Having been a hip hop performer/producer for most of his career, Toronto artist Silver, aka Solitaire, likes to inspire fans with his positive lyrical content. His upcoming album, The Departure, will continue to showcase this trademark along with his versatility and development as an artist.
“Because of the title, some people mistake this album as me leaving the hip hop game … I am a rapper, but I also write R&B. Recently, I have been writing a lot of rock and pop songs, so this album is a departure in terms of my approach to my music and what people primarily know me from.” The Departure blends traditional hip hop elements with rock, pop and alternative genres and styles. You can view his new single “Come True,” which features Kardinal Offishall, on his youtube channel.
An already established force in the Canadian music arena, in 2000 he cofounded, with Kardinal, the independent record label Black Jays. Producing many hip hop and R&B artists such as Glenn Lewis, Jully Black, Choclair, along with Kardinal’s hit “BaKardi Slang” and his own Juno nominated hip hop classic “Easy 2 Slip,” Silver has also collaborated with other elite artists including Lil Wayne, Estelle and Nina Sky.
With all this experience, he has seen first hand how hip hop culture has emerged over the years and its impact on the quality of current music. “When it first came out during the Golden Era, there was a heavier emphasis on the skill of the emcee, the talent of the producer and the lyrical ability of the artist. Now, the shift is on being a more marketable character, the music is secondary. Hip hop has really suffered at the hands of its own materialism.”
He’s got some words of wisdom for artists who are just breaking into the biz, “be true to who you are and what you want out of the music. If you want the fame and you want to be a character there’s definitely a blueprint for that. If you’re trying to be a conscious artist and be about positivity and have a real serious message just accept the fact that in the current climate, you won’t get fast media … that’s just the nature of the music right now.”
Positively influenced by many artists including Jay-Z, The Police, Cold Play, Stevie Wonder and Mos Def, he also feels that listening to the bad artists can be a good thing. “It’s just as important in knowing what you want to be, as knowing what you don’t want to be.” Silver adds, “I am a product of all my influences … this is where I am at.” The Departure’s much anticipated release will be early spring 2011.
For more info visit www.silvershouse.com