Episode 255
Toronto to LA to Atlanta Music Scenes
The primary objective of the Black Lotus Media Group is to establish a nexus between creatives in Toronto and those in Los Angeles and Atlanta, thereby bridging the existing gaps within the creative industry. I have encountered numerous artists who, despite being affiliated with major labels, lack essential support systems, such as stylists and photographers. This situation starkly contrasts with the vibrant creative community in Toronto, which is characterized by a collective commitment to artistry and collaboration, devoid of the incessant pursuit of monetary gain. It is imperative that we, as a community, foster an environment where artists feel empowered to share their journeys and collaborate without trepidation, thereby cultivating a robust creative ecosystem akin to that of Hollywood. Ultimately, the conversation underscores the necessity for Canadian artists to embrace their identity, collaborate more freely, and recognize the wealth of talent within their own midst.
Takeaways:
- The primary ambition of the Black Lotus Media Group is to facilitate collaboration among creatives across Toronto, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.
- Many artists express a lack of access to essential support personnel such as stylists and photographers, despite being signed to major labels.
- Creatives in Toronto exhibit a unique hunger and drive that distinguishes them from their counterparts in larger markets, fostering a culture of collaboration.
- The podcast emphasizes the necessity for Canadian artists to unite and support one another to establish a stronger creative ecosystem akin to that of Hollywood.
- Toronto's artists must overcome a mindset of scarcity and recognize their potential to thrive, similar to successful markets like New York and Los Angeles.
- The podcast discusses the significance of connections and opportunities that arise when artists collaborate, highlighting the importance of sharing their journeys in the industry.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Black Lotus Media Group
- 3LW
- Exquisite
- Lil Boozy
- Drake
- Future
- French Montana
- DMX
- Johnny Gill
- Saigon
- Rich Kid
- Dame Grease
Transcript
I feel like my goal with the Black Lotus Media Group is to really be able to tie in, you know, the creatives that I know in Toronto with the creatives that I know that are in LA and that are in Atlanta and really just bridge the gap between everybody.
Speaker A:Because I feel like I'll meet artists who are like, oh, I don't have a stylist, so I don't have a photographer.
Speaker A:And I'm like, what?
Speaker A:But you're assigned to a major label.
Speaker A:How do you not have somebody that you can just call to say, hey, I need to do this, or, like.
Speaker A:Or just assistance for things.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:That need to, you know, just bring things together or shed light on stuff and shed light on stuff, and they don't have that.
Speaker A:But in Toronto, I know, like, six stylists I can call in a minute and say, hey, what do you need?
Speaker A:You know, And.
Speaker A:And I think that's just a blessing of being from a city where everybody is just tapped into their art and not looking for a million dollars every time.
Speaker A:And I'm not saying that artists shouldn't be paid or creatives shouldn't be paid, but there's a different hunger from Canadian artists and a different hunger from the creatives that live here.
Speaker A:So that's really my goal, is to kind of connect the dots between the two.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker A:But I would definitely come back and do something.
Speaker A:For sure.
Speaker C:I love that.
Speaker C:I love that.
Speaker C:And I mean, that's a great answer.
Speaker C:That's exciting for us.
Speaker C:We would love to have you back.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:You're welcome back anytime.
Speaker C:Open arms.
Speaker C:So we kind of jumped.
Speaker C:I mean, there's a lot that we still want to talk about.
Speaker C:We kind of jumped right, like, into the middle of your career.
Speaker C:Let's maybe just rewind quickly just so we can get some insight and context.
Speaker C:How did you even get started in music?
Speaker A:I got started in.
Speaker A:Well, my dad is a musician, so he was always the person, like, playing.
Speaker A:And my mom.
Speaker A:Well, my dad was a musician, but my mom was the one that was always playing music around the house.
Speaker A:So it was something that I was really just born into.
Speaker A:But on a professional level, I was actually at school one day and I was in detention class and I had a supply teacher who was like, what are you writing in your book?
Speaker A:And I was like, I'm writing songs.
Speaker A:I'm sick.
Speaker A:You know, just being a crazy kid in grade five.
Speaker A:And he was like, really?
Speaker A:And he, funny enough, was also an actor and had been in several movies and did a lot of work in la.
Speaker A:And he's like, well, I know a few people.
Speaker A:And he started introducing me to different management teams.
Speaker A:And that's when it got started.
Speaker A:So my first big thing was like, auditioning for 3LW before it even became 3LW.
