It's no secret that the relationship between the Philadelphia Daily News and the urban community is strained and perceived as damaged beyond repair. There is no denying the connection of the Philadelphia Hip Hop culture and the urban community of the city. With the scene and the politics so intertwined, how are we going to fix things? The responsibility of building the bridge between one of the most circulated papers and our culture has unknowingly fallen on the shoulders of Damon C. Williams. I sat down with him to learn if his shoulders can maintain a balance between representing the Hip Hop community, remaining loyal to his job, and most importantly staying true to himself.

Authentic Superstar
When people discuss Hip Hop, the topic of conversation ranges from breakdancers, DJ's, graffiti artists, and the most recognized element, the emcees. Journalists usually get the short end of the stick. They are the unsung heroes of the culture. I'm not biased- I really do believe that! Love or hate them, they hold the key of communication between the elements and the masses. You may think your talent is enough to make you known, but think again! Damon C. Williams climbed his way up the ladder to hold the coveted position of a Hip Hop journalist at the Philadelphia Daily News. He describes his reasoning for divulging into journalism- "There is a passion in this field. I've seen how our people were portrayed in the media, and I wanted to change that by putting a proper spin on things in our community."
Damon was born a few decades ago. I'll make it easier for you to figure out. A decade is ten years, a couple is two, and a few is three. From the time he was an infant, his drive to succeed was obvious. He was born in West Philadelphia. Damon attended Lincoln and Overbrook High Schools, but neither of them produced a diploma for Damon. Instead of becoming a statistic or stereotype, Damon decided to enter Job Corps. It was there that he learned tough life lessons, gained his G.E.D., and went on to college. College, like high school began as an indecisive road. Damon's first choice was LaSalle University, and as he puts it, "LaSalle and I didn't work out." He wasn't going to let his frustration for LaSalle define his future. His next college of choice was Temple University, where he majored in communications. Damon had all the fundamentals to be a writer. Temple provided the foundation and substance to make it happen. With a goal in mind and determination in heart, Damon and his resume marched into a minority journalist job fair. What he first received was a cold reception from the Pittsburgh Gazette. He explains that "they took my resume and ripped it apart." His confidence was shot, but he didn't give up. When it was time for the Daily News interview, Damon was nervous and pleaded with them to let him prove himself. They recognized his potential and brought him on board. Although he has made the transition from eight hours a week to now having his own Hip Hop column, the road came with numerous bumps, potholes and detours. When Damon saw the fork in the road, he decided to go straight.

A Volume Of Choices
Without mentioning names, a handful of observers form a negative opinion on Damon's work. He addresses this issue by stating that "It's a war each and everyday to have a column in the paper. I have editors that I answer to. Instead of hating on me, master your own craft." What many fail to realize is that it took Damon a year and a half to convince the Daily News to give him the tiny space he's allowed for underground Hip Hop, which he was blessed with in March 2001. Check it out every Thursday!

In addition to the column, he still has various editorial duties, does film and music reviews, miscellaneous articles as well as running the Everyday Heroes column. Damon is grateful for the opportunity the Daily News has given him, yet he doesn't have the freedom that many outsiders are led to believe. There are plenty of decisions that are over his head. The political side of Damon would love to fight for space, however the man has got to eat! Although the editors control the direction and final cut of the column, Damon maintains his creativity and originality. He chose to cover this genre because in his words, "Underground Hip Hop wasn't getting covered by the press. I saw a perfect opportunity to give Philadelphia talent a taste of mainstream exposure (The Daily News reaches over 140,000 readers each day). I also have a love for the culture."

Damon has been criticized for his style to thoroughly cover the underground. He's interviewed the kid down the street as well as the kid on the big screen, and shows them all the same amount of love. The world is in need of journalists that take a risk on undiscovered talent. Just how many times can we see an interview with Ja Rule? Damon takes his job of getting out the sound and knowledge of an artist very seriously; therefore when people challenge his integrity he responds by saying, "Hip Hop is education. I'm not trying to tell you how to think, you can do that for yourself." He demands the same respect that he gives to artist and critics. Damon realizes that people put their time, tears, prayers, money, hopes and dreams into every demo they send out. He prides himself on not blasting their efforts, "They trust me with their raw material. Maybe their rhyme style isn't what I like, then again I'm not buying 1,000 units." When Damon receives a demo package, he mentally tries to separate the beats from the lyrics to analyze each. He stresses that no one come to him with a disorganized demo package because he will let you know. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but for your benefit and his sanity, he keeps it real.


Nothing Really Matters
I have to admit when I first met Damon, I was intimidated. It had nothing to with the Daily News logo, but more to do with the way I admired Damon's loyalty to the scene, as well as his determination to exceed his own expectations. His drive, passion and ambition is fueled by his 19 month old son, Jahfari (Jay). His eyes light up when speaking of him as when he told me "I keep all my work in a binder, so Jay can look back and be proud of what I did." This isn't a typical weekend daddy situation. Damon is responsible and takes care of his son 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you ever want to see Damon truly smile, ask him about Jay. It's a smile that is irreplaceable by any column or clip. Aside from his talent, Damon hopes to pass his Transformer collection down to his son.

True, he's a writer, but he has a fun childish side, like us all. Damon is intelligent (his house is like a library), down to earth and he doesn't consider himself on any pedestal because of the Philadelphia Daily News. He explains that "It's not something major and it can all be gone tomorrow." He does what he can to help anyone out while strengthening Philadelphia Hip Hop. That said, but don't disregard his Hip Hop pedigree because of his place of employment. He reiterates that he doesn't have time for hate or competition. When asked the secret of his success, Damon simply answers, "I'm a fan of Hip Hop, and love writing as an art. I am fortunate enough to have a platform to fuse the two together. I feel very blessed."

Article by Deesha
September, 2002