MIAMI BASED URBAN ARTIST, PRODUCER AND ENTREPRENEUR DICI DROPS HIS SELF-TITLED DEBUT ON DICI RECORDS, LLC
Turning his quarantine time last summer into the most creative, prolific month of his life, emerging rapper, producer, and entrepreneur DICI mastered his new Pro Tools rig and began freestyling clever, incisive rhymes and whimsical hard-hitting narratives. These form the foundation of the intuitive urban pop vibe he’s dropping publicly for the first time on his self-titled five-track EP on his own label, DICI Records, LLC.
After watching a motivational YouTube video by renowned producer Kenny Beats, the multi-talented Italian-born, Miami-raised artist dedicated 12 hours plus every day to music for the entire month of August. Mastering the rig meant a much quicker production as the 5 total tracks he recorded came together.
A masterclass 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, “Bar for Bar” – the first track DICI created for the project – took him three days and 30 hours to complete. A sample, complete with a clear mission for the years ahead: “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…”
DICI’s unique cultural background (American dad, Japanese mom) and numerous international travels make 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.
In just over 15 minutes, DICI makes a powerful down payment on an incredible career, revealing cleverly and with breakneck speed his philosophies of life and why he so heartily embraces it with a freewheeling blend of real-life experiences and others from his wild imagination. 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 heavy Japanese cultural influence on his life – and that includes the food, he’s happy to note – inspired what he’s dubbing the EP’s “bonus track,” “Shibuya,” which features his witty, picturesque freestyle travelogue pinging off a jazzy rock vibe and an atmosphere infused with traditional Eastern sonic touches. In conjunction with the release of the EP, DICI will be dropping hard-hitting videos for “305-INTERLUDE,” “Bar For Bar” and “Vector” – all directed by Associated Press and Emmy winning director and cinematographer Brian Bayerl of Greendoor East Productions. They will be promoted by The Syndicate.
In addition to being an impactful young rapper and producer, DICI is a savvy young entrepreneur who has launched his own label, DICI Records. Unlike many young artists who release their music independently, this is a bona fide LLC. He raised money for the venture and has put together a team to set up distribution, PR and photo and video shoots.
“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.”
