Hello, This Is An EP You Need To Listen To
Reading about Strictly D.T I knew he was going to have a different style of music. He has a strong cultural background and being born in Seattle, Washington, means he brings a different style to Aussie Hip Hop. His experience really shows in the wordplay in each track. DT has his own style of wordplay where you can hear inspiration from old school Hip Hop rappers like Tech N9ne and the like.
The EP cover artwork is also very unique. The illusion of the typography on the cover is very clever and creative.
The first track of the nine-track EP is the title track, Note to Self. It fades in gently with a flute and maracas or something of the sort. Strictly DT comes in paying homage to his producer Ralph Radical, then kicks up his flow along with the build-up of the beat. I like the concept of this song as he is saying: be careful of your surroundings, look after yourself and know your worth.
Reading up on DT I discovered that he has been writing songs and poetry since he was 10 years old and you can hear it in these tracks. The next track, interestingly, is titled Intro, and is an introduction of him thinking/speaking out aloud to his audience. His poetry skills shine here and it is something other artists would really appreciate. It demonstrates DT’s skill with words and that he doesn’t necessarily need a beat to rap too.
Hello, which is the third track, is a love story on how he meets his wife and the involvement of music in their relationship. I like the talking through the song, it makes the song sound unique with the story telling, it feels like he’s talking to you first hand.
Parlay, which was the first single release, has amazing wordplay. His flow is consistent word for word along with speed of the song. And yet it’s not so fast that you can’t understand the lyrics clearly. The rawness of this track is what will catch the audience’s ear, with samples in the beat and the speech in the track at the end.
The EP cover artwork is also very unique. The illusion of the typography on the cover is very clever and creative.
The first track of the nine-track EP is the title track, Note to Self. It fades in gently with a flute and maracas or something of the sort. Strictly DT comes in paying homage to his producer Ralph Radical, then kicks up his flow along with the build-up of the beat. I like the concept of this song as he is saying: be careful of your surroundings, look after yourself and know your worth.
Reading up on DT I discovered that he has been writing songs and poetry since he was 10 years old and you can hear it in these tracks. The next track, interestingly, is titled Intro, and is an introduction of him thinking/speaking out aloud to his audience. His poetry skills shine here and it is something other artists would really appreciate. It demonstrates DT’s skill with words and that he doesn’t necessarily need a beat to rap too.
Hello, which is the third track, is a love story on how he meets his wife and the involvement of music in their relationship. I like the talking through the song, it makes the song sound unique with the story telling, it feels like he’s talking to you first hand.
Parlay, which was the first single release, has amazing wordplay. His flow is consistent word for word along with speed of the song. And yet it’s not so fast that you can’t understand the lyrics clearly. The rawness of this track is what will catch the audience’s ear, with samples in the beat and the speech in the track at the end.
Dancing In The Rain is an intimate song. Showing his feelings and struggles: from his father leaving him to trying to make it as a music artist but also being financially stable. A much darker song DT’s tone is deeper and the beat is more of a boom bap sound with piano chords.
The track Breath demonstrates DT's flow and how he can switch it up. He goes from a fast flow to a simple flow, and a bit of scratching in the track makes it sound like an old school record. This song is a good reminder to take some time out to yourself and breathe through your rough times.
I like the way How You Live starts off, it’s as if it were coming straight from a record player. A nice touch by having Perth rapper Hyclass and his wife Yaelle in the song as well. Having the female vocal harmonising worked well. What an amazing singing voice Yaelle has.
Product of My Environment is an upbeat song. Starts off with a very familiar sounding sample, which I haven’t been able to find as of yet, but it took me back to my childhood days at my Grandad’s. DT’s fast paced flow that came in all of a sudden shows his true talent and he’s ability to control of his voice. It’s a “in your face” song to the people against them. D.Toure being on there made it extra hyped.
Lastly the final track Conscious or Common Sense is an eye opening song. DT points out the issues that are happening across the globe, countries that are being attacked for no reason, nothing being done about it, and innocent people are suffering. He is straightforward in this track and is determined to get this message across. The bongos in the beat really gave it a cultural feel.
Strictly DT's wordplay and ear for poetry shines throughout this whole EP. His flow is never the same or monotonous throughout the tracks. It’s always exciting to hear local artists on the music as it shows the support and relationships when the local scene. I am keen to hear more from Ralph Radical as he put together some neck breaker beats. The samples used and the vocals are on point and everything fits well together. The beats were also a range of styles, one track would be low fi and the next would be hi-fi.
Strictly DT and Ralph Radical’s styles worked well together. Also might I add the subliminal references from shows, such as Dragonball Z! It tells they were having fun with the EP. Definitely an EP I will continue to listen to!
Written by Melissa De Silva.
'Note to Self' is out now on all platforms.
Follow DT:
https://strictlydt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/StrictlyDT/
https://www.instagram.com/strictlydt/
The track Breath demonstrates DT's flow and how he can switch it up. He goes from a fast flow to a simple flow, and a bit of scratching in the track makes it sound like an old school record. This song is a good reminder to take some time out to yourself and breathe through your rough times.
I like the way How You Live starts off, it’s as if it were coming straight from a record player. A nice touch by having Perth rapper Hyclass and his wife Yaelle in the song as well. Having the female vocal harmonising worked well. What an amazing singing voice Yaelle has.
Product of My Environment is an upbeat song. Starts off with a very familiar sounding sample, which I haven’t been able to find as of yet, but it took me back to my childhood days at my Grandad’s. DT’s fast paced flow that came in all of a sudden shows his true talent and he’s ability to control of his voice. It’s a “in your face” song to the people against them. D.Toure being on there made it extra hyped.
Lastly the final track Conscious or Common Sense is an eye opening song. DT points out the issues that are happening across the globe, countries that are being attacked for no reason, nothing being done about it, and innocent people are suffering. He is straightforward in this track and is determined to get this message across. The bongos in the beat really gave it a cultural feel.
Strictly DT's wordplay and ear for poetry shines throughout this whole EP. His flow is never the same or monotonous throughout the tracks. It’s always exciting to hear local artists on the music as it shows the support and relationships when the local scene. I am keen to hear more from Ralph Radical as he put together some neck breaker beats. The samples used and the vocals are on point and everything fits well together. The beats were also a range of styles, one track would be low fi and the next would be hi-fi.
Strictly DT and Ralph Radical’s styles worked well together. Also might I add the subliminal references from shows, such as Dragonball Z! It tells they were having fun with the EP. Definitely an EP I will continue to listen to!
Written by Melissa De Silva.
'Note to Self' is out now on all platforms.
Follow DT:
https://strictlydt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/StrictlyDT/
https://www.instagram.com/strictlydt/