The Hydra by Prolific
The Hydra is a mythical creature that is able to diversify and spread as a response to injury - one head is cut off and another two grow. Attack it too much and you are faced with a beast far more developed and powerful than the way it began. This multi-level metaphor is the perfect summation for the life and career of Toronto based MC and producer Prolific. “I started in hip-hop as a solo MC - one head - but stepping into the role of the producer allowed me to present the voices of specific artists as unique parts of my own sonic and narrative world," he explains while sipping an espresso at his home studio. In person, Prolific is laid-back and eloquent; eager to discuss his artistic process: “I dig old samples. I go through obscure stuff that I find particularly evocative, be it sound samples, drum breaks or even just like vocal snippets…But old films, 70s soundtracks, lots of funk breaks. Kind of like the quintessential palette of the hip hop producer.”
The Hydra: Prolific’s third full-length studio album, is more than just the rapper flexing his wordsmith and production talents. It also offers a carefully curated experience of the Toronto underground rap scene and beyond. He describes the album’s underlying concept as: “this creature that is a hybrid of many things, a multiplicity. It’s still a Prolific album but it’s also about framing other artists alongside myself.”
The album features a wide array of Toronto hip-hop up- and-comers, many of whom showed up Prolific’s radar during his time running a boutique recording studio. “There is more hip hop and rap talent in Toronto than there is in most of North America, and it’s all condensed in this city. The Hydra is pointing to all this talent that is here but that is not getting any shine. I found myself around this talent and in the position to properly frame it. It excited me when I had this idea of “oh I want to push a collective record.”
While his last two albums have been deeply personal, and often introspective, Prolific describes The Hydra as taking “an active role in the Toronto hip-hop community while infusing it with [his] signature style” .
“For me, I don’t think my music would have been the same without Toronto. I don’t think I would have understood how urban life hooks into rap and hip hop. I really needed to be here to be shown what that is.” Having called Toronto home since 2008, Prolific began hitting the local scene playing Canadian Music Week, NXNE, 5$ rap show, opening for out of town acts including Aesop Rock, Atmosphere, P.O.S, Little Brother, Mac Lethal, Astronautalis, Vinnie Paz, Ill Bill, Sole, Apathy. He even played at the opening of the Eaton Centre’s Urban Eatery Launch. “I tried the more traditional approach to getting my ass out there but really only gained a foothold once I started doing things more for myself. Cuz you know, shows other people promote just end and then you go home. When you are organizing it you get creative control and understand what that world really looks like,” he reflects.
Eventually Prolific was abe to land work as a producer at indie studio Euphonic Sound, where he leveraged his position in the studio to bring in underground MCs from across the city to record their material in a professional setting. This lead to the creation of “The Late Shift Cypher”: an event that utilized unused late-night studio time to host events where MCs could network, collaborate and hear what their vocals would sound like with professional production behind them. Many of the MCs that Prolific encountered in this setting would become more significant collaborators in the future.
The Hydra is a concept album, but it is also more than that. All but a few of the songs contain at least one guest feature. Guests range from long-time collaborators such as Toronto’s Duke Buzzy on the boombap infused bluegrass track Ty Cobb to Niko - whose name was synonymous with Russian rap in the 90s on Winding Stairwell, to Dry Chinaski - an ex punk leadman with bands Marilyn’s Vitamins and Hostage Life who infuses the track Pitfight with punk rock sensibilities that compliment Prolific’s rapping. There’s Ilana McDonald: a violin player from Lennoxville with a PHd in astrophysics and Aftershock: a popular King of the Dot battle rapper, just to name a few. In fact, each of the guests has a unique biography and a body of work worth checking out. Speaking to the selection process of the artists Prolific says that it was “most about a fit for the record and whether they resonate with my type of artistic process or MC process and what I value in rappers. A lot of these people are really talented heads that haven’t broke yet, but that I think are a great representation of what I would like to see in hip hop in the 21st century”.
Thematically, Prolific marries his literate background (he studied literature and philosophy at McGill) with depiction of a rough and tumble lifestyle fitting of a full-time musician. "I delve deep into the details. Whether its obscure samples or a specific analog texture on a drum break - I want everything to be a holistic and evocative experience for the listener.” The album's first track: The Hydra Awakes, is a harsh and banging instrumental with production reminiscent of Cancer For Cure era El-P. The Hydra’s Teeth features a catchy chorus as well as verses in French and Norwegian. There is a distinctly urban vibe on Ohm (ft. Eyeda Sophia and Se’lah Genesis) which breaks down and deconstructs halfway through. From Blacks and Greys (ft. Hibernation) where Prolific describes “an American dream animated by Patrick Bateman” to the reflective and mellow Crawl Out (ft. Cathy O. and Antifrantik), Prolific offers up a world in greyscale.
“In contrast to Amor Fati, my previous record, which cast light in contrast to the dark - I feel like this record has a more grounded and industrious approach. The light or perhaps ‘hope’ on this record is more movement and action oriented. I think this mirrors my own desire to step outside my own head.” Fittingly Prolific, now in his mid-thirties, talks about his experiences with a degree of maturity and gravitas. He cites a variety of diverse influences such as Dj Premiere, Steven Wilson, Aesop Rock and Trent Reznor as sources of inspiration. The Hydra is nothing if not diverse; spanning genres, cultures and languages. It isn’t immediately digestible music. You need to sit with it to appreciate the artistry. If anything, this record is an evolved version of Prolific, where multiple voices coalesce to craft the overarching story of “a man molded in the shape of the Hydra.”
Written by: Vera Oleynikova
Tracklist
Credits
Dedicated to those who stood by my side throughout these turbulent times.
