Downtown Toronto-based artist Patrik returns to the conversation with his new 90’s infused single “Common.”
Produced by DreamLife, and joined by Los Angeles’ own Breana Marin, the song takes you through the ups and downs of an everyday individual. The single communicates the fact that regardless of who you are or where you come from, we all share a common goal of being forced to struggle through the process.
In describing the new record Patrik says:
“Common is about the way we all look at the hustle, going through the good, bad and all the efforts to get what we want or where we want to be. All these we have in common, however, some will sell their souls for it, others won’t.”
Patrik is gearing up for the release of his upcoming EP Spadina, which is due in mid-September. I had the opportunity to sit down with the buzzing rapper to speak about the EP, his come up and what he’s working on next.
Q&A: Patrik
HipHopCanada: Now, before we get into it, I must ask for those who might just be discovering your music. How did you get your start?
Patrik: It’s hard to pinpoint that exact moment. I’d say when God thought it was time, he gave me the confidence to create music and take my content seriously. Whenever that happened, specifically, that’s when it started.
HipHopCanada: What was your process and approach when putting together the upcoming EP?
Patrik: I wanted to create a body of work that was relative but also personal. Some pieces of this EP only Torontonians might understand, at first glance, but the world will relate to the content. A lot of young women/men will find familiarity in what I’m expressing and the way it’s being described. So I had to feel all those little things that made my experiences so special growing up on Spadina, the good and the bad.
HipHopCanada: I had the chance to listen to the new single “Common,” which seems to touch on the hustle. What has been some of your biggest challenges coming up in the Canadian music industry?
Patrik: Networking with industry personnel who are solely focused on creating artist budgets and not the actual music. You need to do both.
HipHopCanada: What inspired your new record?
Patrik: My manager, Troy Harmon. He hadn’t heard me freestyle in a while, so I went in the studio, asked Amit to play the beat and I spoke of what came instinctually. Hustle is something you want to do, not forced to do and freestyling to me is less forced than writing.
HipHopCanada: What should the hip-hop community in Canada be looking forward to from you?
Patrik: The Spadina EP. I think a lot of people are going to enjoy the ride the sounds are going to take them on. But for now, “Common” will do. I’ll be dropping a few visuals as well.
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Written by Remi Louis Harris for HipHopCanada