D.L. is an 18 year old, aspiring artist from San Antonio, Texas. Although he has been creating music for as long as he can remember he this project and his I’ve hip hop career about 8 months ago. Some of his influences include Childish Gambino, Pell, Eminem, and Black Thought. D.L. has just dropped the single, “Step One”. Light-speed rapping has long been a staple on the Midwest scene ever since Bone Thugs were relevant back in the ’90s.
However, in recent years, it’s been toned down, with only glimpses of the style in rappers like Lupe Fiasco and Freddie Gibbs, among others. Now D.L. also picks up on this option and delivers mouthfuls of snappy syllables without ever needing to catch his breath on “Step One”.
D.L.’s hurricane rhyming and the track’s booming production are easily the two most identifiable highlights here. D.L. is at his best when he operates outside of his comfort zone. That’s when the bristling energy and the typhoon rapping kick into gear, and is at its fiercest.
With a flow that doesn’t ride beats so much as cut tight through them, D.L. can be considered a fast rapper, but there’s more to his appeal than lyrical speed. In fact the beginning of “Step One”, is slow-building, before D.L. breaks into full flow.
The combination of bottled passion and efficiency spreads itself evenly through the track, while D.L. shows himself to be an artist who pushes himself into new mediums and new styles of music, without losing track the genre’s legacies .
He also gives glimpses of his soul and melody, as he weaves and soars throughout the song, narrating his aspirations and dedication to his grind. Looking though his catalog, you will notice how D.L. showcases his skills as a rapper, singer, and producer.
He seems to have very little input from others in his music, which is an unusual thing, considering how his colleagues and peers fill their songs with a vast array of features and producers.
Criticisms and compliments alike, you’ll have to admit that D.L. is a new and ambitious young emcee, and any offering by him is a pleasant departure from the beaten and stale. “Step One” is no different, and serves to be one of the first of his future list of accomplishments. To better follow D.L.’s continuing ascension among the ranks in the game, check out his streaming links, as D.L. drops new music every Friday!
OFFICIAL LINKS: SOUNDCLOUD – INSTAGRAM – TWITTER
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