Jez Dior built up considerable buzz early on in his career by releasing tracks that fused electronic, indie, and folk songs with his own signature style of hard-edged hip-hop. Singles like "Candles" and "Dreamcatcher" were an innovative blend of influences, and Jez's ability to inject his own vision into a diverse range of genres not normally associated with rap has built him a reputation that few others can lay claim to. Not content to rest on his laurels, however, he's upped the ante since the release of his freshmen album, Scarlett Sage, and has decided to marry grunge with hip-hop. "Old No. 7" is the second installment in this new musical direction for Jez, and it builds on all of his previous work, but it also completely rewrites the book when it comes to what's possible for a rapper who's not worried about following precedent. The track opens up with a guitar solo, and there's distortion aplenty in the production work, but instead of relying heavily on synthesized sounds and beats, he's used a lot of analog sounds to fill in the sonic backdrop, making the final product refreshingly organic. To cap things off, G-Eazy does his thing on the track, and, as always, knocks it out of the park. If you're getting tired of the worn-out formula for rap music these days, then grab this track and add a little bit of diversity to your collection.
Jez Dior