DZH – “Can’t Save Me” & “DTOT”

New Jersey-based rapper, DZH, dropped a pair of singles at the height of 2021. Music served as their muse rather than personal experiences or stances. The song’s names are “Can’t Save Me” and “DTOT.”

About the songs, he says:

“‘Can’t Save Me’ and ‘DTOT’ showcase my versatility. Moreover, what I can do lyrically and melodic-wise. It wasn’t supposed to be a double single, but I realized that the producer, Greyson Selin, and I had no previous work or music available yet for listeners, so I wanted to give them two records instead of one. The message is pretty simple and similar to ‘No Doubt’ but showing off my lyrical and melodic side a little bit more than usual.”

“Can’t Save Me” serves as a wake-up call to those who are willing to lend a hand to others before tending to themselves. Over the spacey trap-infused offering, DZH takes a confident approach as he speaks about letting go of things that no longer serve him. Of course, the sweetest revenge is spawning hit singles and being one of the hottest emcees.

“Any feelings that I once had disappeared when I put the pride on/YAYA/Look at what you made me do/All my hits like Pokémon, them attacks too critical/I been all up in my bag/Tryna stack residuals/Niggas get all types of mad/When she tell them that I’m the one she listen to.”

Also, he reflects on the progress that’s gotten him successful. Instead of sulking, the musician put the work in. His main concern is stacking his cheddar. Before the song ends, he advises those who’ve got big hearts and are tested one too many times because of it. 

“Don’t give to shade to trees that ain’t bearing no fruits/Especially to the ones who got hella dried up roots/But, don’t be afraid to use their branches for a noose/They gon ruin themselves, and that’s the whole truth.”

“DTOT” follows the same theme, except it focuses more on his success and how he’s not afraid to put someone in their place if need be. Sonically, the beat takes on a spacey vibe but with more hi-hats and ambiance. Correspondingly, the song serves as an empowerment anthem. 

One notable verse goes

“When I pull up to the function, it’s my record on the speakers/When you see the snow coming, I just bring a cold storm/Who you think got the title’s here to keep the throne warm/I ain’t scared for nothing, I was made for this/Momma raised king, I wasn’t made to quit.”

To learn more about “Can’t Save Me” and “DTOT,” read the Q&A below:

Influence behind “Can’t Save Me” and “DTOT”:

So, there wasn’t really an influence to Can’t Save Me / DTOT. I kinda just let the music move me and don’t force anything. There wasn’t any influences for the record really. But, while writing the record, I was kinds scrolling in and outta Twitter and I saw a tweet that said:

“Don’t give shade to trees that ain’t bearing no fruits.”

That tweet kinda stuck with me for a while and before I knew it, I added it to my lyrics and added to it:

Don’t give shade to trees that ain’t bearing no fruits

Especially to the ones who got hella dried up roots

I was able to finish the verse with those four bars knowing I did my own little spin on it.

“DTOT” was something that I came up with on the spot and didn’t take too long for me to write. The original beat for DTOT is actually way longer, but I just wanted to focus on the actual part that I could rap on. I’m lowkey thinking about making an extended version for it, but we’ll see.

 

What steps did you take to create “Can’t Save Me” and “DTOT”? 

So, “Can’t Save Me” was actually first and the name of the beat was called “cantsaveme” and I kinda just gravitated toward that hook and kept it. It honestly didn’t take long for me to write the rest of the song. I knew that I rarely give my listeners/fans the “trap rap” flow, so I played around with it a little and had fun. Before I knew it, I had a record and that was pretty much the same process with “DTOT” which stands for “different type of time”, but it was much quicker.

 

Favorite line to record off “Can’t Save Me” and “DTOT”:

From “Can’t Save Me”:

Don’t give to shade to trees that ain’t bearing no fruits
Especially to the ones who got hella dried up roots
But, don’t be afraid to use their branches for a noose
They gon ruin themselves, and that’s the whole truth

And from “DTOT”

When you see the snow coming, I just bring a cold storm
Who you think got the title’s here to keep the throne warm

 What do you hope fans get from this record?

Whatever you’re doing, just double down on it and continue to apply pressure.