Toronto is in the midst of a cultural movement. The spotlight has shifted to our city and is now shining bright on its Toronto artists, illuminating a well-worn path for upcoming acts. There are more eyes on the city than ever before, with a growing interest in its hip-hop community. New artists are making their way to the forefront as opportunities to collaborate with other Toronto mainstays present themselves – Canadians who, rather fiercely, have flexed and honed their skills on the international stage. One artist in particular, by the alias TripSixx, has recently dropped his new EP ‘We Own the Night,’  garnering community-wide praise. We sat down with TripSixx to discuss his budding career and stance on Toronto's growing  hip-hop scene.

“I feel like once you have your heart set on something life does a bit of the work for you”

How do you perceive Toronto’s newly spotlighted hip-hop scene? Do you think artists such as Tory Lanez, The Weeknd, Drake, PND have paved the way for emerging artists?

I get pretty stoked thinking about the music scene in Canada in general. It's pretty obvious that all the artists mentioned above (as well as many others) have really laid down a foundation for artists all across Canada, at the same time giving Toronto its own musical identity. Toronto’s pretty rich in culture and I'm happy to see that culture being brought to the spotlight.  

What sparked your interest in music and how have you moved towards fulfilling this dream?

I can't really remember a time when music didn't play a role in my life. It's always been a large influence and I feel like part of me is just musically inclined or naturally drawn to music and the culture. I think my pursuit of music was always bound to happen in one way or another. How I began to move forward was by recognizing music as a definite goal and then slowly putting myself in a position or in the right atmosphere to accomplish the goal I had set for myself. I feel like once you have your heart set on something life does a bit of the work for you by sending opportunities across your path or connecting dots you didn't see previous to setting out to accomplish said goal. The rest is just execution and repetition.  

What does the concept of chasing your passion mean to you?

Just doing what you want and disregarding what people say or staying within the bounds of social norms. You should further yourself and achieve whatever you set your mind to. As long as you're not hurting yourself or anyone else in the process you should be living your life the way you want at all times. That idea could change later down the road but at the moment that's how I see it.

What are your general goals entering the new year?

I just wanna keep killing shit and keep pushing myself and the norms as an artist. This really ain't nothing to me, it's cool and all but I got a lot more in me and a lot more work to put in.

It was a wonderful experience getting to sit down and chat with an artist like TripSixx. He’s fairly new to the game, and is already backed by heavy hitters like OVO-signed Roy Woods. Through our conversation he has allowed us an insight into the inner-workings of Toronto's hip-hop scene which is  mind-blowing, Canada-strong and inspiring. Listening to the latest home-spun tracks evokes a national pride; this, undoubtedly, is our time to shine.

TripSixx has a very calm and collected demeanor about him mixed with a hint of quirk. He has a love for anime and Japanese culture, which you can find in some of his work. It was a pleasure to peak into his world, and as Canadians we couldn’t be more proud. Get ready, you’re going to be seeing his name everywhere, very soon.