“Emoji” (feat. Black Rose) by Alex DuttyWhen it comes to making hip-hop that isn

It’s all about the tired stereotypes that have driven so many of its most ardent supporters away from the genre, few do it better than Mr. Alex Dutty does. Dutty has been cutting some really spellbinding music in the last few years, and in his most recent effort “Emoji” (featuring none other than Black Rose), he expands on a fluid style of rhyming introduced to us in previous releases by incorporating additional elements of instrumentation into the fabric of his sound, rendering what can only be described as a new strain of alternative hip-hop that is as rooted in surreal postmodernism as it is an old school bass and drum grind. With Black Rose by his side to texturize the lyrics in the song, Dutty tears through the rhythm of the track with a swagger that is unlike anything we’ve heard from him before, and though he’s faced a lot of strife and struggle in his life, this rapper is proving to be one of the most confident and charismatic performers of his currently-exploding scene.

Produced with an exquisite attention to detail that, in my opinion, is almost unrivaled in his corner of the industry, Alex Dutty ensures that every intricate facet within the tonality of the music is given VIP treatment behind the soundboard in this song. Every part of the mix is contributing to the larger narrative in “Emoji,” starting with the soothing radiance of the piano melody chasing the bassline in the background. It helps to keep the intensity in Dutty’s rhymes firing on all cylinders by breaking down some of the ominousness in the beats, but moreover, it adds a layer of melancholic undertow to the mood in the lyrics that wouldn’t be there otherwise. When Black Rose takes over the lead vocal duties, the bass is toned down a bit, and the space that it leaves behind in the master mix is quickly filled by Rose’s exotic serenade which, to be frank, is as much of a reason to pick up “Emoji” as Alex Dutty’s rapping is.

If you’ve yet to hear the music of Alex Dutty, this single is an optimal way to familiarize yourself with his skillset and the enthralling charm that he tends to unleash in every track that he shares with the public. I’ve been keeping a close eye on his career for a minute now, and I must say that, while I was expecting a lot out of this song and its lyric video, I never anticipated being as enamored by the awesomely stylized cosmetics of either as I was. The video for “Emoji” is, much like the single itself, a kaleidoscopic mind-bender that focuses on the might of its melodies more than anything else. Dutty has yet to submit anything of a subpar quality to the critics and audiences who follow his music, and with “Emoji,” he takes his ever-evolving sound to a new level of engagement that, personally, I cannot wait to hear a lot more of in the future.

DEEZER: https://www.deezer.com/us/track/533836472?autoplay=true

Mindy McCall