Exclusive Interview with OFFCOURSE

Today we had an exclusive chance to interview aspiring artist OFFCOURSE:

Raptology: How did you come up with your stage name OFFCOURSE?
OFFCOURSE: I have always been known for going in my own lane and doing my own thing, irrespective of what everyone else was doing. The name OFF-COURSE represents me going in my own direction; kinda off-track. This is how i see my music – not necessarily following trends.

Raptology: Why did you first start making music?
OFFCOURSE: Music has always been a passion of mine, but I decided against it growing up and followed the traditional “get an education, get a good job” route. After obtaining two degrees and a career in business management, I decided to follow my passion. I never had intentions of releasing my material publicly; until one day, my cousin got into my car and tried to SHAZAM the song that was playing..(he had no clue it was me). This gave me the confidence to release my art to the world.

Raptology: Who would you say inspired you the most, as an artist?
OFFCOURSE: I take a lot of my inspiration from KANO, CHIP, WRETCH 32 and DRAKE; primarily for their raw honesty in their music and their phenomenal wordplay. I like rappers that can tell amazing stories through their wordplay.

Raptology: Tell us about your latest single ‘Address That’?
OFFCOURSE: ‘Address That’ is me having fun with music. This is the first time I haven’t over thought the lyrics or subject matter; which I typically do. The beat style is actually new for me as an artist and it forced me to be creative with my style of rapping and delivery. To me, its pure Hip-Hop, carried by a bass line that just slaps. I wrote the song in Paris and remember having a lot of things on my mind that i wanted to address. Hence the name.

Raptology: Talk me through the creative process behind the making of the track?
OFFCOURSE: I was working with Adotskitz (the producer) on a few tracks and I remember this beat was presented to me early on. It was a little different to what you hear now, but funny enough, I passed on it. A few months later, I was in Copenhagen and was playing a selection of beats to a close friend of mine. She heard that particular beat and her face lit up immediately. I listened again with fresh ears and I couldn’t believe i missed it! I was annoyed at myself. I sat on it for a while, then ended up writing to the song during a trip to Paris. I had no concept or idea in mind, i just rapped to see where it would take me. Because i had no obvious breaks or choruses in my lyrics, Adotskitz had to manipulate the beat and provide a bit of structure so the song stays interesting and dynamic. He then added the crazy instrumental at the end showcasing his beat making ability.

Raptology: How did the music video come about? What was it like putting it together?
OFFCOURSE: France was one of the first places that was open to tourists after 3 months of lock down and me and my friends needed to go somewhere! The concept of the video was a mixture between documenting my trip and meeting up with some friends as well as showing a different side to Paris, not just the traditional tourist type stuff i.e. Eiffel Tower. I wanted to be with locals, be in local corner shops, visit local restaurants and just have a great time. It was also great visiting my favorite sneaker store out there – Larry Deadstock.

Raptology: How has the current pandemic and lockdown affected your music plans this year and how have you been able to adapt?
OFFCOURSE: I had a tour planned for 2020, which had to be put on hold for obvious reasons, which was disappointing. Aside from that, creatively it has been great, as i have managed to write, record and release material consistently. I released more music within this pandemic period than ever before. Luckily I have all the recording equipment at home, so this helped.

Raptology: How would you describe the current state of UK rap and what do you bring to the table?
OFFCOURSE: The current state of UK rap is flourishing. It’s amazing to see so many artists, particularly rap artists achieve top charting status. Such as Nines, and more recently, Headie One. It’s also amazing to see how much influence our music is having on the world. However, my music is different to what is currently out there as it can be described as more traditional hip-hop/rap. There is emphasis on lyrics and subject matter in a lot of my material and it is not necessarily melody-driven. For the most part, my music requires you to listen carefully and think. It’s a conversation. I don’t think there is too much of that in the current state. Also, even though my lyrics contain braggadocio, there is always a conscious undertone/ a message.

Raptology: What’s the best advice you ever received and how has it impacted your life?
OFFCOURSE: The best advice that i have received in life is “everyone sees things differently. No one is right, everyone has a perspective”. Once I accepted that, life became a lot more easier to tolerate. Especially within music; in a space where everyone will have an opinion. Everyone thinks they’re right, everyone thinks they know what to do…but no, they all just have a perspective and everyone perspective should be heard and respected equally.

Raptology: What is still your biggest challenge as an artist?
OFFCOURSE: Finding that group of people that want to hear my type of music but cannot hear past the noise. The music industry is a saturated space, so finding your audience can be tricky. But when you do its fulfilling. But i enjoy gaining a fan one day at a time.

Raptology: Do you have a mantra you live by?
OFFCOURSE: Treat everybody like a genius. My friend AB gave me that…and honestly its an amazing thing to practice. You will stay sharp at all times if you never underestimate people.

Raptology: What would you have done differently if you knew then what you know now?
OFFCOURSE: Personally I would have saved for a house as soon as I started working if I knew what I know now! I also probably would have spent more time doing a competitive sport.

Raptology: What surprising lessons have you learned this year?
OFFCOURSE: Material things are meaningless. Not a surprising lesson, but it really hits home when you’re in lockdown with material items that have no use.

Raptology: If you could only listen to 3 albums for the rest of your life, what would they be and why?
OFFCOURSE: The Notorious B.I.G – Life After Death; 2Pac – All Eyes On Me; Drake – Scorpion. All double discs, so it’s technically 6 albums 😉

Raptology: Do you have a bucket list? If so, what’s on it?
OFFCOURSE: To visit every continent!

Raptology: What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered?
OFFCOURSE: I want my legacy to be a guy who put all of his energy into doing things that made him happy; sharing the knowledge, wisdom and lessons learned along the way with the next generation. I want to be remembered as a guy that contributed significantly and was successful in the UK Rap space without significantly deviating from his own lane, creating opportunity for others; whether in the form of a record label of management for emerging talent.