Dice Vibe – “Hold On” : Not giving up amidst pressure

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Dice Vibe, an emerging artist, released a lush single, “Hold On,” in 2024, for fans to become more engaged with his sound and to show how versatile an artist he was in his bid to take the Nigerian music scene with aplomb. Blessed with a smooth vocal that creates melody effortlessly and backed by appealing production that blends in gracefully, Dice Vibe’s artistry knows no bounds, as he continues putting out songs that listeners will enjoy and remember for years to come.

What makes Dice Vibe’s musical style different from other singers is his preference for slow-tempo R&B sound that enables his lyrics to flow smoothly while delivering his raw emotions in the exact way he intends his fans to feel it. He takes his listeners through varying degrees of emotion and themes, which can include love, struggle, and not giving up, etc. By doing these, he expresses personal truth in the hope that someone will find meaning and connect it to their own experiences.

This is clear in “Hold On.” Dice Vibe starts the song with soft sounds and light drums which brings in his emotional voice. He says, “Too many reasons I dey like to dey roll up / the hustle strong, the muscle many too tough.” Here, the artist is in a contemplative state. He is aware of the constant need to wake up and hustle hard everyday. To him, this takes a lot of energy, and it is a tough endeavor to embark on. This leads the artist to take inspiration from smoking in order to keep showing up for the grind.

Dice Vibe takes the lyrics further. He makes sure that in spite of the struggles of hustling hard, he does not lose sight of the existence of God, because in the midst of chasing money, he does not wants to end up being locked behind bars: “But me I dey hold God /Make I no put myself for handcuff.” He then reiterates how he wants to feel In the moment, ” I want to feel good tonight/ Queue worries one side/ make my ship no go capsize/ So I dey hold on tight/ Say I dey hold on tight/ say I dey hold God tight.” The artist does not only want to feel happy for the night, he wants to forget his problems so that he won’t crash from them. For this reason, Dice Vibe keeps giving it all it takes while also holding steadfastly to God for his mercies.

The song then steps up a notch with racy, chest thumping percussion aided by Dice Vibe’s fast delivery. This sound is still subtle and slow-tempo, as it gives off a calm and airy feel that makes it appealing for the ears. In the tune, the singer asks a pertinent question that interrogate rather than provide answer of its own. He says, “What do I have to do/ When all the whole world dey vex on you/ He dey come be like na movies too/ You dey try act like scooby doo/ Try to fix all of the clues/ Sometimes he no dey cool/ gats to do what you gats to do.”

Here, The artist is aware of a world that is not at peace with him, and this feels so unreal to him. He acts like someone who has no clue of what’s going on, but still tries to rectify clues he is unaware of. With this, he is of the opinion that these things are not okay sometimes; however, you must not be limited by these situations or events.

“Hold On” by Dice Vibe is a well-crafted song that borders on R&B sensibilities. The artist’s vocal dexterity aligns in sync with the sonic elements, thereby creating a sound that is both natural and organic in sequence. The themes are familiar to listeners, and the message is one that everyone is aware of. In the midst of uncertainties and struggles, it is important to hold on tight. But we should not just hold on to anything, except God.