Flexing is the default for plenty of rappers. But Scarborough rapper Portion has a penchant for far more vulnerable lines, forgoing chest thumping in favor of recalling how he idolized one of the closest members of his circle, Drake affiliate Anthony “Fif” Soares, wanting to be like him and “not be like me.” Fif’s passing proves to be one of many poignant points on Portion’s debut EP I Am Nothing Without, which also marks the long-grinding rapper’s first major label turn with Warner. Below, he tells us more about having that big label backing after years of indie hustling, paying tribute to his cohorts who passed on, and triumphing over the turmoil of the streets.
How does it feel to be releasing I Am Nothing Without?
I’m definitely excited. This is my first time putting out a project, either on an indie or a major. And it’s been a long time coming. There are a lot of different vibes and transitions and different styles of beats on this project that my fans haven’t heard from me before. So I’m interested to see the reaction to these new styles of production in my music, and just growing my fanbase overall.
You said this has been a long time coming?
Definitely. In 2017 I put out a song that was covered by Complex Canada. It was about my homie Fif, who passed away. I had a different style of music then that I was still building on, and finding exactly what I wanted to convey. All the fans that I built through my indie run have been waiting for a project like this new EP. Anyone that was my fan back in 2017, and has grown with me since, we’re ready to hear “Legends Don’t Die” and “Pray 4 Me,” from me. So it’s the perfect time for me to give this EP to the world.
After having that successful indie run, how was it signing to a major like Warner?
I still recorded everything myself. But it’s been helpful to have a team in your corner that believes in everything you’re’ doing. My indie grind was just me and my producer, and my cousin and my brother, just working on sounds. That was the team. I got used to that over time—managing myself, recording myself, and coming up with treatments for my videos. I was self-sufficient for a long time. So then it felt like the right time to partner with Warner, and see how far we can take it.
“I’m at a point in my career where I won’t just put out pain music, but also reflect that I’m happy and progressing. I want you to know that you feel all the pain, to get champagne.”
It reminds me of your triumphant lyric about your mom seeing you on TV screens.
It’s a different context now, but yeah. For the older generations, success meant being seen on TV. But to me, it meant my mom seeing me doing different things, like the billboard we did for “Wave,” and being like: “Whoa, my son is doing this.”
I really appreciate the benefits of doing this for your family, and for the better cause, and seeing that they’re happy. Her seeing me on these bigger platforms, doing interviews with big publications, and other things in this industry. She’s watched me from the beginning—taking the money I saved up and buying a mic and a computer, and putting everything together myself. She’s seen me manifesting deals. To her, I’ve made it already.
But you haven’t always felt that way? You have a lyric on the album’s opening track, “Dreams Moneyy Can Buy,” about not wanting to be like yourself.
That was actually a line about me wanting to be more like my homie, Money, who passed away in 2015. But yes, I was having a hard time figuring out who I wanted to be. I was always inspired, not by rappers but people around me—my brother, Money, my cousin. Now I’m starting to gain popularity in the rap game, and people want to be like me, and I’m comfortable in my own skin and where I am in terms of how much work I’ve put in, and how much I’ve built.
A lot of people are looking for someone to look up to. But sometimes you have to dig deeper and see your own best qualities. Part of the reason I record myself is because studios were saying they’d only book me one day a month, and that’s not enough time. So I knew I had to believe in myself and not expect people to believe in me.
I just saw my nephews on Thanksgiving, after coming home from L.A. The feeling I got from them coming through the door is amazing—all the attention and the love, not only because I’m doing big things, but because they look up to me. I’m starting to feel that now, and wanted to put it in the music. Especially in the title track—I want you to feel both the pain and the celebration. I’m at a point in my career where I won’t just put out pain music, but also reflect that I’m happy and progressing. I want you to know that you feel all the pain, to get champagne.
Your song “Wave” seems to be a prime example of that. Its production is so triumphant.
It definitely has a celebratory vibe. Toward the end it gets darker, though. That’s just the pain in there. But I wanted the production to overall feel like a moment of winning. “Hella Clean” is another one about winning—I’m rapping about being good, and how my life is balanced.
At the other end of the spectrum, you have the aptly named “Lost All Faith.” How did it feel to write its darkest lines, like the one about your young friend “still in the hood, he’s servin’ fentanyl”?
I’ve seen a lot of people battling in the streets or battling addiction. They’re falling into the same harmful patterns, and we’ve been going through this for years. So it’s important for me to touch on things like that. I sprinkle that in, without getting too preachy.
The rest of that song is about losing my homie, and about losing faith because of all the pain you go through. That can make you lose faith or gain more. I lost all mine at a certain point, but am starting to gain it back, and understand my purpose and how it is important to be a support system for my family.
Lyricism aside, how did the production on this album bring out the best in you?
I wanted it all to flow from top to bottom. My favorite two instruments to rap over are piano and guitar.
Really? Not drums?
Yeah. Reminiscent of Roddy Rich’s “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial.” A little bit of Travis here, of Baby there. I wanted it to be a very musical project overall. And you can tell that by the intros and outros and transitions if you listen carefully. I’m very serious about how I want my music to come across. I just focus on giving all of me and bearing all of my pain and triumphs on this project. Listening to this project, I want you to know how it feels to take pain and turn it into a win.
Stream I Am Nothing Without below.
