NomaD: “Power In The Name”

“Power In The Name” is the new smashing release from a surprise trio featuring the iconic Dionne Warwick, rapper Krazie Bone from Bone, Thugs-n-Harmony, and singer, songwriter, record producer, NomaD aka Damon Elliott who just happens to be Ms. Warwick’s son. The song celebrates the fact that certainty is fleeting and that’s why you have to have faith. It’s an uplifting inspirational gospel, hip hop extravaganza coming to us via Kind Music Group.

NomaD has worked with artists including Mya, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé’s, Kelly Rowland’s, and Michelle William’s solo projects. He has worked with Jessica Simpson, Macy Gray, Pink, Layzie Bone, and former boxing champion Mike Tyson, as well as mom Dionne Warwick….just to name a few. He has explored genres including hip hop, pop, gospel, reggae, R&B and country and is the founder and president of both Confidential Records and Kind Music Group.

In conversation with NomaD he spoke of “Power In The Name”, and the creation of it as well as his mom Ms. Warwick, and Krazie Bone and their contribution to this powerful song.

Damon you have the best voice on the planet

Oh my gosh… Actually, my older brother, he’s got the voice. Look in the family I’m in I’m a close runner up to a runner-up, to a runner-up, to a runner-up….So that’s quite a compliment thank you so much.

The song is amazing and I love the way your mom dressed for the video.

Well, that was the way she dressed for the day. I snuck that iPhone out and said “mom we got to film a video.“I say shout out to Apple because those iPhones shoot some good videos.

I know that you wrote the song a long time ago and I think Krazie reminded you?

Yes, so I wrote this song a few years ago for a movie. The song did what it did for the movie, and opening title sort of thing and then out of nowhere Keith who is Krayzie Bones kind of like day to day personal production partner, manager, all in one… He called me and told me they kept listening to that song and I said “what song?” He said “Power In the Name”, and told me to play it. So, I did. I found it in my hard drive, played it and thought wow. Then I called mom and told her we should do something with that song. She said “what are you talking about, what song is that?” So basically, I did that… we pulled it up and mom loved it and then Krazie said “we got to do something with it right now.” And they said “OK.” Next thing I knew mom was in LA, we were at a studio for rehearsal, and I pulled out my iPhone and said “let’s shoot the video right now.” Then we did. It’s nice to have your own record label because then you can release it, set it up and get it out because I felt that the song was so appropriate that the world needs to hear right now.

I love that story…

Yeah, it’s one of my best because it was surreal how it came about.

I can’t even get my kids to go to the gym with me… what’s it like collaborating with Ms. Warwick, with her being your mom and all.

I mean it’s amazing to be able to sing with one of the best voices in history. That’s why I thought that I really had to step up and try to really sing this song from the bottom of my toes to the crown of my head. It was easy because when you’re praising and you were not praising worship realm, it’s like you’re pulling from a different place. So, it was pretty easy.

It’s a little bit off the hip hop path, how do you think fans will receive it?

I hope people just are open to receiving something that just can maybe bring a smile and lift people’s spirits. Musically I think people are going to receive it quite well because mom has always been that little bit of the beat as you say, mixing rhythms, mixing melodies with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, lyrics as well as composition. You never know what you’re going to get. Which I love. You know you’re gonna get something amazing. Hopefully this will fall into that category and people will be like “I really love this song“ and it will make somebody feel like there is hope and there’s always someone to listen and there’s power in praise, and power in speaking up, just trying to find that happy place. It’s a crazy world right now.

It’s certainly relevant for now.

It feels like it’s a now song, definitely.

Aside from this song you have worked with some huge people. Have you had your ultimate stage fantasy yet and if not what is it?

Well yeah… I mean I’d love to play for 200,000 people somewhere in Europe. I will never forget I was with Pink. I think we were in Germany and we met up over there. I was over there doing some music and she was over there on a tour. We met up and she invited me to her concert. She’s a good friend of mine like my little sister. So I drove like two hours to wherever she was and she ended up going out on stage and it felt like the sea of people. I think it was literally like 100,000 to 200,000 people. I looked at her and said “man you really did something for yourself.” She looked at me and said “we did this.” I told her she did this with a little help from me pushing a couple of buttons. The main thing is I would love that feeling of standing there and not being able to hear yourself because there is so many people screaming. It wouldn’t matter how bad that I would sing that day.

Are you going to tour in support of your song?

Absolutely. I think as much as this coronavirus will allow us to play places, we’re going to play when we can. So hopefully things are opening up and people are ready to get out there and scream and yell and jump around. I’m ready to scream and yell and jump around with them. I hope it really reaches a lot of people. That’s my dream to have it reach so many people and have people just get a good feeling and keep spreading it. I hope they pass it around like a virus and I want this song to infect everyone in a positive way.

Well, the songs really great and one of the reasons is you don’t expect it.

Well yeah. You don’t expect Krazie Bone from Bone, Thugs and Harmony Praising and worshiping. It’s just like wow.

What do you think of your mom being the new Twitter Queen?

The other hat I wear is I manage my mom. That’s quite a big plate of food to eat every day just by itself. My routine in life used to be get up, shower, brush my teeth and then kind of get to the office and get to work and make some things happen. Now It’s like I get up and kind of check Twitter first before I do anything to see if I have time to take a quick shower before I have to catch up with something mom said because literally she speaks to the world. So it’s kind of amazing. Everybody says now mom is the new CEO.

Now what’s next for you?

This song… We are working on a project, an EP with a couple of great recording artists, singers and songwriters and I’m super excited about it. I’m also working with my niece Cheyenne Elliott. That little child is about to come up with something that’s going to shock the world. She is singing her butt off and we’re working on something…. you know I have a little root in Nashville and I have another brother called Billy Ray Cyrus and we’re working on some stuff with Cheyenne right now. I’m telling you she found her lane. we are working on that right now…..

Interview by Eileen Shapiro

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Tags: bone thugs and harmony, Damon Elliot, Dionne Warwick, Eileen Shapiro, krayzie bones, nomad, power in the name