The first single from Stephen Hero and Brydon Crain’s “alt-rap Saint John poetry” collaboration has arrived.
Matt Carter
There’s magic in collaboration: sharing ideas, expanding concepts, making new discoveries. These principals are especially exciting when the artists involved are already known for their unique approach to creating music that’s equal parts challenging and rewarding.
Over the past winter, Saint John hip hop artist Stephen Hero and Motherhood’s Brydon Crain began working on some ideas mixing Hero’s streetsmart poetry and humour with Crain’s beautifully slanted approach to melodic progression, all under the guise of an unassuming rap album.
“We started working on some songs during the winter months and as time has passed we’ve come to realize we’re making alt-rap Saint John poetry set to eerie samples with minimalist drums and atmospherics. Think, if Alden Nowlan had grown up listening to MF DOOM,” said Hero.
‘Screw Loose’, the project’s first single, follows its own path in an expectedly demanding way. Hero’s vocals enter at the same time as the vocal sample Crain uses to construct a major part of the song’s melodic theme. A vocal on vocal is usually a poor choice but in this case, the sample’s sung melody provides momentum while creating a calming contrast to Hero’s dizzying barrage of flatlined thoughts and monotone storytelling. Together the pair offer an interesting take on the form we’ve come to expect from hip hop music. It’ll be interesting to see where this project goes.
‘Screw Loose’ is the first of six new tracks expected to roll out over the coming months, each paired with a found footage music video that serves to reinforce the project’s underlying mystique and minimalist mood.
Stephen Hero | FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP
