Defiant Darius - Southern Hustler (EP)

Who else is really keeping that Dirty South sound alive other than Defiant Darius & what better way to further emphasize that than with his latest EP, rightfully titled as well. His previous EP “2 Defiant” marked not only a shift in his career but a growth in his sound & “Southern Hustler” continues to expand upon that, opening up with the high energy banger “Bentley Truck” & you can already see the Karens & Kyle’s of the world shaking their head & filing noise complaints as Darius cruises down their neighborhood, blaring this out his subwoofers & leaving so many blocks jumping that many residents have begun saying “this neighborhood is going to shit.” But they won’t have much to say once he pulls up with “toting that big K”, once they see that then they realize that oh, he’s just giving back to his community, how nice. It makes the follow up record “Don’t Say Shit” all the more potent like what happened, keep that same energy. Remember when your mom told you “if you don’t have nothing nice to say then don’t say nothing.”, well she wasn’t lying about that age old adage, she was warning you that there’s people like Darius in this world that aren’t gonna stand for that shit, no matter who it’s coming from, especially some punk ass industry cats. Hip Hop & Rap is the one genre of music where fugaziness is so prevalent that it isn’t that hard to separate the real from the fake & if the fake were wise enough, they wouldn’t be running their mouth. It’s been a dream of mine personally to walk in on someone in the act of talking shit, thinking they’re doing it behind my back but then I just show up in front of them. The day that happens, I expect this song to be playing in the background.

Again, I can’t emphasize enough how much Darius is keeping that timeless Dirty South sound alive & another fine example of that is “Fed Up”, which I know full well ya’ll immediately caught that sample. “Give Me That” by fucking Webbie & Bun B? Beautiful flip on that classic but it still feels like his own record, which is usually my gripe with more of our modern samples, as they sound way too close to the original. On this record, he keeps that same gangsta energy but adds a bit of a storytelling element to it & the conviction to which he tells it, tells me that this is spoken from personal experience & frankly, I don’t feel bad for whoever double crossed him. Either that or he’s speaking from the perspective of the killer, either way, the message is received & if it isn’t, the bullets surely will.

I was hoping Darius would give us that record for the ladies as well & again with the classic R&B sample, y’all know damn well that’s Jodeci & damn well the girls are swooning to this one, fainting at the sound of his soft voice. Ain’t it funny how some of the hardest individuals can make records like this? I love it, it’s the perfect mixture of street & sensual. “Talk to Me” is definitely one of them ones & an excellent homage to the legendary group. We then bleed into “Money Moves”, which is not only infectious, I mean that damn hook like sang that shit Darius but this is grown man music right here, for the hardworking people who are struggling to make ends meet, struggling to even make it through the week, to their next paycheck & the spill throughout is just so real, as Darius knows the experience all too well. It’s a very encouraging & inspirational record that’ll motivate anybody to maintain their determination that they too can make it out of their situation & strive for more, for better. They always say, save the best for the last & that he does with this closing track “Life I Lead”, a poignant & vulnerable number which finds Darius baring his heart & soul, pleading with God to watch over him as he maneuvers life & all its hardships. The anguish & defeat in his voice as he questions what exactly God is trying to teach him is enough to make any grown man fall to their knees, eyes swelling with tears but even through all of this, his faith never once sounds like it’s faltering, at the very least glitching, but never fading & it’s a gorgeous way to close out this latest installment of his. Be sure to peep his latest drop as well “In My Slab”, as it’s the first taste of his next EP cause this man is not slowing down. The work ethic is impeccable & keep in mind as well that there’s plenty of music videos to some of these cuts as well that only add to his ever growing status.