Dizzy D

It's the return of the Huntsvillain!
Alabama rapper Dizzy D is back with a strong pack of some Pine Grove, something to keep your car fresh, something to hide that springtime loud. It's been about a year and a half since we heard a full-length from Dizzy D, when The Huntsvillain 2 blessed us back in the fall of 2013.
Mishka Records Presents: Dizzy D's Pine Grove (@DizzyD256)
By neonpajamas, 03/23/2015 - 12:00pm

It's the return of the Huntsvillain!

Alabama rapper Dizzy D is back with a strong pack of some Pine Grove, something to keep your car fresh, something to hide that springtime loud. It's been about a year and a half since we heard a full-length from Dizzy D, when The Huntsvillain 2 blessed us back in the fall of 2013.

Since his last release, the Hunstville star has been finishing school as well as working on Pine Grove, a strong southern monument that is really well mixed, really well produced, and tells numerous stories about rising, about struggle, about relaxing on a rare day off. A large chunk of the production is handled by Dizzy D (who produced four of the tracks) and Block Beattaz (who produced three tracks and also mixed "Burn it Down" and "Dolla$ & Sense). BK Beats, Clever Tom and more also assist with production. The strings on “Voices” (which is produced by Necedah) sounds like some early Organized Noise while “We On” (produced by Dizzy D) samples a famous video game and makes it slick. Despite being full of different sounds and styles, it all flows really well. Again, great mixing.

Listen closely and you might hear samples of both Cruisin' USA and Grizzly Bear on this seventeen track southern monster. While you stream the new Dizzy D album, read a brief interview below with the man himself, speaking on everything from Pine Grove's feel to future plans. - Mishka Bloglin, Neon Pajamas

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The mercury has fallen and windows frosted, but that hasn't deterred hip-hop artist Dizzy D from releasing his summery, back-in-the-day jam "My Gang" as a single.

The track, from Dizzy D's forthcoming "Pine Grove" album, also features Harlem, N. Y. duo Swag Toof, which includes Ouija Macc and Choirboy, with Quija singing the Auto-Tune-d, earworm-in-the-making hook.

You can stream the "My Gang" online at soundcloud.com/dizzyd256.

"I made the beat and was kind of sitting on it for a while," Dizzy D, aka Derrick Pelt, says. An information systems major at UAH, he's just left his computer forensics class when called for this phone interview. "I sent the beat to (Swag Toof) and they put the hook and their verses on it and I was really feeling it. They were just talking about their family and kids and getting married. Nobody really raps about this stuff, you know? But I feel like it's something everybody goes through. I just had a daughter myself so I was like, 'Yeah, this is the kind of stuff I want to rap about.' It was just a really cool collaboration."

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Half the music video for "My Gang" was shot in New York (the graffiti and street-scape scenes) and half was shot in the Huntsville area (ski boat and green field backdrops). Asked what made him want to work with Swag Toof, Dizzy D says, "I'd heard a couple of their albums through some friends and I really liked the sound and their music. And they kind of had a mutual respect for me too."

2015

Dizzy D, whose performed as an opening act for artists including Yelawolf and Riff Raff, plans to drop his "Pine Grove" LP in early 2015, possibly in February or March. Formerly a member of the duo Betta Half, his previous solo albums include "Elevation" and 2012's "Moonshine & Kool-Aid." "We live in Alabama and you're going to run into some moonshine around here," Dizzy D says of the latter title. "('Moonshine & Kool-Aid') kind of represented who I am because I'm from the country, I drink moonshine, but I still have some street in me and that's the Kool-Aid part. In the 'hood you'll find a bunch of pitchers of Kool-Aid in the refrigerators."

2

In addition to his solo albums, recent years have seen Dizzy D release a mixtape series called "The Huntsvillian." "It's kind of like an alter-ego type thing. 'The Huntsvillian' mixtapes, it's more party-type music, just have fun music," Dizzy D says. "I feel like with my albums have more range to them. It could be a slow song or something that's real. More complete."

Three 6

"Pine Grove" gets its name from the Harvest street Dizzy D grew up on, and after living elsewhere and an Army stine serving in Iraq, the street he returned to and resides once a again. "This is where I'm from and this is where I'm making the album," Dizzy D says. The album includes features from Pastor Troy (the police brutality addressing track "Burn It Down") and Three 6 Mafia's T. Rock ("Dollas & Cents"). - Matt Wake, Huntsville Times

"It's not an anti-police song," Dizzy D says of his track "Burn It Down." "We're trying to stand up for ourselves, as a people. I wrote the song about a week after the whole Mike Brown incident happened."

A Harvest-based rapper, Dizzy D recorded "Burn It Down" with Atlanta MC Pastor Troy as a response to police brutality. The song mentions Brown, the 18-year-old who died in August after being shot by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, by name. But of course Dizzy D had no idea Brown's stepfather Louis Head would later be infamously recorded on video calling out to a Ferguson crowd, "Burn this b---- down," following the controversial Nov. 25 grand jury decision not to indict Wilson in Brown's shooting death.

