The opening track of Canadian rapper Dax’s What is life?, “The Abyss,” is a vivid, detailed origin story, albeit a dark one. “All of this pain, I just wanna be happy/Mama almost died the same day that she had me,” Dax spits over a spare beat as he recalls childhood memories of “fighting psychosis” and “playing basketball religiously to drown out the noises” of “voices” in his head. The track turns somewhat hopeful, though, when he describes finding ways to turn his pain into art, though the “abyss” at the heart of the track belies a darkness difficult to overcome. That attention to detail is no accident, as Dax came to hip-hop via writing poetry while playing college basketball in Wichita, Kansas, during the mid-2010s. In the intervening years, Dax has carved a niche for himself within the sprawling genre, especially finding acclaim with his 2022 confessional “Dear Alcohol,” on which he’d later duet with Elle King for a remix. The original incarnation of that track appears here and is the beating heart of the EP, as Dax frankly confronts how his personal pain led to alcoholism. Other highlights on the project include “2023,” on which Dax considers the effects of modern societal ills with an agile, emotive flow, as well as closer “Life,” an affirming reminder to keep moving despite the setbacks.