#oc34n

OC34N

For our last interview before the holidays, we spoke with Ottawa hip-hop artist OC34N about his latest album, his recent single, and his plans for 2017. Give his tunes a spin and read on to learn more about his work, and the importance of honesty in his song-writing.

VITALS

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/theoc34n

Web: http://oc34n.com/

YouTube: http://bit.ly/2fz6h6F

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoc34n/

Latest release: Play (Single, Dec 2016)

Upcoming shows: Stay tuned! 

SA: How did you first get your start in music? OC: A good friend to this day introduced me to a collective of artists who had a studio set up in an apartment building. Its wasn't anything spectacular haha I'm pretty sure they had used egg cartons for insulation. But working with them gave me the opportunity to hear myself for the first time. For that I am forever grateful.

SA: What bands, musicians or artists would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? OC: Tupac Shakur, Frank Sinatra & Jim Morrison.

SA: At this point in your musical career, what would you consider to be your biggest success? OC: This year I won a lot of small victories. A lot of first time moments that I am proud of. But I don't think I've done anything remarkable as an artist...just yet.

SA: Conversely, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? OC: I think to build something organically. There's so many people in place to sell you a dream. For an X amount of $$ you can be guaranteed a number of features, plays & spins. But is that a fan base you can maintain? I can't afford that. Its frustrating but then you have days where you hear someone has you in their playlist or you walk into work and people are playing your music. I love that.

SA: How do you approach the song-writing process? OC: I try to become in-tune with myself. Be present. I like to take a beat on the road with me and just let it play as background while I sift through my day. Its important that my music remain honest. The story can always become exaggerated but the emotions must  come from a real place . There’s an old Rakim interview I love, he said something like 'I don't get writers block. If I have nothing to talk about, I go out and live for a bit.' I relate to that so much.

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? OC: The talent is here, the community for it is here but we're just not united. Too many egos, too many cliques & just too quick to judge. I hear it to often from artists. Nobody going to show you any attention until you start getting it from somewhere else.

SA: On Holy Water, on songs like Lethe for example, you make extensive use of different media samples. How do you choose which samples to use, and how do they help paint a picture for the listener? OC: The overall tone and theme to Holy Water was very important to me . I wanted to create something that was more then just a compilation of songs. I wanted an album that played more like a soundtrack. The clips help me bridge ideas together and reinforce the imagery I wanted people to see in their mind. While it wasn't a perfect project, over time people have come to appreciate the amount of thought and time I put behind it.

SA: You recently released a single called Play. What can you tell us about the release, in terms of its origin and its themes? OC: PLAY is the second single to an album I will be preparing for a 2017 release, titled 'OC34N'. It originated from me wanting to work on something with my cousin, Malinda Aiello. She has such an beautiful voice!

With PLAY, it was inspired from Shakespearean tragedy. Here you have this young couple,  while in love; very different, heading in different directions. They decide its best to split to pursue their passions, in hopes the other will do the same. The tragedy lies in their success. Inspired by the breakup, he was finally able to craft music that would break him into the scene. She, to forget him, immersed herself in work and was able to build a solid career.

SA: If you could tour with any musical act, active or not, who would it be and why? OC: I would have loved to been a part of the rat pack on any given night in Las Vegas.

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