L.A.-based producer/DJ Clayjay and Toronto rapper TOBi originally met online, but after meeting up in L.A. this summer the two have developed a creative bromance and have worked on a steady stream of music while touring the west coast together in support of SG Lewis.
"Ride" is the first collaboration between the two creatives and this one stemmed from Clayjay's obsession with sound design, a densely layered combination of clattering sounds and heavy drums for TOBi to tap-dance over. “My love for film started at a pretty young age and I think this is largely due to my dad, who has been in the film industry for over 35 years,” says the 21-year-old. “I always love how a perfect movie score can be the sole factor in making a movie a masterpiece. For me, music and sound effects are what mainly gives the viewer such a deep emotional response to the film and I hope to create that same kind of atmosphere within my production.”
“My production process usually begins with finding a strange sound that you would never expect to fit into a song,” says Clayjay. “I almost view it as a challenge to take the weirdest sounds I can think of, and make them seamlessly fit into my production. This could mean turning something into a percussive sound or finding something with more of a pitch to it and turning this into a playable instrument.”
TOBi's fresh off of having a song featured in the season two finale of Insecure (“Hidden Fences”) and launching the lead single from his upcoming project All Day. “Ride” showcases his versatility as a rapper and singer.
Speaking on the record, the Toronto rapper stated, “Just after turning nine years old, I had one month to say my last goodbyes to my friends, family, and neighbours in Nigeria before moving to Canada....The only place to find peace was in my rhyme books, which I’ve kept to this day. Isolation and brewing issues lead to a bout with depression and anxiety in my teenage years. Music gave me wings throughout this process and my love for all forms of life blossomed as I completed my undergraduate degree in biology.”
Check out the new record below.
