Growing up, Dizzy was not necessarily thinking about emulating Layzie Bone, a man whom he today calls uncle, though his early experience with Bone Thugs rubbed off on him. His mom refused to let Uncle Layzie’s music influence DaFuture (they were kid-friendly, remember), but when Dizzy was on his own, he was able to channel Bone Thugs organically. “I genuinely couldn’t believe that five grown ass men could come together and be on some double glock ‘9-5 shit, [and] low-key on some gospel [shit], too.” Bone Thugs used “the harmony” as an outlet to soundtrack, and cope with, their own harsh reality. With Dizzy’s present reality, he, however unintentionally, found some real pain to channel through his music. That grown man shit began to materialize right before his eyes-- and a little weed habit, too.

Dizzy continues to move forward career-wise, though his musical direction has been unpredictable. The tangible signs ($$$) are obvious, but for Dizzy, there’s no surer mark of growth than having Uncle Layzie on his new album. An aura of mutual respect shines through on their collaboration, titled “Regardless.” If, during his DaFuture days, Dizzy initially saw himself as a gimmick in front of his Uncle, he’s now confident to share the same smoky soundscape, opening the track with: “At this point I don’t give a fuck what they say about me.” Though Dizzy would likely earn Layzie’s support as Lil Romeo 2.0, he now knows, as they take the hook in unison-- “We’ve come too far to be taking it personal now that we got it”-- they’re in the same boat.

The next track, “Don’t Ever Forget,” opens with the thuggish, ruggish voice of another veteran-- Krayzie. Though laced in smoke, the kinship is, again, an achievement. “Weed is not gonna be on all my merch for the rest of my career,” Dizzy assures us, though, right now, nailing a smoking song with Krayzie Bone is another sign he’s doing something right.

Then comes by far the loudest track on the LP, “Floyd Money Mayweather.” “Instantly I knew, like, this gon’ be my banger,” sounding even harder after his hometown hero’s recent dismantling of Manny Pacquiao. Though the two Las Vegans have little in common save for their welterweight stature, Dizzy’s not afraid to go for the TKO. He’s been slowly regaining control over his music since middle school, though, even now, critics and fans alike try to preside over his style. Stoners don’t want bangers. Funk Volume devotees are weary of anything in which style comes before substance. It’s hard to deny Dizzy’s street cred standing next to Layzie Bone, but Dizzy’s solo banger proves he’s ‘that guy’ in Vegas.

Fast-forward a few years from that struggling 17-year old who was kicked out of his house, and Dizzy now has his own child to take care of. Dizzy’s daughter, Xhaiden, was unexpectedly born when he was only 20. Within days, rapping transitioned from a serious hobby (like his weed habit) to a go-for-broke profession. He was signed just a year later-- a year that included two mixtapes, and two failed record deals: one, a falling out with Bluestar Records, owned by “Grind With Me” trio Pretty Ricky, and the second, a demo deal from Def Jam which Dizzy turned down for Funk Volume. Before Xhaiden’s birth, Dizzy recorded “Letter to My Unborn Child,” voicing all his fears, while convincing his daughter, and himself, that the future is a blessing. His daughter returns on his latest album for “Daddy Daughter Relationship,” which starts with a recording of Dizzy showing her around his studio. The song closes on an even more intimate note, as Dizzy asks Xhaiden about what dance moves she’ll teach her unborn brother, Ziggy, who’s now four months old. It’s yet another vulnerable moment from a guy who’s not afraid to admit his mom ghostwrote his rhymes for almost a decade. As on “Letter to My Unborn Child,” “Daddy Daughter Relationship” isn’t about telling Xhaiden how to live; instead, saying as she grows, “you don’t gotta fight this world on your own.” It’s about the process.

A similar message is given to a wider audience on “Train Your Mind,” the album’s lead single and the song that most represents Dizzy in body and soul. He begins by name-dropping his three favorite albums, 2Pac’s “Me Against the World,” E-40’s “In a Major Way,” and, of course, Bone Thug’s “E. 1999,” all released 20 years ago. Hoping to give a 15-year shelf-life to his own project, he says, “I’m here to try to shape your mentality.” Given his album title, The Growing Process, those words ring true. Though his raps can sound didactic, he aims to protect rather than to educate. Just as we heard him fearing for his daughter’s coming of age in ‘this world,’ he tells us: “don’t let this motherfuckin’ world waste your time.” Dizzy’s learned that positivity doesn’t come through tangible success, nor worldly advice, but through increased mindfulness in times of turmoil.

“I don’t got all the answers, ‘cuz I’m still finding myself. But I’m still willing to learn, and I wanna push that to the world, man-- be willing to be a student… I’m just trying to be the big homie in the neighborhood that gives some free game. I woulda got through high school a little easier if I had niggas telling me these things.”