"Burn It Down" is among the 15 or so tracks slated for inclusion on Dizzy D's "Pine Grove" album, due around March. Other tunes include the summery single "My Gang" and the upfront-females-toasting "Lay It Down." Aka Derrick Pelt, Dizzy D has been working with Mali of Huntsville production collective Block Beattaz on "Pine Grove," drawing inspiration from artists such as Tupac Shakur, DMX, Nas, Eminem, and Three 6 Mafia. "I really like artists you make music you can feel," he says. "Someone who can just get on a track and let everything out, even their deepest darkest stuff. I've been rapping since '06 and I feel like this album is the accumulation of everything - a well-rounded album you can just push play and let it ride out, you know?" - Matt Wake, Huntsville Times

Of all the local scenes to make a resurgence in the digital age (Chicago drill, cloudy Bay area), the one with the most cohesion is, defying all expectation, Huntsville. Two or three years ago the now-defunct G-Side made their appearance, and since then artists like Jackie Chain have proven that it’s more than just a one-band phenomenon. That unity can be traced to the Block Beattaz, producers that have defined the ‘Huntsville sound’ and assembled all this new talent under the umbrella of Slow Motion Soundz.

Perhaps the next local rapper to get a major label’s attention will be Dizzy D, who’s been putting out music since around 2006. Late last year he released his fourth LP over bandcamp, the distinctively titled Moonshine & Kool-Aid. He’s enlisted plenty of other fixtures, not only of Huntsville’s rap scene (Supa and Joeybagadonuts of Sortahuman, Yung Tatt), but also California artists gaining recognition like Shady Blaze and Himself the Majestic. This ability to reach out across local boundaries is both admirable and characteristic of the milieu Dizzy’s mixtapes fall into, occupied by the likes of Deniro Farrar and the aforementioned artists.

There’s not too much to say about Dizzy’s raps, they’re largely clean, well-flowed, concerning money and drugs. But Dizzy D’s native wit comes through on weird but awesome songs like ‘Come Home Wit Me’, which sees him rattling off every cheesy pickup line in existence. The goofiness continues on the next track ‘Candy Rain’, where Dizzy raps about dreaming of sour diesel. Clearly, the tape doesn’t take itself too seriously, as can be seen by the album cover, inspired by Pen-N-Pixel’s campy over-the-topness. Dizzy D also produces most of the album, which always greatly increases my respect for the artist and helps the tape flow better. Aside from him, we get the expected Block Beattaz, as well as one track by Shawn Kemp/Lil Ugly Mane. The beats are spaced out and spooky, somehow fitting for a weird little enclave of the south. Strangely, the tape’s title track comes last, and Dizzy becomes the most openly confessional. Moonshine & Kool-Aid is solid, unpretentious music, the kind that’s been integral to Huntsville’s newfound success. - Mishka Bloglin, King James

"Dizzy D, who is different from Deezy D — if you're on Tumblr all the time, it would be easy to confuse the two — is from Huntsville, Alabama, and is, or was, part of Betta Half, one of those pre-blog-interest Hunts Vegas groups like PRG'z who have too many songs that could've and should've been regional hits. But he might as well be from Internets, USA. A low-budget Zapp-ish, computer-funk beat stutters in concert with a la-la-la-la-la-la sample of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" giving this stunting, D4L-ian, rave-hopper some unnecessary elegance. And if Gucci Mane's Trap God was something of a disappointment for you, then Dizzy does some Gucci-esque loopy lyricism: "Corners I'm bending like a knee or an elbow / Smoking like a train when it's coming down the railroad / Strike a pose, put the photo in the frame / Hang it on the wall for the realest in the game." From Dizzy's mixtape, Moonshine & Kool Aid." - SPIN Magazine, Brandon Soderberg

"Aww yeah! New 20 track gem from Huntsville's finest. Drink up! It's MOONSHINE + KOOL-AID. If you sleepin' on DIZZY D, wake the fuck up, Son! Tasty jams here, and no nasty hangover. Look for Jhi Ali, Yung Tatt, Supa Sortahuman, Himself The Majestic, Kite, Stash Marina, A.D.B., Joey Bagadonuts and Shady Blaze with production from Dizzy D, Koursky Lion, Block Beattaz, Cold Casey, Shawn Kemp, Robby D & Party Trash. As always, Dizzy got flow for weeks, however I am most impressed by D's steadily evolving production on 9 of these stellar tracks. All-Star line-up here. The only thing missing is an Eyes and Teeth track! Cop this pronto and support True Underground Art! At a mere 5 bones, this is a goddamn steal! While you're at it, pick up one of these fresh-to-death T-shirts." - Beats and Blood

"The video above is the single for the album streaming below, Dizzy D’s Moonshine & Kool?-?Aid. The album sports an interesting line up of features – PRGz commingle with Supasortahuman, Shady Blaze and Himself The Majestic, while on the production side Block Beattaz share duties with Dizzy D himself along with Shawn Kemp and Party Trash. But despite the disparate natures of some of the contributors it all gels together pretty well, there is some really good stuff on here." - Steady Blogglin'