Speaker A:And then because I wasn't an American, I couldn't stay.
Speaker A:And when I got back, that's when I joined Exquisite.
Speaker A:So that's when everything kind of started.
Speaker A:So it was pretty early on in my life, you know, 12, 13 years old, traveling and being able to, like, you know, be in studios and meet different writers and producers.
Speaker A:So that's really where it stemmed from.
Speaker A:Just, you know, my supply teacher.
Speaker A:That's really where it started.
Speaker B:And when did you kind of start dabbling into producing your own music?
Speaker A:Oh, I say from the beginning because I really started writing music at around 12.
Speaker A:And because I played piano, it was something that just came hand in hand.
Speaker A:So I started.
Speaker A:But it didn't.
Speaker A:When it came to, like, on a professional level of producing, it wasn't until the Exquisite project.
Speaker A:Yeah, I started producing on the actual first album.
Speaker A:A lot of people don't know, like, I produced on the first Exquisite album, wrote a lot of the first album.
Speaker A:And I guess because the group had disbanded prior to the release of the project, so there was like different people on the COVID and things like that, a lot of that just kind of fell to the wayside, so.
Speaker A:And I guess because it was weird how everything kind of fell apart.
Speaker A:It was never something that I felt proud of until I got older and realized what I was doing at that age, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Wow, that's.
Speaker C:It's interesting how you had that teacher in fifth grade and kind of mentioned LA and had those connections there, and that's kind of where you ended up.
Speaker C:Now, did you at the time have dreams of being in that place or in the States or anything like that?
Speaker A:Oh, 100.
Speaker A:As soon as I got off the plane, I was like, Bombay.
Speaker A:It was like.
Speaker A:It was as soon as I was 12.
Speaker A:And I never forget I got off the plane and it was like the sun was going down.
Speaker A:I just saw.
Speaker A:It was just beautiful.
Speaker A:And I'm like, I'm going to live here.
Speaker A:This is where I want to be.
Speaker A:And it took some time, but, you know, definitely manifested it.
Speaker A:So I'm here.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:What was the hardest part about moving out to la?
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:The best part.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Besides the weather, I feel like just being able to be in close proximity to people that I wanting.
Speaker A:I've been wanting to work with or like, just, you know, you can be on the street and bump into like Lil Boozy or just, you know, just random things.
Speaker A:But it's, for me, more of LA is a different.
Speaker A:It's the energy that I feel Toronto needs.
Speaker A:You know, people are here and they are not holding back on their creativity and not holding back on shining their light.
Speaker A:And I think Toronto, sometimes people get into this mindset where they fear that if they shine too bright, it might be a bad thing or if they, you know, or they're worried about other people's insecurities.
Speaker A:And I think that we have to learn to embrace each other in Toronto more and start, you know, shedding light on other artists more and really helping each other more to create an infrastructure that is as strong as being Hollywood.
Speaker A:You know, everybody knows Hollywood for being that place where you can come and like really change your life.
Speaker A:And Toronto is that place too, but we just haven't gotten there yet.
Speaker B:So you've been listening and probably heard me say the DNA project to your entertainment agency and wondered, what does that even mean?
Speaker B:Well, let me tell you, the DNA project is essentially your one stop shop for all of your live music needs.
Speaker B:Anything from a corporate gala, large or small, weddings, recording sessions, or even just a romantic guitar serenade for a loved one.
Speaker B:They got you covered.
Speaker B:Not only that, they make the process so simple that it really takes the stress out of planning.
Speaker B:Check them out online.
Speaker B:The DNAProject CA bomb.
Speaker C:What.
Speaker C:What needs to change for Canadian artists to be able to thrive within Canada, would you say?
Speaker A:A lot.
Speaker A:I feel within, with other artists collaborating with other artists, other artists being unafraid to share their journeys and the realities of this industry, I think is a lot of smoke and mirror games.
Speaker A:I think there's a lot of, you know, people pretending to be living a lifestyle that they're not living.
Speaker A:But I mean, if we're talking about streaming numbers, if we're talking about like, you know, the things that are really going on with the labels, we know what the reality is.
Speaker A:So I think it's coming to this realization, like, guys, we have the capabilities of being New York, Atlanta and la.
Speaker A:How do we do this?
Speaker A:And I think it starts with the creatives coming together and being unafraid to share and being unafraid to barter and, you know, uplift each other without hesitation.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker B:And that happens a lot in la.
Speaker B:It's not competitive out there.
