Though my ear may not be finely tuned to the nuances of Maryland hip hop, the talent of 3 Dice Ceno, hailing from the Miami/South Broward area of Florida, is immediately apparent through his intricate lyrical work and masterful word positioning.
3 Dice Ceno digs deep in the crates of his mind to come up with lyrics that fit right and create the music he produces. One of my favorite albums of his is his 2023 EP, The Art of Raw Format (distributed by Symphonic Distribution), was produced by DJ Hell RZA. The title track, “Raw Format,” a freestyle over a sample of Alicia Keys’ “Unbreakable,” explores the struggles of South Broward mentality and the drive to succeed. The video for “Raw Format” cleverly doubles as the video for “Crowning Touch,” also from the EP.
“If you time travel through words, would you have thought about self evaluation to build a better you; no matter how it was shown to you and what is being shown.” The struggle is real, according to 3 Dice Ceno.
The way 3 Dice Ceno thinks can make another emcee ponder yet when you listen into his most recent interviews on Marc Lee’s Online Dinner Party and Po Politickin’, you know he is winning. “Pain” is my favorite song 3 Dice Ceno released off his “Turning Numb Around: Brillient Minds Understood” album and includes Baby Rebel and Ghost Trak arcane crew. But we aren’t hear to talk about that song.
“Fuschsia” (released Winter 2025) is a much lighter version of this lyricist-mainstay. He does have a softer side and this side shows it as he shares his experience trying to woo a girl – a female spoken word artist, Black Sliq is featured on this track to make it more surreal. It is sweet, gentle and still has lyrical genius to it. Another track that is dope is “Apricot” (released Winter 2025) which is more of a southern anthem than lyrical genius but 3 Dice Ceno uses the crescendo of the song to drop some gems, opening blossoms and producing apricot fields for the people. Just imagine it.
