Daniel Nwosu Jr. alias Dax is a rapper, singer and songwriter based in Canada.  His journey with rap started with writing poetry and motivational speaking and he is best known for his viral music video “Cash Me Outside”. He has been releasing his own music on SoundCloud since 2017 and has built up an extensive discography over the last 6 years. His latest single “Dear Alcohol – Mega Mix” is a 10-minute track featuring eleven fellow artists and their letters to alcohol.

“Dear Alcohol” keeps it instrumentally simple with a smooth sample, synth heavy keys and airy-background vocals. The percussion is bass heavy yet not intense.  The effects of alcoholism on mental health, physical health, family and relationships are explored while also addressing how one ends up in the condition. Alcoholism is serious concern and it was refreshing to see each artist speak about the power alcohol has on them from a different and personal lens.

The track does come off as corny or disingenuous at times when the vocals go over the top. And although the chorus demarcates one artist’s performance from another, I wished it didn’t repeat itself multiple times. Altus’ country-like vocal performance and Kelsie Watts’ smooth and exceptionally large vocal range is put on display while Carly Pearl’s twinge and Ello’s pop vocals keep the song alive. Skydxddy shows her more emotional side and Trippz comes in with a roughness to his voice. Kayla Rae is really soothing while Troy takes the more high-pitched route. The track moves towards more rap-sections towards the end with KC-Makesmusic and Official DJ Aaron’s great flows.

I enjoyed the collaborative effort of the track which is rare to see in the current music ecosystem. It was interesting to witness Dax serve as the foundation for the artists to come together and speak about their interpretations of being out of control with alcohol consumption.