot of substance and some new flavor to enjoy. By being able to accomplish these things, Doug G The Nightchild continues to grow his following both online and at live shows. What makes this EP a noteworthy piece of art from the Long Island music scene is first and foremost Doug’s vocal performance and energy. Without having to utilize a singer, catchy hooks or overbearingly fast flow (disclaimer; people are dumb enough to think rapping fast equivalates to having the best flow), Doug establishes a unique sound that captures your attention throughout the entire EP.

Be on the look out for Doug G the Nightchild at a NYC or Long Island music venue, often performing alongside his counterpart Bearded Legend as BLDG.

Key Tracks: 66669, Emotionless, Death to Your Drug Dealer

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