In grade six, Corey Charron performed for the first time at his school’s talent show in Orleans. Fast forward to now, and his audience has grown. He’s a cast member on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out, and plays a role in Eminem’s movie, Bodied. His battle rap has taken significant notice, and he has built up a loyal fan base for his creative and comedic improv. Corey shed some light on his journey into this industry, and caught us up on all the projects he has in this coming year.
You got into battle rap in your early teens. What inspired you to start?
I’m gonna have to give the cliche answer for a white rapper. I saw 8 Mile when I was young and was definitely inspired by Eminem. I was never really good at sports, but battle rap drew me in because it was something that anyone could do as long as you have a voice. It had no limitations for who could do it. I performed “Lose Yourself” for my grade six talent show and since then, I kept toning my craft and freestyling. In high school I started doing organized battles and people started to take notice of me on Youtube.
How was your experience playing the role of Billy Pistolz in Bodied, the American battle rap comedy/drama film co-produced by Eminem?
It was really cool. We actually filmed it in July 2016. There was a bunch of people in the movie that I was a fan of, and battle rappers that I was friends with so it was a great experience. It was my first time acting and doing a speaking role. When I originally did it, I didn’t know Eminem was on board because he wasn’t on set, but he helped with a lot of things behind the scenes. The fact that I got to be in a movie that was co-produced by Eminem was something I could’ve never dreamed when I started.
What has been your favourite part about being a cast member on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out?
My favourite part would be interacting with all the celebrity guest hosts. To name a few, Marlon Wayans, Wiz Khalifa, Marshmello, it’s just cool to see how down to earth and humble some of these big name celebrities are. We just forget when we see people on TV and the radio, we just think that they’re some bigger than life star but they’re all just normal people. Just the fact that I got to work with a lot of people I’m a fan of and seeing how cool they actually are was my favourite experience.
You just returned to rap in the King Of The Dot entertainment league, battling in the Decade show on December 9th. How does it feel to be back with KOTD?
It was good, I battled Jimz from Queens, NY. I hadn’t done an official battle like that for just over a year, but it was really humbling. Great experience to come back and there was a lot of people that turned out at the event. It had a lot of new and old fans, it was just really cool. The battle went really well, and they don’t judge it but most people were saying I had a really great performance.
You have also been in the studio recording a new single. What can fans expect from you?
I recorded my latest single with JRDN, and it will be coming out early 2019. I took a hiatus from music to focus on battle rap and Wild ‘N Out, but I feel good to be putting out some new music again. It’s a step up from my old stuff, I’ve evolved as an artist so I’m looking forward to releasing it and hearing what people have to say about it.
Do you still spend a lot of time here in Ottawa? What are your favourite things to do in the city?
Ottawa is still home base for me. It feels good to be back home, and I’ll be taking a much needed break and enjoying the holidays with family and friends before things pick up in the New Year again. I definitely like going downtown Ottawa, and I’m from Orleans so Jonny Canuck’s is kind of my place. I just like hanging out with friends while I’m home.
What’s next for you?
Likely a couple more battles in January and March in England and Australia, and MTV’s Season 14 will probably be filming around March. Looking to put out some more music, more battles, and just more content for everyone.
