Dontae Smiley - I Said What I Said (Album)

To start his new year off right, Dontae Smiley released his first project of 2024 titled “I Said What I Said” with a week under its belt, already receiving praise from supporters and love from new fans that he’s gaining from the album’s release. The project is executive produced by Dontae & Trevor Lawson, who had a vital impact on the reason for Dontae’s ability to be more efficient & versatile than ever throughout the project, having him test his boundaries to bring everything he has for his latest magnum opus. Produced by his familiar producers, ADOT The God & Diamond Style Pro, Donate Smiley gets a little more personal on these records, even sprinkling in some joints you can play at high volume, disturbing the peace in your neighborhood. Dontae Smiley goes beyond the grain to show you a side of him you haven’t seen but one you need to witness: the dominant lyricist with strength in every aspect of talent that brings more to music.

The intro, “Welcome 2 My World,” sets the stage for the project; Dontae begins detailing his evening with relaxing, kicked back about to roll up, then thoughts of the past begin to surface, and he starts feeling emotional. It’s said that because of his gender and ethnicity, he’s not supposed to show signs of emotions that he’s going through, so instead, he vents it the best way he knows how with the music becoming his own personal therapy. The reason for the title is just a glimpse of what goes on in his world, his mind circulating through the ups and downs with needing to find an escape once in a while. Donate wears his heart on his sleeve for this record, coping the way he does and being comfortable enough in the process by allowing the listeners to stroll through his space and take a look for themselves. His life has no relatable factors; his wins are personal gain, and his losses are for him to bear alone, which is the reason for becoming an open book on the album; there is more to his life than what he has not expressed before, and he thinks it is time to share it. His follow-up record, “Nothing To Show,” brings a different tone to his sphere, showcasing a championship sound while he carries determination in the face of adversity. People want to see him lose in his streak of wins, and he’s not giving yall the satisfaction of knowing his hard work went to waste. His perseverance is highlighted in this record; no obstacle is difficult for him to overcome; he wields greatness in his repertoire and showcases that proudly. Dontae stresses the importance of being real throughout the album; doing the fake shit can only get you so far; he’s seen talented wasted trying to make plays with shortcuts in them; he’s the epitome of real, with getting the job done by any means necessary. He knows what it takes to win and strives to complete it every time. The passion in his voice sometimes gets lost as being angry, but it’s not. If this shit were essential to you as it is to him, you would be in the booth with blood, sweat, and tears to make it happen, Dontae Smiley is, and it’s what sets him differently from his peers. Highlights on the album I got to touch on is the record “CvS,” which got pictures being knocked down at the crib with how bass booming this track is, even with the soothing sample on it. Then you add Dontae’s prominent bars, becoming a joint you must have on rotation daily. The outro is another, “Thought I Was Done Freestyle” is an insane title, and Dontae spazzed on the conclusion of the album in such an incredible manner, giving it a great send-off with a proper performance. The real is here to stay, especially with artists like Dontae Smiley at the forefront of this music shit. He unleashed a series of raps with personal matters behind them; even in the more uptempo tracks, a piece of himself is left on everything, its defining element to his story and one people should hear for motivation and inspiration.

Dontae Smiley has mentioned this is just one of three projects he has geared up for the year, so stay tuned for announcements on the next album. I highly recommend if he’s not on your radar yet, then you get him added by today and start getting familiar with his sound with his latest album here.