The NDubz frontman has had his fair share of ups and downs, from reaching heights that most in the scene were unaware was possible, arena tours and plaques, to headlines, court-cases and and a prison stint. In this candid rap, he bares all..
From his NDubz days, through to the Tarzan freestyles, Dappy was no stranger to controversy, a supposed ego could have rubbed people the wrong way, could it have been a result of the superstardom, or possibly an abundance of drugs, the one thing not in question however, is his talent, that remains undeniable. He attempted to vent on No Regrets before the honest offering of Beautiful Me, unfortunately, despite it’s success (and further proof of his ability) it was not enough to make amends entirely. Whilst he faced his demons head on, the industry and the scene itself continued to develop, and upon his return from prison, he took to what he knows best to open up further and shed light on what was really happening.
This introspective cut possesses that same confidence we’re accustomed to, but from a mature and humbled position, that hunger in his voice is replaced with pain, as he begins with, “when I was sky high, not many of you wanted to see me fall, one big ego but I was mentally small, I thought I was the man..telling everybody what to do, when really they were just using me including my skrilla too”, he continues with more humility and understanding, and a sense of fearlessness as he shares more. From tabloid stories being sold, dodgy label deals to the descriptive moment of him losing his father (he’s spoken on it before but not to this level), Dappy intensely flows, reminding us who really opened some of the doors, “Talk about being terrorised..like say I’m gonna fall back, your favourite artist now..started as my support act”, before paying respects to the current leaders of the scene. The narrative of him not looking after himself, putting others first, paranoia and ultimately suffering from the leeches around serves as a foundation as he switches up into his intentions from here on.
I was concerned for his mental wellbeing, as it really can take its toll, but he seems stronger than given credit for, and though we’re yet to see whether he is still facing backlash for use of the N-word or other situations which have occurred in the past, one thing is for certain, if he has learnt from his past and continues to deliver quality content, this honesty is appreciated and he’ll find himself back at the top again for sure.
ONE Fáris 