It’s been about five months since Nigerian-Canadian rapper and songwriter Dax released his hustler’s anthem “40 Days 40 Nights with Nasty C”.
In the time since its release, Dax has ingratiated himself with the South African audience (over one million of the followers on his Facebook page are from SA) and the music video has ticked over 2 million views on YouTube.
Dax returned with a powerful message on his new single “Dear Alcohol”, where he confronts his own demons and sheds light on the dangers of alcohol.
On the single, which was released with a powerful and graphic new video, he admits that there were times in his life when he “got wasted“ because he didn’t want to be alone with himself.
The video sees him lamenting life’s struggles while drowning himself in several bottles of liquor.
“Dear Alcohol is a letter to myself and whoever can relate,” the 27-year-old explains. “I started drinking when I was 17 years old in my basement in Ottawa, Canada by myself. It was before my first house party.
“March 11th is the anniversary. I cracked open a Heineken and started drinking it and immediately got a head rush.
“I was very shy as a kid and didn’t party at all and that night at my first party I was the most social I had ever been.”
Dax spent the next 10 years trying to bridge the gap between the confidence he felt when he drank and his normal self. It then became a way to deal with other emotions.
“The balancing act is a war I know millions will relate to. This song is going to make an impact,” he says.
In just seven days, the video is already sitting on 1.4 million views on YouTube.
A quick glance at the YouTube comments section reveals that the song is already making an impact and sparking a wider conversation around the topic.
“I’m seven days sober today,” reads one of the top comments, now on 10K likes. “It may not seem like much, but from someone who drank everyday for the last 10 years, it’s huge. It’s a battle everyday, but it’s a battle I’ll fight.”
Dax’s most recent album “Pain Paints Paintings” debuted at #3 on the iTunes Hip Hop charts and maintained its place in the top ten for two weeks.
Since its release last year, the album has generated over 13 million collective streams.