Twin brothers Marcelo and Eugenio Garza have never been ones to shy away from experimenting with new soundscapes to lay their R&B-favored vocals over. The Monterrey-born duo known as Vice Menta has dabbled in everything from tropical riddims (“Se Hundió”) to ATL trap (“Déjate Venir”) and, honestly, they’ve excelled at nearly all of it. The duo returns with the over the drill-influenced “SOLO DIO$,” featuring fellow paisa Alemán.
“(We) connected with Alemán at a show about a year-and-a-half back at a festival in Monterrey,” Vice Menta tells Remezcla via email. “The day we met, we played at the show and then we went to a party. We exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. We vibed and when he came to Los Angeles, we played some “SOLO DIO$” for him and he loved it. He elevated the song even more.”
The video was directed by another Mexican singer, producer and frequent J Balvin collaborator Milkman. It contains visuals of Vice Menta and Alemán singing and rapping about the struggle (“Only God can judge me,” he spits in Spanish. “For all the days I didn’t eat and didn’t sleep”) and ignoring the haters (“Solo percibo el dinero”) at a location where the former is true—church.
Marcelo and Eugenio float like butterflies over the guitar-tinged drill beat, including a slick line that references pound-for-pound boxing champion and Mexico’s current favorite son, Canelo, complete with an ad lib that’s both amusing and endearing. Alemán comes through with a tight 12-bar verse that breaks up Vice Menta’s entrancing hook and adds a more aggressive take to the ominous beat. Watch the exclusive behind-the-scenes footage below:
“The video follows the title of the song,” Vice Menta says. “We all have different circumstances and different histories and sometimes we do what we have to do. Only God can judge you for those decisions. So, going to a church gave the message a last spiritual touch.”
Only God can judge them, but we deem “SOLO DIO$” an early-summer banger.