Engaging with fans
Unama’ki rapper releasing songs every two weeks
ESKASONI — An Unama’ki rapper is releasing a new song every two weeks to garner new fans because COVID-19 has halted touring.
Todd Googoo sees it as a different way to stay engaged with his fan base.
“We’re all warriors in our own way and fighting our own battles,” said Googoo, also known by his stage name, Shift from Tha 902.
The 25-year-old says touring is where he learns the most about his craft. While on tour he could get professional tips from other artists, network and sharpen his skills based on the crowd reaction to his live performances. Now, the hip-hop artist is forced to do everything from home.
“Most of my tracks are recorded from my bedroom and quality isn’t up to the best standards but I’m just trying to get the music out,” said Googoo, a We’koma’q member now living in Eskasoni.
He believes it’s an effective method so far. Googoo has released a new song every two weeks since late May and each time he sees a spike in his viewing statistics on Spotify. The Mi’kmaq artists has released four songs, the latest Friday, on Spotify and Apple Music.
Googoo hopes all the released tracks will be part of his larger project, “Young Gemini.” A concept album portraying dual personalities — juggling fun upbeat songs with songs tackling serious issues, like, his latest “Warrior,” a three-minute song addressing depression, abuse and substance use.
“We need our stories and we need to cover more of these issues,” said Googoo.
He believes we all know someone struggling with depression, abuse or substance abuse, and it’s important for those people to know they’re not alone. Googoo said he’s also in the early development stages with another artist to address police and Indigenous relations. He’s hoping this is the next stage in his development as an artist.
Next, Googoo hopes to make a music video for “Warrior,” and saw it play out like a movie as he was writing it. He also plans to release a new song every two weeks until the end of the year.
“I’ll probably get more fans by releasing music every two weeks,” said Googoo, who started rapping in his early teens.
After taking a short break, he started rapping in earnest when he was 17. Googoo is inspired by artists like Quake Matthews, Classified and Eminem but feels his music is unique because his sound can be very diverse, ranging from family-friendly songs to deep messages and East Coast sounds.
The Mi’kmaq artist hopes to continue growing as a songwriter and considers the lyrics the most important part. And he hopes to get feedback from his fans.
“You’re not engaging with your fans if you’re not going on tour and you’re not meeting new people,” said Googoo.