Born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, Ottawa rapper Dip Black spent his childhood moving frequently within Canada. That’s why, he says, “home is wherever I’m surrounded by music and loved ones.” It’s this love of music that has inspired him to become the artist he is today; meticulous in his craft, passionate about perfection…he knows what it takes to achieve greatness, and to create music that makes others feel alive. Dip Black’s music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and Soundcloud.
We caught up with Dip Black to discuss his new releases “My Line” and “Let Em Out”.
How did you get started as an artist?
It all started as an outlet for me to get my thoughts and emotions out, whether good or bad. I was drawn to the beats that I would hear in hip hop music but was also very drawn to the melodies in pop music and voices of R&B. As early as being a teenager I remember loving and being inspired by all types of music.
What are three things that define you as an artist?
I would say cadence, flow and bars would be the top three things that define me as an artist the most. Having a lot of energy has been a strength of mine no matter what I’m doing. As for flow, I’ve always found that the better a flow is to a song the easier it is to follow the song without knowing the words. Last but not least, bars. This is what brings everything together and separates a good artist from a great one: if you have cadence and flow, and if u can come up with great lines it makes for great music. I’ve always taken pride in being creative with what I’m writing so that it’s not boring… it’s always unexpected so my fans never know what’s coming.
You have two major projects that have been released/are set to be released. Tell us about “My Line” and the video that was released today for it. What’s the story behind the song? Who did you work with?
“My Line” is an amazing song that I worked on with my producer Quest. It was more of a public service announcement. “My Line “ was inspired by anyone who has wasted my time, intends to waste my time and any type of waste man activity. It’s also a reminder to focus on getting to your goals rather than letting people or things distract and lead you off course.
The video for “My Line” was shot by “Quest” and was directed by myself. Quest, who is also my full time producer/brother and founder of “Dreamland Studios” was amazing to work with as he understood and captured the grimy/scary movie type of video I was going for. I wanted to capture both the energy my rap along with a storyline. I couldn’t be more proud of both Quest and the video editor (John Henley aka @2jfilms) for making my vision come to life.
Tell us about “Let Em Out” that was released May 1. Where can people go to listen to it?
I am so proud and excited of “Let em out“ featuring Mischa and produced by Quest. This song is about any problems that you may face, whether it be drugs, alcohol, anger, sadness, stress, money, the rise to fame… It’s about bringing those demons to light and understanding them. I was blessed enough to work with Mischa on a song called “Dreamlanders Anthem” and couldn’t wait to work with her again. I was thrilled when she agreed to hop on this song and ecstatic once I heard the verse she had laid down. “Let Em Out” is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube and even TikTok! I highly encourage everyone to comment and let us know what you think.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in music?
I am honestly inspired by anything and everything. I try to take even the negative and see the light, so it’s hard to narrow it down. From my single mom who adopted and raised me, to my godchild and his parents, my manager, my brother and producer “Quest”, my girlfriend that puts up with me everyday and keeps me grounded, all my other friends and family… it’s a tough question to answer. I would say my biggest music influences besides friends, family and life experiences would be a wide variety of artists in three genres of music: hip hop, pop and R&B.
What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received in your career?
The best advice I’ve ever received was to work hard, stay humble and respect yourself and others. Also, that less is more.
What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during these times of quarantine?
These past few months have given me a lot of time to reflect and appreciate all the little things that I’ve taken for granted and really opened my eyes to the truest values of life. I have taken this opportunity to work even harder on songwriting, social media and reaching out to new people to speak with on the daily, and to stay connected with friends, fans, family, artists, producers and much more.
What’s next for you?
Next for me is finding new ways of doing things around this pandemic, like videos, albums and shows. There’s no telling how long this thing will last but I look forward to the challenge.
