Interviewed by @CopaseticSoulz
Photo by Thom Hamilton
Chadio. Tucker Foldin. Imaginations Treetrunk. A staple in the scene for many years you can’t claim to know Vancouver hiphop without knowing of him. A multifaceted artist with great stylistic range and dedicated following, Chadio has been making music and entertaining people for a long time, and it seems like he’s only getting better.
Q: Tell us about the new projects you are releasing this summer
A: Working on a couple things right now. First (or maybe second) is going to be a 2 part mixtape rapping over some of my favorite loops. Most of these instrumentals weren’t available anywhere so I just made the loops myself. 1st part will be out in the middle of Summer, next one will be sometime in the Fall and both will be a free download from the Treetrunk Bandcamp Page. The other thing is gonna be a 7” vinyl which I am aiming for August to be out. It will have the tunes I made with (Lighta! sound members) Calamalka, Max Ulis, and will feature a remix from Chapel Sound’s Kline and one other I don’t want to give away . The digital release will have all that plus the instrumentals and some secret stuff I cant mention just yet.
Q: You have spent many years evolving your style, what kind of music is inspiring you now?
A: I always have and still listen to a wide range of music. Its never just one style or thing. The music my friends make has probably the biggest influence because I want to keep up with what they’re doing. I’ve taken a break from being out and partying so much but I’ve heard a lot of great new music in the past year.
Q: Having a front row seat for the way the hiphop culture has grown in this city, what is your view on how far we have come, and where do you see it heading?
A: I don’t really think that culture has grown at all here, it’s pretty much the same as its always been, friends helping out friends, and so on. I feel like a few years ago, mostly everyone doing stuff was just rapping to rap and now you have some newer dudes with marketing angles and shit so they can try to appeal to a larger audience, and that’s totally cool, if that’s what you want. I’ve found that rappers in Vancouver have a tough time supporting one another, cuz we are all fighting for the same thing, opening spots for big shows, getting on tours, etc…you def have some guys doing some big things now and that’s great, some of these guys have got a career going off of this music, all depends what you’re in it for I suppose.
Q: Who are a few of your current favourite hiphop artists from Vancouver?
A: I’m going to be a bit biased, but I’ve listened to A LOT of local rap over the years, more than some other rappers have I’d like to think, and I know what I like when I hear it. Some of the top dudes in or from Vancouver for me right now are: Azrael, Juneten, Birdapres (even though he lives in Winnipeg)…maybe a couple others…Mike Murder could still be amazing with the right beats (whatever happened to “Love Songs for Filthy Hoars with DJ Moves??)…lots of dudes are making moves but I’m not actively trying to seek out that shit, more into the harder to find stuff, or let it find me.
Q: What is the one thing people can take away from your music? What kind of personal philosophy of yours is imbued in your records?
A: I’m kind of a dark person. I feel like my best shit gets made when I’m going through a rough spot or life’s got me down or whatever, its way easier for me to write when something’s bugging me. I wouldn’t say a majority of my music is positive, but its not all that negative either. Mysteries wrapped in riddles with enigmatic garnishes.
Q: How are you developing and changing as an artist? What skills are you adding to your already expansive repertoire?
A: Well for one I’ve started to learn to make my own beats. Just little loops for now, life is so time consuming its hard for me to find time to get into creative spaces but I fuck around with beats on occasion. I’ve been Dj’ing under the alias Tucker Foldin for a few years now too. Anything from rap to house to bass music to footwork, I like lots of different stuff.
Q: Do you have a big summer planned? Are you playing any festivals?
A: Just got back from my first one of the year a few weeks ago, called Felurian Grove up in Malakwa, BC, and I’ll be at Bass Coast again this year hosting, and
this time with an actual set (Sunday Radio stage) which I’m very stoked about. Ill be up at Shambhala as well, hopefully lacing some new tunes I’m working on with Calamalka. Other than that I work full-time so it’s hard to get a lot of time off but that’s enough for me.
I’ll close off by saying that everything is personal perception, everyone’s tastes differ, and what I might like, you might not. I like stuff that is popular, but I love stuff that is not popular, once stuff that is not popular becomes popular, I stop liking it. A$AP Rocky sucks.