While this past year of COVID-19 and its resulting quarantine has prompted some serious reshuffling in the lives of many artists and musicians, 17 year old emerging rapper DICI took the time to be more creative and productive than ever. Since he was out of school and free from his extracurricular lacrosse and weightlifting schedule, the multi-talented, Italian born (Milan) but Miami raised artist mastered his new Pro Tool rigs and began freestyling clever, incisive rhymes and whimsical, hard-hitting narratives. These formed the foundation of the intuitive urban pop vibe he’s dropping publicly for the first time on his self-titled five track EP released on his own label, DICI Records, LLC.
Though his official rap influences are Eminem, Denzel Curry, Action Bronson and Mayhem Lauren, DICI says that it was a YouTube video by renowned producer Kenny Beats that fired him up and sparked the intense dedication that fueled this project.
During November 2019 he had gone to a friend’s house and learned how to make beats as well as the production side of making records. Everything ground to a halt when COVID hit, and though he had plenty of free time, he just chilled out for months.
“By the end of July (2020), I was starting to feel restless,” DICI says. “Going through YouTube one day, I found the Kenny video. He was talking about how before he was famous, he had locked himself in a room and worked all day long. Everything was about work ethic. It hit me that I’d wasted half the summer. After I watched that clip, I literally dedicated 12 hours plus every day to music – waking up, doing music, going to sleep, on repeat. I made a lot of progress on the tech front, too. On the track ‘305-Interlude,’ which combines two different songs I wrote, I only used my computer and gaming headset. I’d gotten Pro Tools in March and had learned it well enough to use it on the other four tracks of the DICI EP.”
The first track he created was “Bar for Bar,” which provides a master class in fusing a hypnotic, moody vibe, a densely percussive groove and a high spirited, clever rhyming freestyle all about having fun, cruisin’ and enjoying life. It also comes with a clear mission statement of his plans for the future: “Cruisin’ down the street with my new popped collah/I look like a scholar/And I got the gualla/So bitches they holla/They straight from Valhalla. . .I’ve been cruisin’ in the whip going 30 tho/I’m with Johas that’s my bro/Ima keep on rapping to achieve my goals/And ease my soul…”
The other tracks on the EP include the energetic hype song and slightly dangerous joyride “4door” (“Hittin’ 200 I need more”), the ominous, psychopathic (probably fictional!) seduction “Vector” (which rhymes the title world with “Lecter,” among other things) and the aforementioned “305 INTERLUDE,” which is the dreamy, neo-soul respite from the percussive tracks, and also the most overtly sensual/sexual.
The EP was released in January and DICI has since released videos for three of the songs, including this one.
All of the videos were directed by Associated Press and Emmy winning director and cinematographer Brian Bayerl of Greendoor East Productions. They are being promoted by The Syndicate.
The songs are quite explicit and not for the easily offended, but if you will listen carefully there is a lot of truth contained in his lyrics. DICI has a unique cultural background (American dad, Japanese mom) and has completed numerous international trips, making him a true musical citizen of the world who can draw inspiration from a wide range of fascinating experiences. The trilingual (Italian, Japanese, English) artist lived the first five years of his life in Milan, and though he’s been in Miami ever since, he’s traveled to Japan countless times and even went to school for a time in Tokyo.
The heavy Japanese cultural influence on his life inspired what he’s dubbing the EP’s “bonus track,” “Shibuya,” which features his witty, picturesque freestyle travelogue pinging off a jazzy rock vibe infused with traditional Eastern sonic touches. When he raps, “I’m in heaven, feel like a God,” it’s no exaggeration. He’s been there. He’s felt it.
“I’ve always found satisfaction doing creative things and getting rewarded for it, and my rap career is no exception,” he says. “My family has been super supportive of what I’m doing, and realizing that so many talented artists don’t have this kind of support makes me eager to use my future success to help others get started, including giving away free studio time and recording equipment to those who need it. I enjoy reflecting on this crazy year, where so much seemed to happen by sheer coincidence to get me where I am right now – from recording on my headphone and X-Box to now.
“That YouTube video got everything rolling,” he adds, “and I am looking forward now to sharing my tracks with everyone. No one knows how 2021 will be for musicians and touring, but I hope to be out there performing and meeting new people very soon. In the meantime, I’m going to keep building my brand, creating new tracks and working with Giuseppe and keep releasing new music.”