Speaker A:It is very competitive, but I feel like I've been able to.
Speaker A:And not just me.
Speaker A:Like even we did a writers camp last year and it was I was living here and another producer was already living here, and they flew out eight other artists from Canada to la.
Speaker A:And I feel like just being in the room with that energy of Toronto, but being in la, I'm like, this is the perfect combination, you know, of.
Speaker A:Of that.
Speaker A:Of that feeling of the sound and that energy from Toronto, but then being in a place where everybody is, like, uplifting each other.
Speaker A:Now, if I'm in Toronto and that writer's camp had habit.
Speaker A:I'm sorry, I don't know if there's.
Speaker A:I don't know if the turnout would have been the same.
Speaker A:I don't know if the energy would have been the same, because I feel like people in Toronto, we are unfortunately put in the position where we think that there's scarcity and we think that there's not enough to go around, but there's a bucket.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:But I don't.
Speaker A:It's not us.
Speaker A:I don't believe it's us.
Speaker A:I once again bring it back to the executive level.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I believe they're the ones that make it seem like, all right, guys, one rapper at a time, one singer at a time.
Speaker A:That's not the case.
Speaker A:And in la, you know, I've walked into rooms and they embrace you because you're from Toronto and because we have the sound and because we have this vibe.
Speaker A:So I think Toronto just needs to recognize who we are and what we come with and just embrace each other.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker C:You're right.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, it's happening slowly, but you're right about that.
Speaker C:It seems like even the way that we see ourselves, it's kind of a one at a time, wait for your turn kind of thing.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:You don't generally have multiple breakout artists doing things across different genres at the same time here either.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:So that's.
Speaker C:That's interesting, the.
Speaker C:Did you find that sort of resistance here?
Speaker C:Because I know you mentioned that there's a lot of support in la.
Speaker C:Did you find the opposite when you were here in Toronto?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Toronto was definitely the birth of Injury to Mill.
Speaker A:You know, when I started off, like, the city embraced me and I was like, wow.
Speaker A:Like, you know, I never.
Speaker A:I didn't know that people were paying attention.
Speaker A:And then when I realized they were, and the support that I had, it was different from the artists that I knew and supported that came before me, like Toronto slowly opening up more to our own and our own sound coming up.
Speaker A:There was some resistance in the beginning, and that was mainly from people who were doing things in the old school way and didn't want to see the city grow.
Speaker A:But amongst my peers, amongst other musicians, amongst other artists, no, I feel like they welcomed me with open arms.
Speaker A:So that was, you know, it's definitely politics a lot of times when it comes to that, when it comes to the industry, you know, not the music.
Speaker C:Got you.
Speaker C:Yeah, okay, thanks for clarifying that.
Speaker C:I guess it sounds like there's kind of a glass ceiling almost effect when you're coming from Toronto.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Also, I wanted you to mention or talk about something else here because you mentioned collaborations and support.
Speaker C:Can you tell us about some of the major collaborations you've done?
Speaker C:I'm going to name a few of them.
Speaker C:I hope you don't mind.
Speaker C:You've collaborated with people like Drake, Future French Montano, dmx, Johnny Gill, the list goes.
Speaker C:Seems to go on as well.
Speaker C:So how did some of those opportunities come to be and what impact have they had on you as an artist?
Speaker A:I think every situation has been different.
Speaker A:I feel like with when it came down to the stuff that I did with Drake, that was just a bunch of kids in the room trying to make dope music.
Speaker A:You know, we were all just vibing and creating and the songs that we did together, like, there's plenty more, but the ones that were released, those were the few that were a feeling that Toronto needs to hear.
Speaker A:And that's why the records came out, because we actually recorded them twice.
Speaker A:Last Hope, Closer and what's the other one?
Speaker A:I can't remember.
Speaker A:But anyways, we recorded them twice and that's because he wanted to do something that was different and kind of representative of the city and where we were going, how it changed.
Speaker A:It changed, I think, because especially with him being like breakthrough first of Toronto, people were paying attention to everybody that was in close proximity.
Speaker A:So for me, being close within that camp and knowing it helped me to grow and build, you know, and eventually, like do a publishing deal and things like that.
Speaker A:So that was major, you know, shout outs to Boy and Drake for that because, you know, these guys were definitely super talented, super young and knew where they were going.
Speaker A:The DMX situation, funny enough, was random.
Speaker A:I was sitting in my living room and I'm seeing DMX on this music video on bet and I'm like, wait a second, that's my voice.
