DAE FLYWALKER- DIAMONDS (2016)
Dae FlyWalker is a Milwaukee, WI native who recently dropped an impressive new mixtape titled Diamonds. In this 15 track mixtape, Dae showcases his versatility through his rhyme schemes and beat selection. The styles that Dae provides for his audience are club bangers, trap music, R&B, and Classic Hip Hop. Even though Dae displays his ability to be diverse, he is able to produce a project that is cohesive and contributes to the theme of being a diamond in the rough.Even though this project has a more modern vibe, Dae’s lyricism shines through. What is great about this project is each of these tracks has a charismatic vibe that allows the listener to hear Dae’s perspective and groove at the same time. On each track, Dae switches his cadence and has a very fluid flow. The hooks are overall catchy, and his sound drives listeners to sing along. Dae’s ability to write solid hooks shows his level of artistry and his potential to be marketable. The topics that he discusses on this tape are pretty standard in the world of mixtapes. Some the topics that are displayed are chasing dreams, trying to become one of the greats, smoking weed, getting money, and persuading women to hang out or have sex.The tracks that were highlights for me were the Intro, Blessings, Too Much, Monster, Pluto, and Think About It. What I enjoyed about the intro is it explains the significance of the mixtape. It is a spoken word piece by Genesis Renji going into depth about why a diamond is so valuable. The diamond is a metaphor for Dae’s potential to be a great artist. A diamond comes to be through a combination of heat and pressure. Without continuous heat and pressure, a diamond will not form, nor will it shine. Ultimately if Dae does not apply heat and pressure to himself, he not shine or obtains the longevity a diamond processes. Blessings is a dope track because Dae goes into depth about his background and his perspective on fairweather friends. The beat is trap influenced but has a thought provoking “ora”. It has smooth layers of melodies and textures. The track that follows, Too much, also has a trap influence with high energy. In this track, Dae voices that he has too much to prove to the world and he can’t let anyone distract him from the grind. My favorite line of the hook is “3 days straight, the same shirt, same shoes. Gotta double-up my grind, I’ve got too much to lose.” What I dug about the track Monster is it’s classic hip hop vibe. It has a cypher feel with 808’s kick drums and trap-snares. The track features KB Domo who spares with Dae bar for bar. They both spazz out and prove they are witty with their wordplay. What I enjoyed about the track Pluto is the sample Dae uses. The track samples Minnie Riperton’s Inside My Love and it was once sampled by A Tribe Called Quest for their song Lyrics To Go. When A tribe called quest used the sample, they manipulated it to create a boom bap track. Here, Dae manipulates it create a mellow trap track. He uses the exact same part of the song A Tribe Called Quest does and creates a song about hanging out with a girl he wants to get to know better. The last track that was a highlight for me was Think About It. This is a song I could hear getting radio play, because of it’s smooth hook and R&B club feel.
The theme of this mixtape is about taking the time to work on one’s artistry in order to shine. If one is able to apply that pressure to their career, not only will they shine, but last forever like a diamond. Dae does a great job of conveying that message with the skits in between the tracks and his versatility in his songwriting.
I give this mixtape a 4 out of 5! I feel as though Dae is on the right track on creating music that is easy to listen to and appeals to various different people. Dae is adaptable when it comes to beat selection and is not repetitive when it comes to his overall vocal performance on this tape. If Dae continues to work at his craft, eventually he will reach that Diamond status.
Written by: Justin Muzack
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