TLDR: Don’t Die, I’ll Cry finds Romeo Don’t Die turning personal loss into a six-track EP, with a run of videos bringing more of his range into view.
Ottawa-born, Montréal-based rapper Romeo Don’t Die gets straight to the heart of his new EP with its title, Don’t Die, I’ll Cry. Inspired by the loss of his younger cousin, the six-track project makes room for grief while keeping the sharp delivery that has made his name.
“The EP was inspired by the death of my little cousin who was like a little brother to me. His passing reinforced how limited our time here is. Gotta do what you love cause it could all be gone tomorrow.”
That loss gives the project its urgency. Romeo moves between vulnerable reflection, ambition and hustling, letting the stakes come through without turning every track into a eulogy. Chanksdaddy and Jeff Sanon handle production, while Busy Nasa and Kris The $pirit are among the guests (along with Montréal’s own DO, the Outcast). HotNewHipHop puts it bluntly: his “pen game is wicked throughout.”
The videos show another side of the rollout. The July clip for “F*ck Funk Flex,” produced by Chanksdaddy, was filmed by Guillermo Ventura in Xela, Guatemala. Romeo addressed his issues with Flex in Volume 1 of the Clips DVD.
An August video for the project’s title track gives the EP its own visual, while September’s “Sabado Gigante” pairs him with Busy Nasa and Kris The $pirit. Filmed by Lemme Kno over Chanksdaddy production, it puts the collaborators in front of the camera.
Romeo has also released a video for “La Dictadura (Freestyle),” shot in Montréal by XTRM MOOD. The freestyle is not on Don’t Die, I’ll Cry, but it is another reason to check in on what he is doing now. It extends a run of visuals that gives listeners several doors into the project.
There is history behind that versatility. His 2019 EP Mans Gift 2 God paired salsa romántica influences with contemporary hip-hop, finding space for humour, grit and introspection.
The new record comes from a more painful place, but it shares that refusal to stay in one lane. Romeo can flex, mourn and keep moving, even while admitting exactly what loss has cost him. You can stream and download it now on Romeo’s Bandcamp profile.
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