In today’s age, technology has flooded our lives with content. Caught in the mire are modern musicians who champion an art form more widely distributed than any other throughout human history. And we, more often than not, overlook the music created by unfamiliar faces because it’s challenging. We’d rather have an easy listen, a known quantity to skim through while we think about something else.
Hearing is easy, but listening is difficult. Welcome to “Why We Like It,” where we rebuke the trends in favor of thoughtful analysis and underknown sounds.
“Rest” — Diz
Listen On:
How We Found It
Diz joins the Why We Like It series via forwarded email submission. The Boston-based MC takes inspiration from the new wave of avant-garde jazz-rap and has two albums to his name. All In Due Time is his latest and was released earlier in 2021 while Black Water was the name of his 2020 effort.
Why We Like It
I always saw my bed as my sanctuary. It represents my right to solitude and protection from the unrelenting weight of the awoken world. Throwing off those covers only invites various monkeys to take residence on my back, the fear associated with my career, age, money, ambitions, relationships taking their toll on my spine. On “Rest,” Diz attempts to battle through his problems and discovers the exhaustion that comes with a fight he may never win.
Sweet vocals and soft instruments are chopped and pieced together to form the beat, causing the song to play like a disturbed dream. Fragments of Diz’s reverie follow him as he launches into a tirade mourning childhood trauma, wasted potential and his perceived weak mind state. Diz arriving at the conclusion that “all I need is rest” is a heartbreaking truth to accept. Carrying your own weight traps you in a loop of perpetually needing more rest, more strength, more time to regroup, but our problems are unrelenting. When the only sanctuary you have isn’t enough, where do you go?
From Diz
Ryan: How do you see the need for rest? As an escape from problems or as a reset to help you face them?
Diz: I see it as more of a reset. The song is about my home life as a kid. It wasn’t the safest for me, and that experience has led to more and more baggage I’ve had to carry so I just need a break and to start fresh, so I guess in a way it’s both.
More From Diz
Both of Diz’s previous albums are short and sweet listens, All In Due Time clocking in at 13 minutes while Black Water extends to 20. Stay up to date with Diz’s releases by following him on Twitter and Instagram.
More to Discover
Subscribe to the CentralSauce mailing list so you never miss out on the freshest sauce. Check out this continuously updated playlist of songs Ryan has added to our Discovery section! Each track or artist has been featured in our “Why We Like It” section, so be sure to check out the page here on the site.
'