Myer Clarity

Last week I was lucky enough to catch up with rising hip hop artist Clarity. We spoke about his latest release, Good Days, Bad Days, his busy schedule, and his love for his people.

First off thank you for taking the time off to do this.

Thank you for having me.

You’re living in Ontario right now, correct?

Yeah, I just moved to Toronto seven or eight months ago, I can’t remember. It’s been crazy just living there, everything is a lot more fast-paced.

Okay, loaded question: Do you prefer living in Montreal or Toronto?

Oof. At this point in my life right now, I’m enjoying living in Toronto more. That being said, I love Montreal, I grew up in Montreal and I’ve had 22 amazing years in Montreal. But at this point, with what I need to do and just what I’m looking for in life, I’m digging Toronto more. Although it’s fucking expensive.

So, I guess you must be pretty busy these days?

Well, I’m taking a little break here in Montreal for the week, so that’s nice, but yeah, it’s pretty packed. I am mostly just doing a lot of shows and doing a lot of recording and trying to expand the network. I’ve met a whole bunch of great artists out there, it’s really a tight-knit community. Also I’ve been trying to get my beat business going a little harder than it’s been going.

Speaking of community, there’s a lot of great collaborations on your new record Good Days, Bad Days. Can you tell us a little bit about how that came together?

Most of them were kind of on the backburner, stuff that I’ve done over the past two years that I thought was really good and I thought it was a shame that it hadn’t seen the light of day. I wanted to give it its time in the sun. Some of them were done specifically for the record, like the Mad Conductor one. I gave them and Antae a shout, told them I wanted them to be part of a track and we just cooked that one up like a week before the album dropped. That one was super last minute, but it turned out really awesome. “Dreams” was one I did with Cee and Tragic that I’m pretty stoked about. We all recorded it at the same time and had to figure out whose project it would go on.

You play with a live band, correct?

I had a live band in Montreal. I still call them up whenever I’ve got shows here, but it’s pretty difficult to bring them out to Toronto all the time, so I might have to franchise out and have like a Toronto Clarity band and a Montreal Clarity band and a Hawaii Clarity band.

Do they come into the studio with you?

I’m a big fan of session musicians. It won’t always necessarily be the members of the band ‘cause some musicians are just better live and some are better in the studio. I definitely always get session musicians in to make more of an organic sound, less cheap synths and shit.

Can you tell me a little about the bilingual song with Ariel & Les-Va-Nu-Pieds?

Sure. Les-Va-Nu-Pieds is the guitarist for my Clarity band, so we do a lot of crossover projects and shows with each other. He has me out at a lot of his shows, has me on his project. I have him play on some of my tunes, he’s a real solid dude, and the rapper he got on there K.O.F. is a super dope rapper. He mostly raps in French. Sometimes he does the English thing too, but French is more his medium. I figured it’d be cool to rep Montreal a little bit and have the French leak in.

It works out really well.

I’m glad it does.

So what’ve you got cooking up in the future? Any immediate plans or is it break time?

Ain’t no breaks. Ain’t nobody takin’ breaks. I’ve got my BYOB album that’s been done for like two years that’s finally coming out in March. We got the music video for “Growing Pains” that’s coming out February 17th for new music Tuesday. I’m pretty excited about that. We shot that with Revolve Talent and they’re really fucking solid dudes. They did really good work. Other than that, it’s just gonna be a lot of shows. I got a show March 6th at Sneaky Dee’s. I got something February 13th with Maloney and those O-Beast and those guys at Taboo. Those are Toronto shows. Don’t have anything on the Montreal front right now.

Okay, cool. So let’s talk about your lyrics a little bit. You tend to visit themes of like being a hoodlum, hanging out in parks drinking 40s, that sort of thing. Are you just reminiscing or is that still the lifestyle?

I love the 40s. 40s are a really good choice. It’s that low budget shit. I don’t really drink in parks anymore, just cause of the whole move to Toronto. There’s not really time for that anymore. So now it’s more just reminiscing. It’s not as if I’ve completely outgrown it though. Every time I visit Montreal, I’m still back in that same park. But you know, the crowd changes, and you can’t drink in parks your whole life. So a lot of it is just looking back on it fondly. That’s so much of what made me who I am that it’s just gonna bleed into my music and I gotta talk about it. They always say write what you know.

