Aligo - 10 Questions + Magic Words (Single)

Cementing himself as a serious one to watch over the past year, Candian rapper Aligo now drops “Magic Words”, the lead track from his upcoming self-titled debut EP, ‘Aligo’.

The lo-fi hip-hop production from Dan Diggas (Mahalia and SG Lewis), provides the perfect canvas for Aligo to reveal his vulnerability for a love interest. Admitting early inspirations from household names including J Cole, Dave and Kendrick Lamar, Aligo’s storytelling approach and honesty in lyricism brags similarities to those musical legends.

Aligo sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer are infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

Limewire and illegal mp3 downloads is the era that I grew up in. Lol I remember watching BET music videos after school and being the drummer in my high school band growing up, my parents never had the Prince or MJ playing in the background while I was young like most stories but I was definitely out looking for influences on my own. My favourite part about my start was that it wasn't part of my plan, I loved basketball and when I moved to Norway and figured that dream probably wouldn't happen I ended up just supporting other people and their aspirations. From coaching ball to supporting people in the studio I was just trying to be a helping hand, until one day my friend couldn't make it to the studio and we had free time, my friend "Fiix" our engineer told me to just try something out and from there we never stopped creating.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

I definitely want to work with Anderson .Paak, definitely Thundercat, definitely Tyler the Creator, Steve Lacy, Snoh, Smino, Amine, I can keep naming people haha. I mean there's the Jay Z’s and Frank Ocean’s and the producers that would change my life like Hitboy or Pharell, but I think I look for the artists that try to take the unconventional route, that do things differently than the trend so much so that they create it. For example as a rapper I don't swear in my music, and it's not because I'm afraid of it, it's because I try to challenge myself to articulate my thoughts fully. And also a side note, true instrumentation in music is still important.

3. What are some of the problems you have faced making and releasing the music during the coronavirus pandemic?

I think finding content for social media when you're cooped up in the house or wearing a mask all the time becomes strenuous but in a way I think my music works well for the pandemic era. Don't get me wrong this is a gruelling time and we all want out but music still gives life a pulse and we need it. So for those chill days at home, I've got some chill laid back vibes for you to quarantine to.

4. How would you describe your sound?

There's a playlist on Spotify we landed on recently that is pretty spot on; Free Form. It's hard to pinpoint it now, I would say early on in my career it was definitely jazz and 90s rap influenced boom bap, which changed to more modern 808s beat driven hip hop. Which smoothed out to alternative R&B and then found some electronic stuff in there as well. I pull from all of it and try not to be predictable at all. The artists and producers have met & worked with tons of artists, most with bigger careers than mine, but I think what draws them to me is the way I put things together, its quite unique but at the same time familiar. Hmm, I'll have to come up with a solid answer for this question next time but for now I'll leave it at that.

5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

I think it's a tie between releasing my first ever EP in 2018 that we called ‘Canvas’ or seeing my Dad in the crowd of my show. He was what they call a 'silent-supporter' in the beginning, wanting me to finish school and all that jazz but I think when he saw the amount of people that were invested in his son's art, he decided he wanted to see it for himself. I didn't know he was there until after the first song, he pops up from behind my friend and shows off this huge smile while holding his camera phone and I still remember forgetting my little skit and just saying to the crowd "oh shit my Dad is here". That was a good day.

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

I have a few actually;

- Do it with your whole heart, this isn't for the weak-hearted so you'll find out how much you can actually take.

- Every time you surprise yourself will feel better than when you surprise others.

- Patience, only do something when you feel ready and nothing else is in the way.

- Try to get better, research, take criticism (from those who actually care) and constantly try to improve, they'll notice.

7. Are there any artists on your radar at the moment that we should check out?

Well, my team of course, Marie, J Warner, Dan Diggas are always putting out great music and we will continue to do so together. Young boys from Canada like Yardboy K, EZ Miessi, and even Golflamingo from Norway, Kevy Press and Lindasson from Canada too. But if you haven't come across Conor Albert and Linda Diaz as well, they are great artists that I'm genuinely excited about for the future.

8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?

The new Ghetts album, some old Childish Gambino at the moment. Griselda is a favourite too. Just trying to spread out the genre's a little. My project with Marie Dahlstrom called 4InARow is also really growing on me post-release if that makes sense.

9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?

I really like cooking right now. I mean I can game and rinse movies as much as anyone but I'm at this phase right now where I'm just in love with the process of preparing semi-gourmet/restaurant style meals at home. Learning techniques and the process itself just feels like music to me for some reason. Well the art of it is similar but cooking has a more instant final product & reward.

10, Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?

Notes on my Iphone, an 'I don't care what direction this goes' attitude, and someone to hear it when we're done.

Magic Words is out now on all streaming platforms.