Dahi’s “Black Boy (Alternative)” Puts the Producer in the Spotlight

Dahi sits in a patterned cardigan with one hand resting against his face.

Kendrick Lamar and Amber Mark may bring listeners to “How to Pray,” but the name at the center of the record is Dahi. His debut album, “Black Boy (Alternative),” arrived August 28, turning a producer with a deep hip-hop and R&B résumé into the lead name on an eleven-track project.

That change deserves more than a quick scan of the features. Dahi helped shape Kendrick’s “Money Trees” in 2012, and his production history includes Drake’s “Worst Behaviour” and Mac Miller’s “Self Care,” as documented in AllMusic’s career overview. The connection to major voices is established; this release asks listeners to follow his choices across an album of his own.

“How to Pray” provides a useful place to start. The official credits put Dahi on drums and keyboards, with Danny McKinnon on guitar and Jonah Stevens on synthesizer. Production is credited to Dahi, Stevens, McKinnon and Yuli. Those details make the collaboration more interesting than its marquee pairing: the recording is a shared construction, not simply two famous names placed over an anonymous beat.

The video has its own creative connection. Mez directs the official visual, which stars Dahi and Clarisse Biagi. Watch it below, then return to the song credits. Keeping the people who build the record in view changes the way a producer-led release can be heard.

The album’s official track list opens several other doors. Childish Gambino joins “Running,” Moses Sumney and Mez appear on “Find Me,” and Fousheé features on “Square Up.” Elmiene and Ravyn Lenae close the set on “Drowning.” Rather than treating that lineup as a ranking of guest appearances, try following how one selection leads into the next.

For listeners drawn to the contemporary R&B voices in that company, PowerPage’s Coco Jones coverage offers another recent stop. Here, the appeal is hearing a producer connect artists whose individual records might otherwise sit in separate listening queues.

“Black Boy (Alternative)” is available now. Start with “How to Pray,” but leave room for the full sequence: Dahi’s name is on the cover, and the larger story is what he builds around it.

Watch: Dahi — “How to Pray” featuring Kendrick Lamar and Amber Mark (Official Video, August 28)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj5BZJ5OflE