We arrived at The Open Air Gallery just after Onoe Caponoe & crew arrived to set up. With spray paint fresh in the air we immersed ourselves in Onoe’s creations in the gallery, ranging from prints, posters, action figures, clothing, his own book, photography & graffiti pieces sprayed on the walls.

We also bumped into fellow High Focus Records member Ed Scissor who spoke to us briefly about how he helped with the book and the organising the event. Sleep’s Cousin got to sit down with Onoe for Wordplay Magazine and have a lengthy chat:

SC: So first off, can you give us a little bit of backstory as to what’s going on here? The artwork on the walls, we got posters, we got graff, we got photography, we got books & action figures on sale out front. What’s going on man?

OC: I don’t even know what to say. Basically, it’s an art exhibition of mine, I guess, encompassing everything I’m trying to do. So of course, the album just came out. I wanted to start making books, so I have been working on a lot of the graffiti in the book for the past 2 years, but the thing I’m most excited about the book is that I did a little bit of writing and I really enjoyed it. I’m mad dyslexic so it was a shock to me to spend nearly all my time writing, so I dunno I made the book and made the toy.

SC: How long have you been making visual art? Longer than you’ve been making music?

OC: So in my book; I’m gonna be sat here the whole time saying “well, in MY book *laughs*”. Maybe like the last, fucking like, 10 pages or something are all photos of art I made as a little kid doing graffiti, since like 12-13.

SC: So you’ve been writing from young?

OC: But yeah when we were kids, up until about 15 I was graffing but I was gonna go to prison for it. Coz when we were kids it was really more on some, not quite gang shit, but very very violent. If you wanted to start doing graffiti people would test you and fuck up your shit, then after 2 years of being fucked with their like “alright you really want it you’ve proved yourself”. So it wasn’t a good vibe at all, I loved it and did it every day but it was very negative and ended up doing a lot of fucked up shit because of it.

So it’s nice now developing my shit and incorporating other art into it. I’m not a graffiti artist and I’m not tryna’ be a graffiti artist.

SC: How old are you now, for reference?

OC: 169

SC: Have you always had these characters in your graffiti?

OC: No not at all, this stuff is kinda an incorporation of my illustration stuff mixed with graf. I’ve probably been doing it for around 8-10 years now. But 10 years ago it was shit, I’ve been trying to develop my shit and since I’ve been happy with it I’ve been focused on trying to bring that to life.

SC: What’s made you latch on to cats in such a way? Is there any cat-based scoop you can give us?

OC: Yeah so, when I was young I got bit by a cat, na I’m just joking. Na there’s this girl that said to me “oh for the past year I’ve thought your name was Onoe Cat Porno” and I just thought it was funny. I dunno, in life we can do so much shit and a lot of it comes from a joke and as I continue with it, I dunno if I’m looking into it too deep but these things end up having, like, crazy meanings. Like at first I just went by Onoe since I was like 13, and now we’re here. Especially if you stay on the right kinda vibe of being open and tryna create shit that’s dope, you can feel like you’re lost and you’re wasting your time but if you stick to it eventually those paths gotta go somewhere, you know?

SC: So with the graff and everything aside, we’re here for the album launch of Concrete Fantasia. Can you give me some of the story of the album?

OC: With my albums, especially the past 3 including Concrete Fantasia, there’s a story but it’s a very abstract story. So, there might be an idea I have when I’m doing it but I make sure to somehow, I dunno it just comes out super abstract, and that gives space for the freedom for whoever listens to it to either just enjoy it or come up with their own shit or feel like it means this or that, when that’s even really not even the case. But that’s an important thing now with my music for people to make up their own assumptions, but, the formula for this album was, so, Surf or Die & Invisible War we’re very straight up. So I literally just been telling the story of my life a couple years after that and it’s all fucking true, but I was aware “right I’m making a different album now”. So to carry on telling the story but with a piece of art that’s interesting for the audience, I need to put a different spin on some of the stuff.

A good example is with Cheshire Cat, so it is about a woman that I know in real life who I care about, and she’s just kinda losing it a bit. So it is a letter to her telling her to sort her shit out, in a loving way. But then I don’t wanna just write a simple song and putting it in the world of the album comparing it to a Cheshire Cat Alice in wonderland script just made it a bit more creative.

SC: I felt that on the track it definitely comes through that you’re addressing one specific person. But for me, interview aside it’s all about House on the Hill. That song bangs.

OC: I’m gassed at that trust me, I feel exactly the same. There’s a video, I’m still having to work on it but this video, it’s *chefs kiss* it’s the one!

SC: On this album you’re going here, there and everywhere as far as genres are concerned. We’ve got straight up HF hip hop, there’s drill, grime, chopped & screwed elements, singing. Are you working with one sole producer?

OC: Na, it’s basically a band. 5 producers that are my friends, we’ve worked together for a long time. Surf or Die was probably the first one with everybody and we all just understand each other, it’s a special thing, they’re all over the world like Russia, Australia, there’s only one guy from England. It’s 100% online.

