Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition - September 2017

COUSIN STIZZ
Cousin Stizz is channeling positivity on his latest release, One Night Only.
GRAEME WIGGINS
At this point it goes without saying
that the internet has really been a
boon for aspiring rap artists. What’s
often neglected in that narrative,
however, is the important role that
establishing yourself in one’s local
scene has to get you to that point.
Cousin Stizz grew up in Dorchester,
which is just outside of Boston, built
a name from himself there and in two
short years has come to established
himself as a solid new artist with a
contender for song of the summer
(“Headlock (ft Quavo)” from his most
recent mixtape One Night Only).
“The internet played a big role in my
success, [especially] after the tape
[Suffolk County],” he explains. “I was
relatively popular in my city before
that. I knew a lot of people; I was just a
cool guy [who] built a niche to myself.
People around the city just kind of
gravitated towards me because they
knew me and who I was.”
This is impressive given the relative
lack of scene in his area. “There wasn’t
really a rap scene there. I guess there
was like years ago, like 20 years ago.
But besides that, when we started
there wasn’t anybody.” With important
online platform Soundcloud in dire
financial troubles, one Stizz used
to build his following and share his
music, it will be harder for future
aspiring rappers to have the same story
arc. In his words, “It sucks. Without
Soundcloud there’s no Cousin Stizz.
Without Soundcloud there’s no a lot
of artists; there’s not a Playboi Carti,
there’s not a Chance the Rapper. It was
a platform for a lot of kids to make
money so it kind of sucks.”
His latest tape, One Night Only, is
step more positive than his first tape,
Suffolk County. His music has always
had a laid back vibe, possibly due
to the music his parents listened to
growing up. ”My parents only listened
to music, there was TV but not much
of it. I watched my cartoons and shit
but if my dad wasn’t watching Sports
Centre, music was on in the house.
Same with my mom, she didn’t watch
much TV either.” And much of that
music was pretty chill, “Erykah Badu,
Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, all of
that kind of stuff.”
It’s also reflective of where he is in
life and his career right now. “That’s the
kind of guy I am. All my music reflects
the time of my life that I’m in; all of
my music is my life. That’s a perfect
description of where I’m at these days.
I’ve always been a laid back guy. I’m in
LA now; I’m feeding myself; I can pay
my mom’s bills. I’m in a good space
and it reflects that.”
Being in LA in particular seems to
have a positive effect in him, giving
him the right atmosphere and scenery
to keep the laid back vibe strong. “My
career, the way things were going at
the time. The energy out here. The
mountains, the scenery, that shit
inspires me. The ocean. I’m from
Boston, we don’t have the mountains
like that. When I first came out here,
the first thing that stuck out to me was
that this place looks like a movie and
it got me in a good space to start the
project. I didn’t come out to kick it,
you know, I came out to work. I spend
a lot of time in the house. You need
those breaks, just being out, being
inspired.”
If mountains help inspire Stizz to
better and more positive things, his
show in Vancouver, on his first tour
as a headlined, should be the stuff of
legend (or at least a pretty amazing
party).
Catch Cousin Stizz live at the Biltmore
Cabaret September 15.
photo by Jonna Algarin
BONOBO
master of migration keeps on moving
VANESSA TAM
No stranger to Vancouver, British
musician, producer and DJ Bonobo can
often be seen playing either a DJ set or
with a live band at least two or three
times a year if not more.
Known to his mates as Simon Green,
the Ninja Tune signee has always had a
personal connection with our little city
photo by Neil Krug
A travellin’ man, Bonobo AKA Simon Green has a special place in his heart
for Canada.
nestled between the mountains and
the ocean. “I used to come to out to
Vancouver kind of from day one really,”
Green shares. “I think it was because
I was touring with Amon Tobin and
some of the [other] Ninja Tune people
who had a very strong presence in
Canada at the time. Ninja Tune [also]
had an office in Montreal at the time
so Canada was always, you know
outside of the UK, it was always the
place that I would come touring most
often back in those days. I [actually]
think I’ve come [back] to Vancouver
more times than [I have] to most cities
in the UK.”
A master of downtempo electronic
beats with applications of live
instruments and drums, Green also has
an incredible work ethic when it comes
to touring. Travelling for nearly 18
months total promoting his last album
The North Borders, Green shows no
signs of slowing down for his latest
release, Migration.
“I’ve always toured really heavily
and I guess it’s just something that
I’ve done since the beginning,” he
mentions. “I kind of said that on this
record I wasn’t going to tour as much
as the last one, but it just ended up
being the same amount again. I think
because [the record is] doing so well,
it’s kind of easier to tour [because]
touring becomes a little bit more
comfortable. [Like if I was] driving
around in a van playing to no one
every night I would’ve given up a long
time ago, but the fact that it’s a good
[album] for touring and it’s a good
show and it’s like everybody in the
crew is like super cool, it just makes
[everything] easier.”
True to the title of his last album,
Green produced most of Migration
on the road from a laptop which
was a relatively new experience for
the producer. “I think the point that
I was making [with that choice to
work on the album from the road]
was more [about how] I find it’s more
inspiring to just sort of be in different
environments instead of being in the
same studio environment every day,”
Green shares. “Your ideas can sort of
start slowing down a little bit [when
you’re in a studio environment,]
but when you’re out [and getting]
stimulation from the world everywhere
and you use that opportunity in
headspace for ideas.”
Bonobo performs at Malkin Bowl with
his live band on September 15.
28
September 2017