Pride in the name of hip hop
Sabo Forte calls his latest, Shiners, ‘one of the best’
If you want to understand how Robey Stothart views the world and his place in it, you can listen to his latest album under his rap name, Sabo Forte, called Shiners.
If, however, you want to know his view of hip hop and his place in it — more specifically his place in the local hip-hop scene — then you can ask him about his latest album, Shiners.
“I honestly think it’s one of the best Alberta hip-hop albums of all time,” Stothart says matter-of-factly while sipping an outside pint on the Ship & Anchor patio. “And I’m going to say that.” He just did. And he did so not as your typical rap braggadocio, not as a way to mark his territory, disparage this region’s other MCs or even get some conversation or controversy out there leading up to Shiners’ release this Saturday at Local 522.
He did it because he truly believes it. And also because the record, his third, is one that he’s particularly proud of and particularly proud to let represent him and the other talent that’s currently calling this province home.
The record, a collaboration with Juno-nominated artist and beat provider Fresh Kils, is a professional and polished statement of skill from this, previously perceived, redneck of the woods. It features Sabo, Edmonton rapper KazMega, E-town producer Nato Down, and fellow Calgary MC Bedroc Ox more than holding their own with Eastern counterparts Ghettosocks, Montreal ska man Howie Woiwod and Kils, one half of the hip-hop duo The Extremities.
“I wanted to not focus on making a Calgary album but making a Canadian album,” Stothart says of the record. “I wanted to show Fresh Kils and Ghettosocks and everyone else in Toronto that there’s top quality MCs in hip hop (in Alberta). And I don’t even feel cocky saying that ... especially with this album. I’m so proud of this album.” Again, it is well-placed pride. Stothart has spent the past decade-plus honing his lyrical skills and finding his voice, and Shiners gives him the proper pulpit from which to be heard.
The music, especially, lets him work his wonders, with real, clean, jazzy samples provided by Kils, to whom he was introduced by Dragon Fli Empire’s DJ Cosm.
Stothart populates those songs with a positive outlook represented by everything from cool cultural references (see the song Reggie Hammond, a taste of an upcoming EP he’s working on with Bedroc Ox titled 48 Hours) to tracks such as Little Cloud Maker, an anti-bullying anthem about being resilient in the face of opposition, and The What Now, which is about “embracing your crazy” and of which he says, “I almost want to call it my pop song.”
Actually, there’s a great deal on the record with crossover appeal and potential, which also, in its own way, brings us back to Sabo Forte’s place in the local hip-hop scene. As Sabo Forte, as a member of the band Blist or even in the world of slam poetry, he’s created an audience for his work that stretches beyond the traditional hip-hop realm.
“It’s always an insult and a compliment when someone comes up to you after a show and they’re like, ‘I don’t like hip-hop but I loved your set.’ ”
He laughs. “I don’t know if that means I’m doing it right or wrong. But whatever. Music’s like ice cream — there’s so many different flavours and every one tastes different, right?”
And as he gets set to drop his best work on the world, Stothart is just glad he’s doing it in what many are calling the Ben & Jerry’s of music in this country, if not North America, with so many flavours to offer and all of them quality.
“I remember 10-15 years ago searching for other Calgary bands or artists, MCs, rappers I liked and it was always a short list, less than five. And now I can think of more than 10 people that I have huge respect for and think are export ready and can travel the world for free off their music,” he says.
“Dare I say Cowtown is the next Seattle, but it kind of feels that way to me. I don’t know, call it Cayattle.”
That, in itself, is an inspiring thing, he says. Just the fact that he’s part of something bigger and better.
He admits it’s helped him up his game knowing that, and he thinks Shiners is not only a testament to that, but also something that can further it. “You want to do good for (the rest of the scene) as well, you want to match what everyone else is doing,” he says.
“It’s not so much a chip on my shoulder because I want to be better than them ... I do say that this is one of the best albums Alberta has seen for hip hop. I’ll say it again.
“But by the same token, when I say ‘best’ it’s more of a realization that I found my voice and no one can do what I do. That doesn’t necessarily make me the best but I know that it’s unmatched, you know? And that’s what makes me excited.”