" The start of each month this year has steadily held excitement for me thanks to Zachg and Rad Reef. The newest release is Abominable Flowmans, another of Zachg's collaboration EPs; this time with Huntsville rapper/producer Dizzy D. Both rap on each of the EP's four tracks, with Zachg helming production on tracks one and four while Dizzy D handle the beats on two and three. Both are spot on throughout with their production, and the two actually seem to have a natural chemistry on the verses. Dizzy's flows have a hard hustle about them while Zachg swings far south with an all over the place flow that matches perfectly to every beat on the tracks. The combination creates an EP for lovers of any southern rap genre." - Decoder Magazine, Jheri Evans

"Huntsville’s own Dizzy D calls for another well-known Huntsvillain to assist him in a caper, SMS‘ own Zilla. Big beat provided by Bossman of the Block Beattaz. This is a bonus off of D’s The Huntsvillain." - Purple Tape Pedigree, Greng Grizzly

Dizzy D’s presence on songs is impressive. His flow is rock solid always and his voice is strong, clear super confident. I don’t know how long D has been rapping, but he seems like a veteran on this tape, like someone who has really perfected the craft. Lyrically, Dizzy is great, too. He isn’t just a rapper, though. He produces as well. His beats are actually my favorite production on this mixtape. All the producers made good beats that fit Dizzy’s flows well, but his personal beats are definitely the strangest and most ear-catching. The four he produced on the mixtape all sound like the alien South. Like if on an alternate Earth’s alternate America’s alternate South that’s what beats sound like. The sounds are laser-y and kind of psychedelic. But, his beats aren’t so experimental they don’t knock or aren’t recognizable as southern hip hop.

Dizzy D’s homie Supa from Sortahuman appears on “Da Hangover” and that’s definitely my favorite song on the tape. Both Dizzy and Supa begin their verses like typical party rap “let’s get drunk!” But, then their stories evolve into the downside of being drunk: throwing up, getting hungover, etc. When Supa says “When I wake up go outside damn the sunlight hurts my eyes…my head hurtin and my lips feelin chapped” it’s great. Those are the excellent details that make this tape. Dizzy and Supa keep it light, though. At the end of the song they aren’t worrisome about too much drinking, they laugh it off in a skit. Keeping it light is important because otherwise it might’ve come off preachy.

A lot of this album reminds me of older, Inspiration era Young Jeezy or Jazze Pha’s production back in 2005 or ’06. Huntsvillain’s last track, the triumphant and anthemic “It’s a Wrap“ especially. I used to bump Jeezy’s The Inspiration all the time mostly for it’s super inventive beats and triumphant yelling from Jeezy. Jazze Pha had some production ahead of his time, too. Especially the stuff he made for a couple R&B songs like Ciara’s “Oh.” I’m not sure why that sound vanished. But, Dizzy D and Sortahuman are bringing that deep space synth sound back. Dizzy and his team are keeping their sound futuristic, too. Even though Huntsvillain sounds like southern rap I’ve heard in the past, it by no means sounds like a throwback or like the music is played out. Dizzy D is definitely aiming to push things forward. - Mishka Bloglin, Nick Vogt

"Here's another exclusive for y'all the eagerly anticipated mixtape from Huntsville, Alabama's Dizzy D The Huntsvillain. Mixed by Sergio Vega, hosted by Kat Daddy Slim and presented by our very own Baller's Eve, The Huntsvillain features production work from Yung Jones, DJ Rich, BLOWN, and Robbie D as well as guest spots from CRIM!, Yung Tatt, Jhi Ali, P-Laya, and Shady Blaze. So, yeah, this thing smokes and is well worth the wait. Download The Huntsvillain below via the Bandcamp widget and be sure to follow Dizzy D on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with one of the dirty south's finest. " - Rap Basement

"Baller’s Eve presents Dizzy D’s (member of the Huntsville group, Betta Half) latest solo tape, The Huntsvillian. Mixed by Sergio Vega and hosted by Kat Daddy Slim." - Dirty Glove Bastard

"God damn, “Fast Track” with Shady Blaze is unreal. “Tear It Up” with Jhi Ali is probably my early favorite though. Dizzy is good at rap-making. Thanks Baller’s Eve!" - Steady Bloggin'

"Here’s another exclusive for y’all—the eagerly anticipated mixtape from Huntsville, Alabama’s Dizzy D—The Huntsvillain. Mixed by Sergio Vega, hosted by Kat Daddy Slim and presented by our very own Baller’s Eve, The Huntsvillain features production work from Yung Jones, DJ Rich, BLOWN, and Robbie D as well as guest spots from CRIM!, Yung Tatt, Jhi Ali, P-Laya, and Shady Blaze. So, yeah, this thing smokes and is well worth the wait. Download The Huntsvillain below via the Bandcamp widget and be sure to follow Dizzy D on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with one of the dirty south’s finest. " - East Village Radio

"TOP 40 Rap Album, EPs & Mixtapes Oct 2011"

#3 - Flava of the Month

"Wet. ‘Bama boyz Dizzy D, Young Tatt and Supa (SortaHuman) praising them substances that keep a zaggin lean’t. Off Dizzy D’s (name yr price) album ELEVATION. B x 2." - Blam Blam Fever