Such a year for this new artist from Montreal, Maky Lavender. This year, he released two full-length records and an EP. Being #1 on CISM's top anglo of 2020 and named one of the new face of Canadian hip-hop by Risingstar.ca, we had a quick chat with the artist himself...
photo: Matthew Kalili
You released a new EP, what’s your approach with this one after releasing two album?
I love music and I never limit myself when it comes to that. I like to play in little resto bars where people come to watch a nice show and have some food. I released it to commemorate the 3rd installment of the Blowfoam Series and all the effort it took to get here. At the same time, because it's my 3rd project this year and it came out on the 3rd, with three songs that sound completely different from each other.
Do you think your music has a social role in any way?
Absolutely, and I don't shy away from it... I think music creation is like writing a history book with sounds (if that makes any sense). Being Haitian-Canadian, I try to tell my story through my art, meanwhile embracing my heritage to its fullest.
photo: Matthew Kalili
Your lyrics sometimes reflects about your preference to rap in English. What’s your relationship with French?
French is actually my first language! I went to french school all my life until CEGEP.
How did you grow up discovering music?
Fam Jams, Watching Tv with my Older Sister, etc.I used to dance a lot, I was really inspired by the Jerkin' movement* in 2009
What artists have you discovered lately?
I've really been into African music recently : Manu DibangoHe passed away this year due to COVID-19, but he has a very rich musical catalog.
*Jerkin' or Jerk is a street dance originating from and popularized by the Inland Empire-based groups New Boyz and Audio Push, and has origins in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles. Since 2009, jerkin' gained fans along the West Coast and, as of 2009, was gaining popularity in the East Coast.