SC: Have you met any of these people in person?

OC: Well Chris is from Iceland but we lived together when I lived in Berlin, we’re like proper best friends. We’re all like best friends coz this is all I care about. It wouldn’t be as good without them because these people are amazing.

SC: Any Favourite memories from making the album?

OC: You know what, making the shit has always been really fucked & quite depressing. I guess that’s where it comes from, so na it’s not fun making the shit especially when everyone around you is like “what the fuck are you doing”. Like, nearly everyone I know is like “why are you making another album” people are bugging man.

SC: But the positives are outweighing the negatives, yeah?

OC: Yeah, but obviously it is strange, like people that you know and people that you’ve got love for don’t fuck with it, you just gotta get the fuck away.

SC: I suppose people are gonna be how people are gonna be, but you have an art gallery and an album and an action figure and they don’t *laughs*!

OC: Yeah that’s the kinda vibe that I’m getting, like, why are you thinking like that you should compare your shit to what I’m doing.

SC: Something that interested me is that I'm an old school album listener. But how do you feel about releasing a concept album in a time of singles and playlists?

OC: Ah I couldn’t give a fuck man, I really don’t care. I like all sorts of music but what I really look to is 60-80’s, sonically more 80’s I’m really really into that. But in the 70's or 60’s, you’ve got like, I don’t listen to much Iggy Pop but people like that. One of my biggest inspirations is someone called Gary Wilson but he’s on some mad shit, some rockstar shit. It’s just different how people carry themselves, I’m more on that sort of wave. I don't care what people are doing now but I do care about the music. In terms of rap stuff I only listen to American shit, a lot of drill shit from Chicago. Like chief keef, og kinda trap and drill beats, there’s a guy called Sam Seto who I listen to for beats. That’s what I like. Everything else seems kinda dumb but I do fuck with Quasimodo. That’s what I listened to growing up.

SC: I feel like it’s illegal to rap and not fuck with lord quas!

OC: You'd be surprised man I speak to people about it and they’re like “what?!”

SC: Speaking or American rappers & people that do things different. How did you bag that Lil B feature?

OC: Yeah so fucking random, he’s one of my favourite rappers definitely in terms of what you’re doing it has to be different. This is why I listen to rap music that’s being made now instead of older artists. I'm living now so I’m tryna do something new now. I mean, I fuck with that shit I’m not one of these people-, like, I’m a fan of that shit but like, hip hop, what are you bringing to the game. Anybody can pretend they’re Mobb Deep, take someone and lock them in a room for 5 years, by the end they could do some mobb deep type shit coz that’s what they’ve been working on. But not everybody can bring their flavor into the culture.

SC: With that different flavor, how would you describe your sound?

OC: I’d say it’s psychedelic rap music, it’s now turned into more gothic, avant garde.

SC: I hear that, there’s definitely something there that as a former emo kid I latched onto.

OC: with that it’s probably, I grew up on a proper active estate but when I was 11-12 I was into skateboarding, my favourite band was Korn. When you’re into something that young that shit is still in your heart, but at 12-13 & where I was living I had to stop coz people were trying to rob me everyday. Because of that I was so angry that I went the complete other way and running around on madness, but didn’t really want to. If I was living somewhere else I would have carried on listening to Korn, chilling. So I’m basically a little bit making up for that shit. One of my philosophies with my art is that I’m always thinking of myself as a kid, tryna make shit that he would like. And he’d be very proud of this shit.

I was saying to my boy on the way up here in the car, when I was young people, like friends, would say to me that there’s no other black people into rock music, why are you into this or that. I didn’t know about suicidal tendencies or any of that.

SC: Are you listening to anything more heavy these days?

OC: Na, I still listen to Korn sometimes. I listen to black sabbath and some older shit. But because I’ve been making the album, it’s more of a rap album. I’ve been listening to more than just rap.

SC: It’s more pallet-able to a “regular” rap fan for sure!

OC: That’s what I was trying, I didn’t know if it would be a good idea or not tho, but it seems like it’s been a good idea.

SC: Just got one more to sign it off if that’s cool? What are you listening to at the moment?

OC: Chicago drill shit, all the FBG guys, O Block shit, King Von. I don’t really like the singing shit like Lil Durk, shout out to him tho. I like rapping. King Von is amazing for story telling, but outta all that shit if you don’t know it’ll just sound like I’m a kid & tripping. But out of all the drill shit and American Shit cheif keef is fucking amazing, coz he really is on some experimental shit in that lane, like shit ain’t normal. Like all the uk shit the *imitates hi hats* like motherfuckers from Chicago don’t rap on that shit, like the drill beats they rap on is some big beats, some beat head shit. And that’s why I fuck with Sam Seto so heavy and everyone from that camp. That’s my shit, that’s what I’ve been listening to for the last few years.

*Thank you’s and we’re out*

We came back just after doors to see the same humble gallery from earlier now buzzing with people, music & mystery fruit punch. An excellent way to celebrate the launch of Concrete Fantasia.

Interview: @sleepscousinll

Photography: @lieu_music