Way More Than So-So
Behind the name soso hides one of the finest artists that have come out of the alternative hip hop scene in the last ten years. He might not be the most productive emcee out there, but everytime that he release something, you can count on it being extraordinary. So when he's just about to release Not for Nothing, his first album in 4 years, I made sure look him up and ask him some simple questions.
Could you please start off with telling us who you are and what made you into that awesome person that you are today? A brief background history that is.
My name is Troy Gronsdahl. I grew up in a-semi rural place near a pleasant little city in western Canada. I fell in love with hip hop in the pre-internet era through videos, magazines, and movies. I was a voyeur (and pretty ignorant in retrospect) but my love of the music really drove me to move from spectator to participant. I started dj-ing and making beats in 1995 and became active in the community as an organizer. Almost everything I've learned has been in the service of hip hop. I've met some really generous and sincere people and visited some wonderful places.
You are a multiple skilled artist and you have a lot of projects with your name on it and, if I understand it correctly, it all seems to be connected, can you tell us how?
I started my formal art studies at the same time as I was getting my feet wet in independent music. I think my studies helped me to think critically and my music and visual arts practice has grown over the past ten years or so. My work is usually based on personal experiences, family history, ideas of place and often deals with issues of an existential nature. I've always been trying to figure shit out. I'm actually starting a new graduate degree program in visual art and it will be interesting to see how my practice develops over the next couple years.
Since you are both making music and visual art it would be interesting to know what gets you started and maybe a bit of the process that you go through when you making music or/and art? What are your sources of inspiration?
Most of my songs reflect on my experiences and the songwriting process unfolds in a couple of different ways. Sometimes I'm working within a specific concept. For example, on the new album I was interested in using the drowning of a raccoon – the kind of banal violence of rural life – as a way to think about my family, the place I grew up, my relationship to nature, the mysteries of creation and certain anxieties around not knowing. When I start writing, I usually begin with a phrase or a couple of lines and build the song around that. If I'm not working within a specific concept, I find that the song takes shape during the writing process. One of the interesting things about writing raps, is that the need to conform the lyrics to a structure – finding words that rhyme or work well together – can lead you into an unexpected place.
Working on art is a similar process. I usually have a topic I want to explore and/or a medium or approach I want to work with. Sometimes I discover things through the process of making that helps develop the work – experimenting with an idea or a medium, responding to accidents in the studio or things that work. It's process of discovery.
How did it all begin, I mean artistically? Is either one of the creative skills more dominant than the other and if so, which one do you focus on the most and why?
The world of independent music was much easier to penetrate than the art world. Through the work I was doing in my local community – organizing shows, recording and releasing music, working with other artists –I felt like I was part of an international music community that shared my interests and values. Through a network of homie relationships and like minded artists I was able to produce and release my music, promote my work and tour across Canada and in Europe and Japan. I was largely self-sufficient and felt like I was contributing to the growth of independent hip hop. In the past few years I have definitely prioritized my visual art practice and have tried to adapt some of the strategies of my music practice into building an art practice – building relationships, working in the local community, striving to create good work and finding an audience for it.
When you have spare time away from your creative work, what do you like to do then? Any guilty pleasures perhaps?
I like to drink beer and kick it with the homies – it doesn't happen as much as it used to. I like to go to restaurants and travel when I can. I go on meandering bike rides with my girlfriend, cook, watch sports on tv. I like getting hair cuts and building things.
What are your hopes and wishes for your upcoming release, Not for Nothing?
I feel like I had something to prove to myself with this project. I'm really proud of the album and I hope some people get to hear it.
Maki is responsible for the productions on the new album. You guys have worked together before, but never on a full length album, how come you ended up doing it this time around?
I've always admired Maki's production. Part of my writing process is driven by the production and Maki provided me with such a great selection of beats to work with it made the writing process that much easier. He really kills it on this record – I think it's as much of his project as it is mine.
Will there be any form of touring following the record release, and if so where?
One of the challenges of being a rapper with a non-rap career is arranging for time off to tour. We've kicked around a few ideas with my pals at Kütu Folk Records and Endemik Music but we haven't made any concrete plans.
It’s been about 4 years since your last album; All They Found was Water at the Bottom of the Sea, that you released back in 2009 together with DJ Kutdown. How come it took this long for a new album to see the light of day?
I pretty much gave up any delusions I had of doing music full time after my last album. The past few years have been a transition time for me – building a career, buying a house, focussing a bit more on art. The transition was difficult at times, I was dealing with disappointment. I decided not to push myself too hard to write but work on it when I was inspired to do so. It wasn't until I had a handful of songs written that I made a more concerted effort. Maki has been really great in keeping this project moving. I owe a lot to that guy!
I’m a big fan of both you and Recyclone, and one of my favourite records in my collection is Stagnation and Woe that was released back in 2006. How did that album come about, and do you guys have any plans of future collaborations?
Recyclone has a really unique voice in independent Canadian hip hop. When I was trying to build my label and work with some other artists he was the first I wanted to approach. We connected through a mutual friend – the incomparable Pip Skid - and had a short but fruitful association. We never met in real life. Although we kinda fell out of touch, I still cheer for him.
Being Scandinavian I must admit that your real name, Troy Gronsdahl, is interesting. What kind of ancestry do you have?
I have Norwegian ancestry on my father's side of the family. We eat strange nordic delicacies at Christmas like lutefisk but I don't the speak the language. I'd love to visit there someday.
Shout outs? Final words?
It takes commitment from folks like yourself to keep independent hip hop thriving. If any of your readers enjoy my music please track down an album on Endshoppe.com or Kutufolk.com. Hearts!
Not For Nothing is released on June 10. The vinyl version can be found at Endemik Music. For you CD people, please check out Kütu Folk Records.
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