Speaker A:Hold up.
Speaker A:And he.
Speaker A:And the funny thing is that he had found the song, not knowing it was Drake and hit up Rich Kid who produced it.
Speaker A:And that was the Last Hope record and was like, hey, can I flip this?
Speaker A:And he did A whole music video.
Speaker A:And I'm sitting in my living room with my mom and my dad.
Speaker A:I'm like, what is going on here?
Speaker A:And then I went to work a couple days later, and he called me on the phone, and then I'm like, wow.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And he called me and was like, I need a couple more records.
Speaker A:And I was like, okay, wait a second.
Speaker A:Who's this?
Speaker A:It was so random.
Speaker A:It was so random.
Speaker A:And then we ended up doing Cold World and no Love for the dmx.
Speaker A:Oh, don't quote me on this.
Speaker A:Is it the Evolution album?
Speaker A:I can't remember.
Speaker A:My memory's not great.
Speaker A:But anyways, yes.
Speaker A:The DMX project that really just came out from him finding that record.
Speaker A:And I think it's funny, a lot of the collaborations I've done have been people finding me.
Speaker A:Like, I did a record with Saigon, and that's because he found the original version and was like, I want to do my own version of your song.
Speaker A:And French Montana was the same thing.
Speaker A:Like, we did Raining in Harlem.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:We did Raining in Toronto, and then we ended up doing Raining in Harlem with Dame Grease in French Montana.
Speaker A:And the Future stuff was the same thing.
Speaker A:Found me on YouTube singing some future records, and just, like, people just tend to find me.
Speaker A:I don't know how, but a lot of these times, that's how these collaborations grow, you know, Just staying online and refining me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Just, you know, so.
Speaker A:Yeah, well, just.
Speaker C:Yeah, just putting yourself out there, I guess, is one of the.
Speaker C:I guess one of the big takeaways from that for myself.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:You got to be available.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:I don't know how I hear these stories, how DMX just calls you.
Speaker C:I'm just, how do these people get your number?
Speaker C:They have some crazy accents.
Speaker A:He got my number.
Speaker A:It's funny thing is, he got my number from Rich Kid, and I didn't even know any of this stuff was going on, like, at all.
Speaker A:And then he.
Speaker A:Because actually, when I saw the video on bet, I called Rich Kid, and I was like, do you know about this?
Speaker A:And he was like, not really.
Speaker A:Like, what do you mean, not really?
Speaker A:And then that's when.
Speaker A:I mean, we didn't really speak about it.
Speaker A:It was cool.
Speaker A:I didn't really care.
Speaker A:It was more of just like, this is dope.
Speaker A:I love dmx.
Speaker A:And then he called me at work and.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I kind of really just changed my mentality when it came to production and writing, because having to sit down and craft two records for him alongside Snazz was definitely something that we were like, oh, my God.
Speaker A:Okay, we're recording and creating for Darkman X.
Speaker A:What do we do?
Speaker A:You know, so it was.
Speaker A:It was really, really interesting, but, you know, I guess.
Speaker A:That crazy.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, showing me I was in the right place, doing what I needed to do.
Speaker C:I loved your impression of him, by the way.
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh, man.
Speaker A:He's.
Speaker A:The way that he raps is the way that he talks.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's crazy.
Speaker A:It's cool, though.
Speaker A:Real cool, guy.
Speaker B:You do so much different aspects.
Speaker B:Just like you write, you sing, you produce, you play instruments.
Speaker B:Is there one aspect of the process that you feel more comfortable doing?
Speaker B:Like, do you.
Speaker B:Would you rather write songs for DMX or rather write songs for yourself?
Speaker A:You know, funny enough, I.
Speaker A:I like to produce for other people, but I prefer to write for myself because I feel like there's things that I do naturally that are just signature to me, that if I try to say, hey, do this, run like this.
Speaker A:People are like, what?
Speaker A:This doesn't make sense to me.
Speaker A:But if I do it, it makes sense to them.
Speaker A:So I think that if I can.
Speaker A:If I can bring something else else out of myself that can allow somebody else to shine in a better way, it might not be my writing, it might not be my melodies.
Speaker A:It could be something else.
Speaker A:So for sure, I feel like I take great photos of people more than, you know, other things.
Speaker A:So it's just, you know, I try not to.
Speaker A:I try not to lean too much into the things that I feel I need to work on then.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Would you feel comfortable telling.