Can you tell me a little bit about your influences?

Yeah, sure. It really depends week to week what I listen to. I get heavy influenced by a lot of stuff. Some days I’ll listen to a shit ton of B.O.B, or I’ll listen to some Atmosphere and be really self aware, I’m a big fan of Yelawolf. I used to be a big fan of Classified. Still a big fan, but he’s putting out, like, poppier stuff now. There’s a lot of local people I listen to also. Cee and Notion from The Movement Fam, they’re fucking dope. Capital E, Simply Put, Meticulous. Johnny Active is killing his it. I’m a big fan of Kendrick too. He’s sick. I also just find obscure punk bands to listen to and get ideas off of.

It’s definitely already in your music a little bit, but have you ever considered going full punk rock on a track?

Well I’m not the world’s greatest singer, but yeah, I’ve thought about it. On the new album there’s a lot of tracks that are very punk rock. There’s a track called “Sell Out” which has, like, a Blink 182 feel to it that’s mostly singing. The verses are really short and really easy to digest. We reimagined “Puppet on a String” in a punk rock context, so that’s going to be interesting. There’s a lot more punk and pop punk on this album.

That’s coming out in March you said?

Yeah, end of March or early April. We don’t have an actual date yet.

Can we expect more collaborations on that?

Yeah, we got Motel Raphael on this album a lot. We got Maya Malkin. We got SRH. We got Maia Leia singing on one song. It’s mostly just all people in my circle. Maia Leia and I went to CEGEP together and we met in a random video editing class. She did music, I did music. I listened to hers and I was like okay, I’m putting you on some shit. She kills it. She’s like a Quebecoise Nelly Furtado.

You’ve opened up for some pretty successful people. Any stories?

None of them would be super interesting. I actually got to meet D12 and that’s a story that I can’t really tell, but that was cool I got to meet them. I met Yelawolf briefly but I was pretty wasted at that. It’s actually the show that got me to stop smoking weed.

You stopped smoking weed!?

Yeah, and I’m so much more productive now, it’s ridiculous. You can’t network when you’re high, it just doesn’t work. You’re too in your own shit. You’re less outgoing and more mellow. It’s cool on some level, but the way that I work is that I have to be in people’s face, and I’m really loud as a person, so it just doesn’t work for me.

Okay, one more question: Habs fan or Leafs fan?

I’ll say Habs fan just so that I’m allowed back in Montreal, but I’m not really a sports guy.

So, there you have it. He’s cut the distractions out of his life, his network is constantly growing, his latest release is hot has hell, and he’s killing it in two cities. If you’re a hip hop fan, make sure you keep an eye out for Clarity.

Compiled by Syd Ghan - Bucket List Music Reviews

A #Montreal native now based out of #Toronto, we feature a hard working linguistic lyricist with metaphors for days Clarity!

Clarity’s got a unique mix of hip hop and punk that gives listeners a refreshing sound to go along with a sharp flow and he’s here to talk about the indie life, influences, and the experiences that have shaped his music today. Two of his notable tracks on OPJAM include “Puppet on a string” and “Ayo”.If you were to listen to both simultaneously one would think the two tracks are from two different artists. Nope ! they are a good example of Clarity’s diverse influences in his music. The genres are a wide range from the punk band Rancid , Eminem, and even a little Rick Astley. His delivery just “Rick rolls” off the tongue and is on rhythm with the cadences of each instrumental.

His creative control is ever so evident as his songwriting and delivery emits the emotions of a storyteller wanting his listeners to know his path. Through song, Clarity definitely has the charisma and ability to make the opaque transparent. Don’t sleep on his music, you might just miss something unique !

