They say Arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity and the sad part about arrogance is that not many are self-aware to realize it. Many of us often complain about our parents not treating us as separate individuals, many of us often complain about our better half being very control freak, and being very possessive. The sad part is all these emotions emerge from a place of singularity. At the end of the day, all these are acts of arrogance that stem when the lines get blurred between love and insecurity. Your parent or your partner doesn’t hate you, they just love you so much and hence are scared to lose you which makes them paranoid!
Is this a healthy way of loving someone? It is not and that is exactly what “Boyfriend” by Dino James is all about. The song clearly defines the difference between being in ‘love WITH someone’ and ‘loving someone.’ “Boyfriend” depicts the insecurities and toxicity that an individual can go through when they let their arrogance get mixed with their insecurities and the trauma that ensues. It is a raw, gripping tale of a common emotional turmoil that many relationships go through in one way or the other!
MUSIC
“BOYFRIEND” sees Dino James reunite with his regular collaborator in Bluish Music. While a Dino James – Bluish Music partnership is a certified banger, what adds to the charm is the additional production by Sez! The music has ominous undertones throughout matching Dino’s hard-hitting lyricism effortlessly. The beat starts with a looping humming sample over low-pitched chords. As the story progresses, Bluish introduces a very simple kick, clap, and snare pattern and alternates with these two patterns till the final act. Simple and effective!
The additional sound effect of thunder in regular intervals helped elevate the tone of the song, especially in the final act. The placement of the snare has been as perfect as they come in the song. Finally props to Abhishke Ghatak for the mixing. Both the vocals sounded amazing and clean as a whistle!
LYRICISM
Dino James is often criticized for having simple rhymes and simple lyricism but tell me one thing – how many rappers can communicate a story as Dino does on a song? Creativity is how simply you can communicate a complex idea and Dino shines in this role. Dino follows a verse-bridge-chorus structure in the song until the final act and nails all three parts of the structure. Slick rhymes, impactful bridge, and a catchy hook – trademark Dino!
The final act is undeniably the selling point of the song (marketed by Dino as the most uncomfortable song of DHH) and I agree to an extent with him. For the audience that follows Eminem and Kendrick, “boyfriend” won’t live up to its claims but there is a large audience in our country who don’t follow Western rappers, and what Dino has done with the blunt and realistic depiction deserves props. He deserves credit for trying something new in the scene and opening the gates for more such skit acts in DHH songs!
Special shoutout to Benafsha who nailed the emotions and modulations to T.
