Dill The Giant: WEED MAN SON

WEED MAN SON

OLIVIA MICHALCZUK

WEED MAN SON is the second album from Dill the Giant, Winnipeg based rap artist and first generation Jamaican-Canadian. Judging by the name of the album, the most glaringly obvious theme is smoking up, and the album doesn’t fall short at every attempt to fulfill its ethos.

“Especially in [the single] ‘Weed Man Son’ we kind of went in on that one, just trying to hit every nook and cranny that we could [...] all kinds of little things, we were trying to, you know, pay homage to being a stoner for sure,” said Dill. “A lot of weed was burnt during those sessions.”

However, to say the album is just a dedication to being a stoner in terms of lyricism is far from the full picture. Beat maker and producer BBS Steve goes hard in producing a sonically immersive experience with reggae beats, stereo sound effects, and expertly timed instrumentals that contributes to the immersive experience of smoking a super dopey indica, the artists’ recommended strain pairing for WEED MAN SON. “I’m from the world of heavy couchlock, indica only bro,” said Dill, followed by an admitant “whatever you smoke, whatever you like, as long as you’re getting high.”

The album takes you along on a trip to Jamaica;

PHOTO: BNB STUDIOS

a trip Dill took to visit with his dad. Each song is bookended with recordings of Dill’s dad, the Weed Man himself, giving sage advice with clinking pipes and bowls, clicking lighters, and big coughs in the background.

“He’s just a very carefree kind of guy, you know like a rasta, like a Jamaican dude, real real down to earth, real chill, real humble, loves life you know?” said Dill.

“Pretty thankful for what he’s got but doesn’t need too much.”

Dill’s dad has been a part of his musical upbringing since he can remember. Some of his earliest musical memories are from preschool age via a mixtape his dad made for him, “just good music from the time, a couple rap songs, a couple Jamaican songs, definitely some oldies that I don’t know, but I respect them” said Dill. The album takes those themes and genres to a new level with a highly recognizable Jamaican influence and culture references as well as samples and found footage.

The voice recordings peppered through the album usually bookend a set of songs and either set up a song or transition from one to the other smoothly. “My dad knows we recorded him for some reason, in regards to the album, but he doesn’t know what yet” said Dill.

“It’s a surprise.”

A highlight example of this is also a major contributing factor to the understanding of the album. At the end of “Coogi Sweater” Dill’s dad says “... your company shows who you are, you see? So you guys have always held it … don’t just hold it, you have things to prove, right?” followed by a skeptical “mhm” as if to mimic the nodding heads that are not fully grasping the nug of wisdom and expression of love being shared.

This transitions to the next song “Going Good FT. EGG,’’ which brings the whole gang back together, “you have things to prove, right?” The local heroes and internationally traveled 3Peat come back for a reunion. BBS, EGG, and Dill the Giant hit hard at their specialties, Dill really digging in to his mellow style while EGG provided his consistently tight style and BBS sets the background right with a proper push and pull with light piano riffs dragged down with deep glass rattling bass hits in all the right places. This is for sure an album highlight.

Dill has been making music for such a long time, “The beginning is really blurry, it’s so far back now,” he said. He started taking music more seriously out of highschool trying to achieve the dream and make it in rap, even when perseverance wavered, he still had a hand in making music in some way. “Linking up everyday, getting in the studio, trying to make records,” he said of his dedication to music.

“The goal was to be where you see your favorite artist and just kind of tour the world and get all those dope accolades. God bless if it comes with a Grammy and like that extra stuff you see on TV or whatever, but we were just going for it, trying to make our way, still going for it trying to make a living off of this thing we do.”

WEED MAN SON is an excellent shot at achieving this goal. Dill the Giant has always rapped with a mellow laid back style, however, WEED MAN SON has allowed him the opportunity to really sink into his signature style with the help of BBS Steve playing with bar shapes and sizes to match with Dill’s loose style. “I’m a chill dude and I’ll always come up with some mellow bars and stuff. I was always that way and I’m developing that in myself more so now” he said.

“I’m finding better ways to bring you my mellow style and and just give my piece of mind in the way I talk, in the way I am, you know what I mean? I don’t really try to do too much extra.”

“Coogi Sweater” flips back and forth between a lazy chorus, you can sing along without barely moving your mouth, to percussional raps expertly playing with the beat and bar lines. An album highlight for any stoner is only realizing that the instrumentals are completely reduced to ambient keys once the beat comes back around for the chorus. Dill admittedly credits a lot of stylistic choices to the skills of his long time collaborator BBS Steve. “It’s insane what he does.”