Check out Clarity on OPJAM!

https://opjam.com/radio/clarity

where #MusicIsSocial #IndieMusic

-Warren - OPJAM

Myer Clarity keeps going hard with his visceral verses full of wordplay and metaphors, fuelling some early Slim Shady comparisons. Good Days Bad Days is an album that truly shows how much of his heart goes into his music. This one’s definitely worth a listen. He’s able to pull off intense flows while packing ridiculous punchlines about being broke and putting it all on the line for the music.
Clarity‘s been at it for about 10 years now, which makes him one of the youngest and most promising Canadian rap artists. I’ve seen him tear stages apart at open mics since age 17, and he’s gathered a lot of stage experience since. Moving to Toronto this year was a big step for the NDG-raised emcee to reach a larger audience.
There’s a long list of features in this project, including names like Cee, SRH & Les Va-Nu-Pieds, to name a few. It’s a sign that he’s grown and met incredible people along the way. - Elementality

Myer Clarity is a Toronto based hip hop artist and he releases his new music video “Growing Pains” featuring Maya Malkin of Motel Raphael. Myer Clarity shows a more personal side of himself in this track as he invites listeners for a walk through his childhood over a canvas of dreamy guitars and lo-fi drum loops. Motel Raphael’s own Maya Malkin contributes a both haunting and hypnotizing chorus as the young artist follows a Hansel & Gretel-esque trail of memorabilia to his boarded up childhood home. This is the lead single from his forthcoming full length album BYOB; due in April 2015. The music video is directed and edited by Revolve Talent. Growing Pains positions itself as a indie-pop hip hop crossover hit. Be sure to check this out below. - CanadianDope.com

Since it doesn't look like we'll be mixing things up from the cold, dreary winter weather here in Toronto anytime soon, why not mix things up musically by checking out some under-the-radar local talent?

We at Studio 416, have recently spotted, Toronto based hip hop artist Myer Clarity, and his new music video "Growing Pains" (linked above). The song is too memorable to not have on repeat. The 22 year old Montreal native shows a more personal side of the coin than his previous work as he invites listeners for a walk through his childhood over a canvas of dreamy guitars and lo-fi drum loops. Motel Raphael's own Maya Malkin contributes a chorus that is both hypnotizing and the catchiest thing we've heard all week.

The lead single from his forthcoming full length album BYOB (set to be released April 2015!), "Growing Pains" positions itself as a indie-pop hip hop crossover, that you'll want to check out.

Have a listen, and watch the newly released video for "Growing Pains" above! - Studio 416

VIDEO: This week’s vid is a summer jam from local Clarity featuring singer Maia Leia that deserves a few final spins before it becomes unseasonal. What says “Montreal” better than drankin’ in the park? FYI to newcomers, that fun doesn’t have to stop until early November, usually, and can generally be resumed right after the St. Pat’s parade. - CULT MTL

After hearing this song a few times at Clarity‘s highly energetic shows, he’s now released a free download version on Bandcamp for Just Calm Down which features vocals from Maia Leia on the chorus.
This is one of the oldest rappers in the young generation – dude has been sneaking into bars and rapping since age 11. He now sports a green mohawk and performs with a live band, with a typically 90s palette of influences ranging from Eminem to Sublime and Rancid. He definitely doesn’t fit into your usual rapper mould,but he delivers clever lyricism and theatrical antics with very little inhibitions.
Clarity has a full album currently in the making, which we hope to hear soon. - Elementality

Two of Montreal’s biggest rap talents, Clarity and P . Flow Matics, have released the first single “Hangover” off their upcoming colab album “Stranger Than Fiction EP”. The track features a catchy beat which compliments Clarity’s trademark engaging story-telling ability.
The track is available for purchase here. It’s “Name the Price”, but make sure to support these local talents by actually dropping dough. “Stranger Than Fiction EP” will be out on Jan. 31 - Confront Magazine

If you’ve been to any open mics in Montreal between 2010 and 2013, you certainly have seen Clarity merk the stage, and P. Flow Matics just spit venom off the top with over-abundant stage presence.
They both joined forces for a horror-core EP by the name of Stranger Than Fiction, which just dropped over the week end and is available for free download. The name of the project couldn’t be more appropriate since the two energetic emcees have a knack for storytelling and the bizarre. Enjoy! - Elementality