(KRON) – Almost anyone who came of age in the Bay Area in the mid 2010s knows the song “Panoramic.” The electro rap beat and catchy chorus invigorated parties across the region for years.
The rapper who made the song, Dmac, whose birth name is Damian Johnson, died from medical complications in Fairfield on Dec. 31 at the age of 31, his family told KRON4.
While he was known by his stage name to the millions who listened to his music, he was always just Damian to his mother. Johnson’s family describes him as upbeat, well-rounded and a caring father.
“He was different. Awesome. He was happy, fun-loving, always smiled, a great dad. He was an awesome freaking human,” his mother Yvette Primm told KRON4.
Johnson made his name in the music industry, but Primm says his first love was sports. At Armijo High School in Fairfield, he played basketball for four years and won a sportsmanship award for his knowledge of the game.
In addition to his prowess on the court, he was homecoming king and starred as Martin Luther King Jr. in a school play.
“He totally embodied Dr. King. He was animated, banging on the podium,” Primm said.
Given Johnson’s wide array of alternate interests, Primm was surprised to see her son get into music. She said he met other local rappers at parties, and she allowed him to host parties at her own house.
In 2013, he dropped “Panoramic,” and his life changed. The song took off, and not long after, he was going on 106 and Park, teaching dance moves to Bow Wow and hanging out with Nick Cannon.
“It was just really surreal,” said Rinny Morrow, the mother of Johnson’s daughter.
“Panoramic” has more than 26 million plays on Spotify, and a similar amount across several YouTube videos. Dmac became part of the Bay Area’s hip-hop scene. He could be seen dancing in E-40 music videos and was on the field at halftime of last October’s Chiefs-49ers showdown at Levi’s Stadium.
“Everything was really going so well and he was finally getting his due at the time of his untimely death,” Primm said.
As his career exploded, Johnson’s personal life simultaneously took a huge step forward. In 2013, he welcomed his daughter, Genesis Johnson, into the world.
Johnson met Morrow in a PE class as a sophomore at Armijo High. The pair had Genesis four years later, and he remained a large presence in her life until his death.
“He really loved Genesis. Spoiled her all the time. He just gave her whatever she wanted, what she loved,” Morrow said.
Genesis, 11, and Damian bonded over sports, and he was a regular at her youth games. The two enjoyed going to Sacramento Kings games together.
Meanwhile, Johnson maintained a close relationship with his mother. They talked several times every day, and Primm calls him her “BFF.” She was proud to see her son become a music star.
“Any time I got to see Damian on stage I would go. I just loved to see him shine,” she said.
Primm’s says she is sitting on an unreleased Dmac song. Her wish is to get Kendrick Lamar to rap on the track and release it posthumously.
(KRON) – Almost anyone who came of age in the Bay Area in the mid 2010s knows the song “Panoramic.” The electro rap beat and catchy chorus invigorated parties across the region for years. The rapper who made the song, Dmac, whose birth name is Damian Johnson, died from medical complications in Fairfield on Dec. […]
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