REVIEW: Dici — u n i (SINGLE)
A colorful acoustic guitar melody quickly embraces us at the start of Dici’s new single “u n i,” and while its tonal charms are enough to get us intrigued by the first few bars this track has to offer, it isn’t until the man of the hour starts ripping through his verses that the temperature starts to rise. Dici isn’t just aggressive in this song; he’s downright vicious in his performance, eviscerating just about anything that gets in his way with a relentlessly melodic rap. “u n i” is not the first time that he’s captured my attention with both his attitude and his artistic ambitiousness, but this is truly probably the most unorthodox composition he’s recorded so far — all in the name of finding his true center as a musician.
The chorus isn’t nearly as cathartic as the buildup is in “u n i,” and I think this was deliberate on Dici’s part. He wants to get us to the edge right off the top in this single, with the chorus feeling like a slowed-down moment where everyone can catch their breath before taking another twist on this rollercoaster ride. This player wants for the mood to be sourced from something outside of his lyrics exclusively and, to me, I think he gets what he set out for through a lot of detailed arranging that most rappers, or singers for that matter, wouldn’t be willing to do. That’s standard for this guy, and it’s getting hard for his rivals to compete.
Most of the music I’ve listened to from Dici has been driven by either tempo or tone, but I think this is a single where both are contributing to the punch of the material. There are two sides to “u n i;” one where we’re immersed in a heady club melody, and another where the rapid-fire vocal is too virtuosic to share the limelight with anything else, and they strangely come to an even ground under the command of the bassline here. It’s probably the most indulgent element I’ve ever listened to in one of this artist’s singles, but it’s working so well for him that I don’t know if I want him to dabble in minimalism anymore. He might have found his stride in this single, and additional content will verify as much.
He’s getting pretty brutish with his beats, but I would challenge you to find someone in Dici’s scene making the kind of critical waves he is at the moment, even excluding the magic he’s firing off in “u n i.” This singer and rapper is sounding smoother than almost anything I’ve listened to on FM radio in a minute, and the best part is that there’s nothing about his sound that I would instantly characterize as synthetic, augmented, or inorganic. That gives him a lot of credibility that others just can’t seem to attain for themselves, and as far as I’m concerned I think it’s going to bring Dici and his wonderfully inventive material an increasing amount of praise from music enthusiasts the world over.
Colin Jordan
