Goliath Paw (Ottawa, Canada) – Q&A Interview

Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? How long have you been making Hip Hop.

I was born in Africa and came to Canada at the age of three. Grew up in a very small town in Ontario until my family moved to the city of Ottawa when I was in grade four. It was there that I started singing in my school and church choir up until high school, where I got into hip hop and began rapping, forming a group called PropAway with some friends. After high school I moved away to attend college and then university. While at school I stopped rapping/recording but continued to write. Upon graduation I moved back home to Ottawa, picking up where I left off and haven’t looked back since.

What influences you in making Hip Hop?

Everything around me is an influence. I’m a story teller. From situations in my life to the world economy and everything in between.

Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?

Nicknamed Mr. Rock Pop & Hip hop, my music overlaps these genres. You will get the main hip hop vibe as I rap on all my songs. The beats and my personality however is what sets me apart from other MCs. Upbeat, high energy, lots of different sounds and instruments paired with word play, singing and my ability to switch up my voice and tones. Its something that you got to hear to really take in.

Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?

I just released my first industry music project titled “Canary In A Coal Mine” on Feb. 28/14. There are no features on it as I wanted to show off my skill and sound so that listeners can get a firm grasp on the type of artist I am.

Artists I would love to collab with in the near future would be local industry artists here in Toronto such as JD Era and Michie Mee. Drake, T.I, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown and Flo Rida are artists I would like to collab with in the future.

Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

I would describe “Underground Hip Hop” as a sub genre of “Hip Hop” because it steers away from the general commercial sound that is played on the radio and marketed to the masses. Underground Hip Hop is mostly made up of independent artists signed to independent labels or no label at all and the songs usually have positive socially conscious lyrics.

Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production?  And who would you like to work with?

My influences in terms of production are club type, up tempo beats. If the beat doesn’t immediately grab my attention in the first 10 seconds then I’m not interested. I strongly believe that the beat of a song has just as much importance to the listener as the lyrics being heard.

On my EP “Canary In A Coal Mine” the production was done by five different producers. They are all notable in their own right, have sold to a number of super successful musicians and have had their work featured in movies, video games and tv shows.

Producers  – Marcus Kane, Superstar O, SupaCrankIt, Industry Rejectz, Sinima Beats.

Producers I would like to work with in the future would be Swiss Beats, Timbaland, Mike Will Made It, and the Neptunes.

Any current or future projects you are promoting?

At this time I am not promoting any future projects as I just started promoting my current EP “Canary In A Coal Mine” but I continue to write new songs all the time.

Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of BURIED ALIVE (Video)? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover for Canary In A Coal Mine EP.

My latest single “Buried Alive” is about falling for the girl you never expected to fall for. In the video you are shown the relationship between myself and the model as an everyday loving couple. It starts by showing the viewers an argument between the two of us and then leads into the story line of us first meeting each other, hanging out, making love, and doing other couple related activities. By the end of the music video the viewer is shown a phone call from my ex girlfriend which started that huge fight at the beginning of the video.

On my album cover art I am shown holding a lantern while emerging from a dark area, smoke all around me with dead canary birds on the ground. The name of the EP is “Canary In A Coal Mine” a phrase which means “Warning” or “Arrival of Danger”. Its origins come from the story of miners who would take caged canaries with them into the tunnels. When deadly carbon gases leaked into the mines the canaries would die first thus acting as a warning to exit the tunnels. On the cover of my EP you can see that the smoke is actually the dangerous carbon gases and those dead canaries are from the miners (Rappers) who have already exited the tunnel (Rap Game). I (Goliath PAW) serve as the “warning” that my intentions are to takeover the game with a new unique sound/style.

Where can we find your music and info?

Any shout outs?

I want to give a shout out to my manager Gevoni Thomas, the man who makes this all possible. My parents for teaching me the value of hard work. My friends and fans who continue to support me. To all other artists, no matter the genre, always go above and beyond what is expected of you and you will reap the rewards!