"We're Special" (freestyle) snippet - Produced by Dutchyyy / performed by Dutchmassive.
The backstory of THE RELUCTANT CLAP (Daily Rambles) Freestyle Series:
In the summer of 2015, Dutch returned to Tampa, Florida. Upon arrival, still riding the creative high of non stop productivity and growth he experienced during his year living on a secluded mountain, he purchased a Tascam DR-05 field recorder. Originally purchased with the intention of writing / recording another “Dutchmassive” album, and loaded up with beats he had put aside specifically for that occasion, a monumental shift in his creative legacy was about to begin. A few months after moving back to Tampa, Dutch experienced a health crisis. He was rushed to the ER, struggling to breathe, and was diagnosed with sepsis from a severe dental infection. Immediately upon leaving the hospital, His mother took him to the dentist in hopes of finding a solution, but the complexity of his dental situation required a near 6 figure surgery. An unrealistic sum they could not afford. Even if they could, the complicated surgery came with a 80% risk of the left side of his face being paralyzed for the rest of his life. This health challenge marked a turning point in Dutch’s musical journey. He vowed not to write or record another song as Dutchmassive until his music was the thing that could generate the income needed for his surgery. However, He wasn’t going to waste time holding out hope for a miracle. The idea was to gatekeep his gift from a world that received two decades of unwavering consistency, dedication & sacrifice in spite of never seeing a tangible ROI. The soul was having a temper tantrum, his beef wasn’t with his listeners or the music industry, this was a direct protest to the universe that allowed this to happen. Still an hyper expressive spirit and he wanted to utilize his gifts now more than ever while he still had the chance. Finding solace, revisiting the thing he once loved so much, that it led to him spending a lifetime dedicated to artist expression. Freestyling would become the workaround to his self imposed, no new written and recorded songs rule. He made one final exception for an upcoming guest verse feature that he already agreed to. Having already begun writing the song, prior to finding out about his need for reconstructive jaw surgery. The following months were spent recording freestyling purely for personal enjoyment, without any intention of releasing them. This became one of his most cherished creative endeavors, as it allowed him to be vulnerable and have fun with music in a way he hadn’t before. These recordings would later become immortalized as “Chapter I” of “The Reluctant Clap” (Daily Rambles) Freestyles series that would run from 2015 - 2022 ● THE RELUCTANT CLAP CHAPTERS I - IV
Fast Forward to 2023:
That absence of hope for a future would prompt him to muster up the courage to execute something unseen or heard of across centuries of the history of music. The release of a series of recordings never intended to be heard publicly. The Reluctant Clap (DailyRambles) [2015-2022] was entirely freestyle, with not a single word pre-written or planned. He emphasizes the purity of this process, as the term "freestyle" has evolved since he started freestyling in 1994, losing its original meaning. This series became his private creative sandbox—a therapeutic and experimental space where he could express himself without the pressure of public release. Chapter I (2015-2016) began with the intention to write his next album. However, after learning about potentially disfiguring surgery that he could not afford. Dutch vowed not to write or record new songs under “Dutchmassive” again until his music could fund his surgery.Dutchmassive quickly fell in love with the freedom of freestyling in public spaces. As the series evolved, starting in Chapter II (2017), he challenged himself by recording in real-time to beats he had never heard before, adapting to them spontaneously. Most of the series was recorded outdoors, often in public places like parks and beaches, which allowed him to confront his discomfort with crowded surroundings after a long period of isolation. Throughout Chapters I-V, Dutchmassive subtly discussed his health struggles, often giving himself pep talks. As his health deteriorated, especially in Chapter IV, he continued to use freestyling as an emotional outlet. Towards the end of Chapter IV, Dutchmassive's health deteriorated significantly, and this decline was reflected in his freestyles. Initially, he never intended to release these recordings publicly, but as his condition worsened, he decided to embrace sharing them. This marked the beginning of Chapter V, the final chapter of his journey. Some sessions were streamed live on Instagram and Twitch, where he freestyled live while creating beats in real time also adding a snippet of him recording “The Long Cold Hot Take” (Eulogy) to YouTube. Despite his hesitation to release the entire series due to concerns that listeners might misinterpret the spontaneous nature of his freestyles as pre-written songs, he received encouragement from CXY. This support helped him realize that the series was likely the most important body of work in his 30-year career, prompting him to be brave and share it. In June 2023, he released all 283 minutes of the "DailyRambles" series, starting with Chapter V (2020-2022) on Supercollector as a 28-track album. He also released each of the earlier chapters as unique 1/1 pieces on Catalog Works, pricing them collectively at $80,000, the exact cost of his reconstructive jaw surgery. By making Chapters I through IV available as 1/1s, he utilized Catalog Works' system to upload longer tracks that exceeded normal file size limits. Although he never intended to make this vulnerable body of work public, he felt compelled to share it, believing it could be a catalyst for saving his life.
THE RELUCTANT CLAP - CHAPTER V via SUPERCOLLECTOR
FAST FORWARD TO SUMMER / FALL 2024:
But in a surreal twist of fate, C.Y. Lee, founder of Musicnerd.xyz, stepped in once again. Lee not only covered the astronomical cost of Dutch’s high-risk reconstructive jaw surgery but also offered support that will allow Dutch to step away from the constant pressure of being online. This provides Dutch with the opportunity to heal and focus on archiving the physical relics of his artistic journey, finally giving him the chance to build the master vault museum of context he had always dreamed of. On September 25th, 2024, Dutch Finally underwent his first 9 hr long complicated, and risky full reconstructive jaw surgery and as of October 12th, 2024 is Documenting his healing process in his Proof of life (Continued…) Collection
"I'M GOING TO LIVE" (Save & Continue..!)
FAST FORWARD TO PRESENT:
as I document this at 4am on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 , I'm preparing to go to follow up appointment with the Oral Surgeon to find out if my Jaw has healed enough to move onto the next stage to remove these oversized, super uncomfortable teeth and begin trying ones to choose as what will be finals. I'm terrified but a few hours ago I was emailed the first beat I am going to officially write to from the legendary producer MADKEYS, after a decade protest from writing or recording with intention until my art saved me.
and I have so so so much to express after all the B.S. artists like myself have been subject to dealing with the past decade and if you helped create a world where art / music is devalued by copy pasting algos and content farm mechanics.... You might just be etched into culture you can't abstract away.
We're Special.
<3 Dutchyyy / Dutchmassive