After his wildly successful collaboration with G-Eazy last month, Jez Dior is back again with a new single that takes his grunge-rap moniker in a new direction where the sounds are much slower, and the production work is way more subtle. “Kings/1ØØ” is the title of the work, and though it doesn’t ever really open up or pick up speed after the opening chords get paired up with a melancholy drum beat, the track will blow you away with its attention to detail and the finessed layering of a whole host of ghostly textures that turn it into a brooding ballad filled with more than its fair share of brilliant moments. Danny Score, Jez’s producer, has really hit his stride with one, and Dior and Olivver’s vocals are on point, fitting especially well with the type of music. After the Release of his first album, Scarle†† Sage, Jez has been trickle-feeding listeners his new artistic direction, and it’s safe to say that songs like “Old No. 7″ and “Kings/1ØØ” represent a brand-new style of music for the LA-based artist. Yes, Jez is still very much a rapper, but he’s also folded in a whole host of other sonic elements into his wheelhouse as of late, and the new, very dynamic music that’s been coming out as a result speaks volumes to the benefits experimentation can afford an artist if handled correctly. “Kings/1ØØ” may not have been the track you saw coming if you’re more familiar with his early work, but don’t for a second think you’re going to be disappointed when you hear it, because this is the kind of stuff that long and successful music careers are made of.
Jez Dior