Juno nominee Clairmont The Second’s unconventional beats, provocative lyrics and self-production are uncompromisingly independent.
On Mar. 29, the rapper brought his maverick performance to Clark Hall Pub, proving an unstoppable force to be reckoned with as he won over even those who initially appeared apprehensive to dance along to his music.
Despite being only 20, Clairmont is no stranger to pushing himself and the people around him. The independent rapper has had five full-length projects each year since 2013, and shows no signs of slowing down.
He jumped across the stage on Thursday night, urged the audience to bounce, wave their hands and even follow his lead with a hand sign to coincide with lyrics from his song “Wezide” about his hometown in the west side of Toronto.
This is a consistent lyrical theme for the artist. Clairmont draws from all aspects of his life, offering a deeply personal insight into his thoughts and emotions. His faith also remains a consistent lynchpin in his lyrics.
“Church, I talk about church. I talk about God a lot. I talk about what I see; I talk about what I don’t want to see. I talk about not wanting to be involved with certain things that are negative, coming from an area that we’ve grown up in, there’s a lot of gang-affiliated things or criminal activity that I just don’t want to be a part of,” Clairmont said to The Journal.
He explained he’s motivated by a positive, supportive and cultivating sibling rivalry with his brother and current manager Cola, who is a member of punk rock group, The OBGMS.
“There’s always a rivalry but it’s not as rival as people may think,” Clairmont said of his relationship with his brother.
This relationship and partnership is the result of a matching work ethic and goal-driven mentality. Clairmont’s surrounding team are equally familiar with each other’s work, offering criticism and praise freely.
These collaborators include Beee and Hezi, who joined Clairmont’s performance.
Beee is Clairmont’s cinematographer and DJ, also filming the rapper’s self-directed music videos. Together, they create an electric, larger-than-life experience for the audience.
Aiming for an experience like that of a stadium tour, major music festival or movie, Clairmont strives to deliver only the very best to his fans.
Clairmont performed “Old Clothes” alongside best friend and fellow Toronto rapper Hezi at Clark Hall on Thursday, a song showcasing Clairmont’s lyrical style.
“R&B, gospel, churchy, stank-face chords, infused with rap, very, very disrespectful hard rap lyrics,” Clairmont said when describing his lyrical and musical style. The artist says he only releases work that’s true and inspired from real life, never tainted by outside opinions or influence. His focus always seems to be on improving and moving forward, never dwelling on the past or what goes wrong.
“My whole career has been ‘be patient,’” Clairmont said. Having five full-length projects out already at such a young age, Clairmont knows success comes with hard work and passion which proved to be correct this year with his Juno nomination for 2018 Rap Recording of the Year.
On the Juno Red Carpet, Stingray Radio called Clairmont the “Golden Boy of Hip Hop.” In response to this, he was shocked and gracious, but in full agreement. He took this compliment as encouragement and aims even higher for the future.
“It’s going be golden boy then it’s going be king,” Clairmont said, determined to make his mark as not only a Toronto rapper, but as the king of rap.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to get this. Like my brother says, ‘we’re out for blood this year.’”
Tags
Clark Hall, Hip-Hop, Juno Awards
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