July 14, 2022, will mark the six-hundred and sixty-six devilishly-monotonous days that have passed since one of the most innovative and sneakily influential artists (yet still disturbingly uncredited) has released any new music. However, the wait is almost over, and after much anticipation from his dedicated fanbase, a new single titled "evolian god form" will be dropping on all streaming platforms on the 14th.
Rozz Dyliams is a multi-faceted artist who is known for his unique musical versatility and for his early involvement with Team SESH. In 2015, Dyliams released a genre-defying and critically acclaimed album, Galeforce Beach, which featured a sonically colorful pallet of bass-bumpin' hip-hop, dreamy-sad-boy-cloud-rap, pop, AND even a perfectly executed, yet slept-on masterpiece called "Swept" (Which sounds like its a hit straight of the 80s). While many know Rozz for his collaborations with Team SESH, or for his appearance on a SuicideBoys track called "HANDZUM $uicide"... The truth is there is far more to the Ohio-born artist than many people may know. Rozz Dyliams heavily influenced the music of Lil Peep, XXX Tentacion, as well as many other "cloud rap", "emo", and neo-gothic artists.
The Apotheosis of Rozz Dyliams Discography
Rozz Dyliams began making music in 2010. Some early records were "Castle of Depression", "House of Drip" and "Killer With A Crooked Jaw" - All of which were leading up to his masterpiece Galeforce Beach, as well as another fan-favorite album called Sapio Stare, where Dyliams truly demonstrates his versatility and tonal depth. While only a handful of Rozz's albums and singles can be accessed on all major streaming platforms, the amount of music that Dyliams has in his archive and that he's put out over the last 12 years is remarkable and truly shows his dedication to production and artistry. in 2018 Rozz Dyliams released Epiphania, and more recently in 2020, a somber, spoken-word-styled literary masterpiece titled Tardive Dyskinesia. Then after a long period of elusiveness and inactivity, Dyliams is finally returning to add another record to his discography. On June 26th, 2022, Rozz Dyliams posted a photo on his Instagram of cover art for his new release "evolian god form", with the caption reading 7-14-2022
So out from beneath the underground, the anti-iconic suddenly emerged, which brings us to all we know about Dyliams' current and future plans for releasing music; and fans are more eager than ever to hear this new single and are hoping that this is not the last they will hear of the artist who's appearances have been like an apparition who sometimes walks the night, but disappears by dawn.
The Impact and Influence of Rozz Dyliams Music
If you're a fan of Lil Peep, you may know that Rozz Dyliams produced some of his music such as the track called "Ghost Boy". - Some fans claim you can specifically hear the influence Dyliams had on Peep in his track called "Feelz" (see this Reddit post where fans discuss) - However, the amount of artistic inspiration and influence that Rozz Dyliams had on little peep was far greater than most realize.
On May 20th, 2022, the Lil Peep estate posted archived photos and quotes from some of Peep's closest friends on Lilpeep.com. The post was titled "Feelz" and shows various pictures and quotes from Peep's close friends.
When talking about Peep's musical influences Angelo had this to say:
"Gus was always, and i mean ALWAYS listening to Dylan Ross, who was known as Rozz Dyliams back then. That was Gus's favorite artist around the time. After listening to the same few Dylan Ross songs--Woodward, Treatly, Two Bad Mice, Gale Force Beach, and EVEN MORE SONGS--over and over again we would have had enough and would ask Gus to let us plug our phone into the speaker or ask him to switch the music up. He was extremely stubborn about it and would give us a very direct "no," no matter how much we asked and begged Lol. Gus was the one to show us Dylan Ross" -Angelo
So clearly, Rozz Dyliams had a major musical influence on Lil Peep that went far beyond production. Peep was seemingly obsessed with Dyliams music (for a good reason), which is fascinating. In other parts of the Lilpeep.com "Feelz" post, they mention 'cloud rap' influences (to which Dyliams was also a major contributor).
However, one of the things Peep has always stood out for was his genre-bending style. Dyliam's entire discography/career is clearly defined by being one of the early, genre-bending, and rule-breaking rappers who was at the forefront of the emerging "cloud rap" movement; and to call Rozz Dyliams a founding father of that movement (which would arguably go on to transition into the modern variations and movements we see today that were inspired by Peep), would be an understatement.
Simply put, while artists like Yung Lean and Bones receive their due credit, Dyliam's contributions have all but been tragically undermined and up until recently, seemingly unrecognized... Sure, Yung Lean and Bones contributed to those movements, but so did Rozz Dyliams. Anyone who takes time out of their day to study or peruse Rozz Dyliams' discography will clearly see that he is an originator of styles that have heavily influenced many modern styles and movements.
Lil Peep was on the rise to massive success in 2017, which is around the time that I met him while working at PRS studios. 2017 was a historical year for music. During that time I also brushed shoulders with XXX Tentacion --- Who interestingly enough was also a fan of Rozz Dyliams Music. (See this Reddit post "I went through XXX Tentacions likes on SoundCloud")
2017 was such a fascinating year because so many "icons" in rap music were inspiring each other, and at PRS studios, where peep recorded some of his hit records, other artists were right next door recording, such as Juice Wrld and Smoke Purp. During my time at PRS, I witnessed firsthand that a lot of artists were captivated and inspired by what Peep was doing, and while Peep was original and did his own thing, I always wondered who inspired him. I think when it comes to "stars" or popular artists, it's always interesting to know their influences to see if there's any history there; and in the case of Lil Peep and Rozz Dyliams... There is.
As the elusive "cult-classic" artist Rozz Dyliams begins re-emerging, I thought it necessary for the sake of music journalism, and music history, to recognize (and in no way detract or cheapen the art of anyone else) the contributions and impact he has had on music; that is still widely unrecognized. However, as time goes on, more and more people seem to be giving the multi-faceted artist/producer the credit he deserves. While each artist that is successful is unique in their own way, everyone has influences and different things that inspire them.
Rest in Peace to Lil Peep, Juice Wrld, and XXX Tentacion