Step into the world of Jr. Rhodes, a rising hip-hop star from Canada in the music scene. With a distinct sound that defies conventions, Jr. Rhodes is making a powerful impact. In this exclusive interview, we uncover the essence of his musical journey.
Who would have thought that music recordings with friends in a basement would give birth to a musical star? Much more, who would have thought that a musical icon’s name would pop out on the spot in a basement. This is the story of the musician whose claim to fame is Jr. Rhodes.
Growing up, Jr. Rhodes said that he was always like a nerd who likes studying hiphop and listening to hiphop. When he began making his own music, he said that it was more of a passion project than him taking it seriously.
It was not until the time when he started putting out his music that people encouraged him to do so and because of that, it was only around 2016 that he formally began his own music.
When asked about his musical influences, Jr. Rhodes had this to say: “I was big on to Nas, Logic, Troy Ave”. But now he said that he listens to “a lot of smaller guys” saying that he felt like “the real authentic music is coming from the underground right now like just the artists that haven’t broken into mainstream yet”. He added that a lot of his inspiration in music come from Kendrick Lamar and JID.
While he said that he is not always a hundred percent inspired all the time to make a whole album, he said that he keeps his mind engaged musically whether by just mixing songs for the people or being around artists. In that way, it keeps him pushing from the dull moments and makes him think creatively and try new ideas. But whenever he creates a song, he always starts off with a production and rarely start off writing.
“I definitely look for the production aspect first.”
He said that he tries to “think what I want the listeners to feel or what I wanna feel rather than what I’m trying to say”. He also tries to “bring in aspects of jazz or experimental music in some sort”. This he said that it is because he listens to an abundance of music and that he is not afraid to “strain to different genres, or try to have some pop influence, or try to have some R&B influence, or jazz influence”.
However, when he made his album named “Color of Aura”, he just started from a blank. For him, it has been a long time coming and he knew what he wanted to do with the album before he even began writing it.
As our conversation with Jr. Rhodes concludes, his music and passion linger in the air. Keep an eye out for his journey in the music world, where he’s sure to touch hearts and souls with his evolving talent.
