OUTLANDISH, BUT NOT OUTDONE
Vancouver-based rapper and producer Bdice has built a seriously viral following
Brandon Cruz Bebe is a B.C.based rapper and producer who works under the name Bdice. His latest EP, titled Out’LandiSH came out in May and the five tracks boast sharp-edged beats, an easygoing clear flow, and a refreshing message of brains and class over brawn.
Bdice’s ability to cut quality jams didn’t come from out of nowhere. Attending Kelowna’s Centre for Arts and Technology campus studying audio engineering, he began the Daily 16. That project went viral online and provided the artist a lot of opportunities to hone his craft.
“Every day, for 365 days,
I made a song and put it on YouTube,” said Bdice. “It was a plan to get better, and built me a pretty good following — and also got me rolling on making music videos and producing other artists. Since 2011, I’ve been making a living from my home studio being a one-stop shop for artists.”
The results? When Bdice put the new tracks up on Spotify, he had no monthly listeners. Within 13 days, he had 10,000 regulars signed up. Every step of the way, this artist is keeping tabs on his metrics and making the music he wants to all on his own, as well as working with local artists such as Merkules and others.
“I’m selling a service now where, for around $500, I can do a full session — produce the song, record it and take it to completion,” he said. “The Kanyes, Kid Cudis, the people who constantly step outside of the box and define things are big influences.”
Here are five things to know about Bdice’s EP:
1.
It’s all explicit
Just because his raps are about things like marathoning shows (TeleVisuAls) and self-identity (Different Planet) doesn’t mean he can’t still swear.
2.
Rapping techniques
“My passion be/the last lap on the beat,” he drops into Tulips, and there is truth in that as his flow does often come in bursts near the end of the rhythm. It’s a cool technique, particularly when added to slurred final lines and echoing fades between verses.
3. D.I.Y. guy
There is a line about being a D.I.Y. guy in Mark III which will bring a smile to your face. Bdice is spinning an entire narrative across the five songs, frequently referencing song titles in verses in different tracks. It’s an intellectual exercise that ties into the EP title, which is pretty cool.
4. Icy beats
Don’t come to Out’LandiSH looking for funk. His music is more in line with the bleak, metallic and mechanical styles dominating radio of late. Think more repetition and less melody. Of course, you could go back and check his track Patience for those things.
5.
Live music
Due to a busy schedule, he’s not getting on stage too often. But recently, while up in Iqaluit filming a video, Bdice played a sold-out show and found time to strip down and do some backflips in the snow for a video. He doesn’t mince his words about the experience: “Oh man, it was so cold. I was just freezing.”
While this ska/pop crew has kept up a busy touring schedule and did the wonderful job of re-releasing all of the original recordings, new material has not been forthcoming until now. Talk about being worth the wait. The 13 songs stick to singer Dave Wakeling ’s twin muses of the personal and the political and bristle with righteous energy. How Can You Stand There?, the ecological call to action that opens the session, ranks with the best that the band has ever recorded.