The contemporary music scene is a manic, continuously changing environment, and not many performers can reflect the path of going viral to being an introspective narrator as well as Dax does. Born Daniel Nwosu Jr. in Wichita, Kansas, Dax, as he is first known, first became known due to his unusual capabilities of combining hip-hop with heartfelt, sometimes conversational, lyrics that would move digital crowds. At the beginning of the career, he served as a cleaning staff during his time at college, and he attributes this time to assist him in honing poetry and rap skills. It is his history of work and self-sufficiency, which he has brought with him since his initial mixtape, 2pac Reincarnation Vol 2: As Told By Dax, into his breakout hits such as She Cheated Again and the platinum-selling song Dear Alcohol.
His most recent single, Man I Used To Be, is a strong, culturally conscious track that seems to be one of the most crucial milestones in the career of Dax. Song, which was recorded in partnership with Nashville-based producer Jimmy Robbins, is an unpolished and naked insight into the personal quest of the artist in sobriety. It took more than a personal commitment to decide that the best way to go was six months of alcohol-free before any new music would be released; it was a statement of artistic seriousness. Dax preferred to focus on his physical and psychological health in an industry where artists are usually expected to deliver content at all times. This self-care is an effective anti-narrative to the unsated claim of the modern music machine and is directly addressed to one of the most pressing modern problems: mental health stigma within the artistic community.
Over the years, the plight of mentally ill/substance abusing musicians has been idealized or denied, and the resulting consequences are usually tragic. Honest, crude comments of Dax in Man I Used To Be help to dismantle that stigma. The words, drawn directly on his own experience, are an ode to the theory that being really strong is not about concealing your suffering, but confronting it, full in the face. According to him, he just wanted to know what he could make in total clarity. This quest to seek authenticity is an effective leadership gesture. It makes the audience want to fight their inner demons and also not to be afraid of being vulnerable. His music turns into a group therapy, a place where people can feel heard and feel understood.
The central message of this song is that you should seek hope in times when you are invisible. The peculiar mix of genres that Dax has been doing for a long time, between hip-hop and conscious rap, on the one hand, and country rap, on the other, made him an outlier. The skill to merge intensely personal subjects with the wide and genre bending appeal has made him have a cult-like following but has also put him in a place beyond the mainstream of the music business. He can hardly be classified and in a sense he has been an outsider watching in although hugely successful with his songs such as dear alcohol and dear god. The song Man I Used To Be is a celebration of all those hours spent in the shadows. It is a hymn of anyone who felt when he was on a lonely dirt road, a strong message that their way is justified and their inconveniences are not invisible. The upcoming Lonely Dirt Road Tour is an appropriate name, as it is a good description of a musician who is blazing his own trail, in his own words.
A new layer to the sound of Dax is the collaboration with Jimmy Robbins. Robbins is a Grammy- and CMA-nominated producer with a history of producing hits in a wide variety of artists, such as Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, and Maren Morris. The hybrid look of his production, such as in Maren Morris on her multi-genre hit, The Bones, gives rise to his skill in combining country, pop, and rock sound with an advanced radio-polish sound. This cooperation introduces an equal amount of professionalism to “Man I Used To Be.” The production of the song is clean and strong, which provides a strong background to emphasize the lyrical depth of Dax and without taking it too far. This tactic indicates the business intelligence of Dax, as well as his desire to become an artist. It is not anyone he is working with but a producer who can enable him to take his crude and unrefined emotions and refine them to a more accessible sound.
The meaning of Man I Used To Be is much deeper than the impressive sound. It is an art work that captures a significant personal change. The lyrics talk about a certain time when the artist used to believe that he had it all but when you are up all you do is fall. It is a harsh admission that fame and success is not the solution to a spiritual emptiness. It is not merely the process of quitting an evil habit but rather the process of discovering a more intrinsic meaning and value to yourself. Dax is offering a strong example by exposing his challenges in such a manner. He is demonstrating to his audience that it can be possible to make your way through the mess of life–and the music industry–and remain true to your values. It is not merely music to the people, it is a message to the people; it has been smithed in the blaze of personal experience and presented with that assurance of the man who has himself discovered himself. The song itself can be seen as a hope and an encouraging glimpse at the process of art at its purest.
