By: Liz Coffey
Crossword is a rapper and producer based in Toronto, Canada. He stands out among the masses with his witty lyricism, and ongoing discussion on topics that are often missed by mainstream media. I got on the phone with him a while back to talk about his inspirations, his music, and his thoughts on the mainstream. Check it out!
Can you introduce yourself and give us a strange fact about yourself?
I’m Crossword! I’m a rapper, curator, promoter, kind of all around connector in Toronto, Canada. A strange fact about myself… hm. Sometimes I like to let my hair grow JUST so that I don’t have to shave my neck hair.
When did you first get into music and when did you decide that this is what you want to do? Was there a defining moment or was it kind of gradual?
I think it was definitely a series of moments. It came from doing it for a while as a hobby. I feel like the real shift happened when I was accepted into a college music class. Before that I had only been getting my feet wet, doing music at open mics. I think that if I hadn’t been accepted into that music program, I probably would’ve stuck to doing something else. I probably wouldn’t have worked as hard, and ended up behind the scenes to some capacity. That program though, put me around other musicians and kind of immersed me. I also formed a band through that program, which is where I got more serious about things.
What artists do you find influence you the most, and how do incorporate that into your own style?
I feel like every artist influences me. In general I think I’m a very easily influenced person, whether it’s from other artists, or my friends or whatever. It’s based on curiosity and being open to ideas. I actually try not to listen to a lot of music. I listen to enough to get a feel for the artist, and what they’re doing, but I don’t get too immersed in it. Otherwise, I’ll start to incorporate their stuff into my sound. I try to listen to a range of things rather than get immersed in one thing at a time.
Can you describe yourself to someone who has never heard you before?
I always say, “I want to change the world and have fun doing it.” So I describe things on my ideology more than my sound. I want to be provocative, make people feel something.
When you’re making music or booking shows, do you have a target audience in mind or do you just go with the flow and let the music speak for itself?
I definitely let the music speak for itself. I identify with the audience that’s there, I try not to be overly calculated with my music. I write the music I want to and then align with shows and artists that match that. I will never try to make myself sound like someone else just because they’re popular.
Since you’ve started in music, what has been your biggest breakthrough? Your biggest challenge?
Biggest breakthrough I guess would be touring in general. Everything that I can think of has come from touring. Even just traveling, too! Tracking my album in Los Angeles, which was something I made happen myself, and being in a professional setting was huge. The point of making music is to share it with others, and touring makes that happen. You know fuck the internet, and social media, and whatever. No. I want to be in your face, making eye contact, challenging you to open up your mind.
As for biggest challenge, it’s been doing everything myself as an indie artist. Being all alone in what you’re doing is a challenge. I do have great people I work with on certain things, but there are still moments where I could really use help. It’s a lot of responsibility to put on one person.
You just dropped a collab! How did that whole thing come together?
Yeah! You know, it goes back to being on the road. I was in Winnipeg on tour with my former band, and we were staying over with someone who was hosting us. There were a couple of guys also staying there, who were also on the road. I knew one of them but I didn’t know the other. We really hit it off and we got to know each other. When we were back in Toronto we kept in touch, and when I was on tour again, we met up on the road. We were wondering why we hadn’t hit the studio together, so we made it happen. We went into the studio and really worked off of the saying “bridging the gap.” We had to change it up obviously because that saying is played out, so we were like, “Gap in the Bridge,” you know, there’s a gap there, something is missing, and we need to fix it. In everything, especially in Toronto, but in the music industry in general as well, there’s always a gap to bridge. You know there’s places like Buffalo, which are close to play at but there’s the border. Or we can go up to Montreal, but they’re half French, half English, so there’s a language gap to bridge, So we just played off of that idea.
You seem to be very passionate about incorporating messages that aren’t really spoken about in mainstream media. Where does that come from? Where do you find all of that inspiration and why do you choose to put that kind of thought into your art?
I feel like doing the norm -- like why? -- someone else is already doing that, you need to step outside of that. Having a voice is not to repeat. It’s not to go back in circles on discussions. You need to come into the discussions with different idea or a different style. I try to add something to the discussions going on, and you need to be original in that aspect. I’ve never been the type to follow trends. I think it really comes from being first-generation North American. I didn’t have family indoctrinating me with anything, and in western culture I’ve always been a bit of an outsider, so I think that’s taught me to be a little wary of things in the mainstream. The mainstream is kind of corny to me to be honest with you. Let’s do better than that.
What are your plans coming up for music and shows?
My main focus is to “Bridge the Gap” to be honest. I’m doing shows with other artists, keeping my ear to the ground, and being a part of the independent musicians coming out of Toronto, and the discussions surrounding that. I’m just looking for opportunities honestly, to bring the world to Toronto, and bring Toronto to the world.
Catch up with him on social media!
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