When the music industry gave way to a bright and dotting Dice Ailes in 2014, a lot of expectations were set in stone, literally, and this was primarily because of the prospect he showed but then again, we recall that his unveiling came from Africa’s biggest record label platform at the time, the Chocolate City Music.
By the year 2016, Dice Ailes had become a conversation point amongst industry circles. He had delivered one of the country’s smash hits “Miracle,” and secured his first big award nomination as rookie artiste of the year on The Headies platform. Miracle was about the fourth music instalment since debuting with “Telephone” and even so, his multi-versed ability was now really beaming through. It was quite unusual to find any newcomer who was rapping, singing and trapping all at the same time, and with successful measure while at it. This made it incredibly hard to put him in a box.
As the Afrobeats sound continued to rife with industry players and their sub-genres, Dice was busy perfecting his genre fusions. As much as his sound was hip-hop, it was also trap, however bodying influences from Afro, R&B, pop, even the Banku sound – and for everytime he performed a titration of these musical elements, we had a music hit in the bag.
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For Dice, music has always been the lifestyle, and this is an experience that culminates from his multicultural ties as a Ghanaian and Nigerian. In his words;
“I spent more of my formative years growing up in Nigeria. However, with coming of age and being able to own my choices, I decided that I must reconnect with my Ghanaian roots. Already I had attended high schools in Nigeria and Ghana but it wasn’t until those holiday breaks which I spent away from college in Canada that I really got drawn to the Gold coast. I would travel to the Volta region where my mum is from, visit places, observe the culture and just be inspired to make cool music.”
By the time Dice Ailes released “Otedola” in 2017, he had successfully forged an alliance with his Ghanaian people and culture. This further yielded a Ghanaian remix of the chart-topping hit and also catalyzed a working relationship with music stars Kwesi Arthur, Medikal and Vision DJ just to name a few.
Dice Ailes just knows how to make everything look cool hence his nickname ‘Waterman’. From how his songs sound to how he looks in his music videos and the lifestyle he portrays both on and off social media, this ‘coolness’ has become the focus for what drives and guides his music brand. He says;
“Being exceptional at whatever it is you’re doing will definitely get you noticed. For me, it was the simple fact that I had a good taste in things generally. I never compromised on standard. And with the music I make, I just wanted everyone to aspire for that. I want people to be inspired to dream, to hustle, to wanna own the coolest things and just live the good life.”
It is therefore not surprising that his forthcoming single, Money Dance embodies this idea and he wants to spread this confidence to his fans by giving them his best.
“I feel like I’m done experimenting with the brand and I’m now ready to go. The fans deserve the best of Dice and that’s exactly what they are going to get from now on.”
Dice Ailes has signed with Sony Music Entertainment West Africa and the company has confirmed Friday the 29th as the release date for the new single.
