Dice Raw

he one and only Dice Raw (fans of The Roots–and tuff verses generally–already know) has returned with a brand new single, the wrenching “Trouble,” which features both him and Tiani Victoria winding melodies over a somber, rain-soaked piano march. In just a few short minutes, the track captures the sense of struggle an artist feels while on the road, tempted by substances and haunted by the ever-fading memories of the loved ones left behind at home for the sake of stages, lights and crowds. A true duet, “Trouble” takes listeners on a deep trip through the iniquities of modern America, showcasing overcrowded prisons, crooked legal systems and, most of all, the disconnect between African American sons and their fathers. It’s all part of a whole that Raw has been working on–a project that has given birth to the new hip-hop musical The Last Jimmy. A story of wrongful imprisonment and the social cycles that keep erasing black men from society, the story is a deeply moving piece of work. Dice himself stars, and “Trouble” serves as its introductory theme. Listen to the new single’s world premiere below, and then catch a clip of The Last Jimmy below. Dice Raw’s been putting in as much work as ever; what a lucky group of listeners we are.