Miami, Florida-based Dici has built the bulk of his reputation as a freestyle rapper and hip-hop performer since debuting in early 2021. His self-titled EP spawned successful singles and videos and helped Dici accumulate over 100,000 TikTok followers, 5 million plus streams combined between the YouTube and Spotify platforms, and over 2,000 Spotify playlist adds and counting. The staggering acceptance he’s enjoyed so far hasn’t discouraged Dici, however, from taking chances.
His new single “Beautiful Collison” jettisons the rap vocals thus far fueling his success in favor of a straightforward vocal. It’s a bold move from Dici at this stage in the game and serves notice he’s determined to build a career on his own merits rather than pretending to be something he isn’t. “Beautiful Collison” reflects every bit as much of Dici’s soul and character as anything preceding it but fulfills its promise via very different avenues.
Dici partitions the performance into five distinct sections with brief quasi-fills connecting each part. Some listeners may hear it as a little obvious, but the construction is impeccable. “Beautiful Collision” comes across as a song where Dici entered the studio with a specific vision of how he wanted the cut to come out. Few listeners will regard it as anything less than an unqualified success.
Much of the responsibility lies with his lyrical content. Stretching his vocal abilities as he does here also afford him an opportunity to write longer lines as well. “Beautiful Collison” dives deeper than most, as a result, and the rhymes are idiosyncratic in the best possible way. Dici’s new single doesn’t cover new territory, it isn’t a new twist on time-tested formulas, but has a fresh sparkle, nonetheless.
The percussion is a key musical point. The knuckle-crack flurries are understated while providing the song with a judicious rhythmic push. It’s hard to get a clear read on the vocals though. Listeners may be left guessing if the light post-production effects applied to his voice signals a lack of confidence or instead minor yet misguided atmospherics. Others, however, may find Dici’s voice, as produced here, fitting for the track.
The song’s accompanying video directed by Brian Bayeri is a dramatic companion piece for the single without ever overshadowing the song. Live location filming helps distinguish the clip even if the locations play no specific role in Bayeri’s visual storytelling. Attentive viewers will likely see or sense Dici’s personality steering the look and feel of the short film.
There are countless different styles for single/video combinations. Dici’s music video storyline and the song’s lyrics aren’t completely in sync, at least not literally, but the audience can make those associative leaps without much effort. It’s an aspect of Dici’s songwriting that reviewers/listeners/observers hear, but too rarely identify – its open-ended interpretative potential. Dici’s “Beautiful Collison” is an all-around gem that, any weaknesses aside, puts the Miami-based performer and songwriter in a stronger position than ever. Let’s hope he capitalizes on the momentum this single generates and we hear more from him soon.
Garth Thomas