By Ann Marie Elpa
Toronto rapper, NC Capo, is making big moves with his debut single, ‘Who’s Story.’ The song was unveiled on November 20 as part of a larger EP due to release in 2022.
“When I made the song, it was really just like a freestyle and then I'm just trying to get some stuff off my chest,” he says. “The whole song is pretty much about moving on and trying to party away from your problems, but at the same time, having a girl’s presence coming back to haunting you.”
The upbeat backtrack combined with melancholic lyrics like “Manipulation is wrong, but two wrongs don’t make a right,” speaking to experiences of heartbreak and deceit. The red colour palette also translates and speaks to his artistic vision.
“The main question that kind of stuck around with everyone from my producers to everyone that was involved was ‘Who’s side of the story was it?’”
The 22-year-old Nigerian-Canadian artist, whose real name is Namen Chakras, combines his innate ability to captivate an audience with his freestyle and lyrical flow with his ability to resonate with listeners and evoke a different set of emotions and experiences.
“To me being a rapper means you're documenting feelings and moments in time,” Chakras says. “Vulnerability is a hard thing to express. With that being said, as artists I feel like it's our job to kind of express the words that people can’t convey,”.
From experimenting with poetry in high school to falling in love with freestyle as he got older, the project is a labour of passion and drive.
The rapper frequently features a turtle emoji across social media platforms as an ode to a life lesson he holds close.
“I went to visit my grandpa before he died and growing up, we always hear the story of the tortoise and the hare," Chakras says. "I think of the story not like an actual race, but adapting this slow and steady mentality rather than moving too quickly the way you want it. Don’t think about when but rather how.”
Chakras understands its going to take time to make a name for himself in a rather difficult Toronto music scene.
“We're in a city where it's like the level of acknowledgment just isn't there for smaller artists. I feel that the respect isn't there for a lot of local artists in the city. I'm just like, ‘if it's good music it’s good music.”
As for what’s to come, NC Capo is set to unveil his EP in 2022.
You can listen to Who’s Story on all streaming platforms.