Mixtape Review: Playboy Dex V-Day Drop

by Simmy

Dexter Kelly is an artist based out of Los Angeles, putting out music that finds its home within the R&B and Hip-Hop space. Having his previous EP Thanks to you already under his belt, his new mixtape Playboy Dex offers a new perspective on his own love escapades over heavier hitting instrumentation. Playboy Dex has a sound that feels like a natural progression from his previous work, with instrumentation given room to breathe and his lyrics blending right in, this is a sound he finds himself comfortable in.

Starting off with 3 AM, you are presented with soft keys to start the song and met with warm vocals bringing you back into Dexter Kelly’s musical universe. Where love songs centered around yearning and lust are laid over warm 808s, sampled vocals and light synthesized sounds. The momentum is carried into the second song of the mixtape Wait for me which showcases his melodic range over west coast inspired percussion and bass lines. Coming in at two minutes and twenty-six seconds, it’s a song that is gone before you know it but leaves a sweet after taste that pulls you back in for another listen.

These first two songs set the stage for what is to come throughout the mixtape, with roughly thirty minutes of music, it manages to show the range that he can offer while keeping it short and sweet. Grown Woman is a favorite song of mine from the tape. I find that it really focuses in on the artist himself while also showcasing his skills with crafting a catchy chorus along with verses that capture that relaxed but slightly pressed feeling you have yearning for a person who caught your eye. All in all, this mixtape offers a look into Dexter Kelly’s world of love and has left me eager to see what is in store for his next body of work.