Music mission rapso artiste raises funds

DAVID HAMILTON (Da Face) believes, rapso, as an artform, is not as prominent as when it was popularised by Brother Resistance nor during its resurgence in the era of 3canal, Kindred and Homefront. Da Face believes rapso has retreated in the face of the uptempo party aesthetic, with soca ruling the airwaves in its place.

Yet he hopes to start a renaissance with his new audiovisual album, Mogul Music. Through his fundraising kickstarter project, De Face is seeking to release a video for every track on the album.

Da Face has been an underground artiste for nine years. He started as a hip hop artiste in 2012 and rose to brief prominence with the viral hit Cheese Pie and Pack Juice done with hip hop group Mecasmiastic. So far he has released eight projects in total – six mixtapes, a solo album and a joint album. In 2016 he opened Future Crab Studios with business partners Ravi Maharaj and Kit Joseph. Over the last two years they have completed many projects for other artistes.

But he has also continued his work on Mogul Music and has written over 25 songs for what will be a ten song album.

Although the choice of genre might seem surprising for a younger artiste, Da Face said, “I wanted to be part of something indigenous. Even though my raps were always based on relatable topics and in a Trini accent, I didn’t feel that was enough.”

“I almost quit music so I made a promise to myself that I would give 110 per cent once I made the decision to pursue it,” he added.

So Da Face plans to release ten videos, one for every song on the album.

This, he said, has been done by artistes such as Beyonce and Frank Ocean internationally.

The album, he said, “is an endorsement of an independent spirit where anybody can take total control of their direction in life and succeed. Whether it’s quitting your job to start a business or breaking out of stereotypical boxes, everyone can find their place. It’s also about inspiring artistes in non-soca genres and demonstrating to the gatekeepers that other genres can thrive. The album represents all this in the context of life in TT.”

To fund his music mission, Da Face is using the Kickstarter model of funding (Kickstarter uses an all-or-nothing funding model. If your project doesn’t reach its goal, then funds don’t get collected, and no money changes hands).

There will be several levels of contribution – $100, $200, etc – and each level will have different rewards for the contributors. These rewards range from a copy of the album with the opportunity to have the donor’s name in the credits to a private concert at home for those who choose the $1500 option.

The rewards, he said, are meant to be fun ways for people who believe in the mission. “It’s a way for fans, new and old, to own piece of the project and be part of history,” he said.

Da Face needs to raise $30,000 to be fully funded.

For more information visit https://thehardestworkingtrinidadartiste.com/.