Preview
VIRTUE
RAP FEST
Tuesday, November 2
Broken City
Wednesday, November 3
Bamboo
Friday, November 12
Alexandra Centre
Socrates, Aristotle, Plato. When thinking of the most influential philosophers, these are the names that generally come to mind, but what about Virtue? Some might say he is a philosopher of our time, while others might see him as a high-school student. But listen to his first official CD, and your perspective on life just might take a turn.
Up-and-coming Calgary MC Virtue (a.k.a. Will Kowall), 15, has teamed up with beat master Aptitude (a.k.a. Greg McClary, 19, of Jonny Sootentai) to master their debut album, Prosthetik Senses – a truly Canadian collection of indie hip hop.
"We want people to use our music and just let go of reality, and just sit down and think," says Virtue.
"Embrace our paradigm – our view of the world. That’s what we are trying to create with the music – a way of sharing our perspectives," adds Aptitude. "We are you’re exposure to the world now."
Part of this album comes from a modern-day teenager and problems he has come across, while another part of it plumbs a deeper level of profound understanding or conscious awareness.
"I am a big believer in karma," says Virtue. "I am a spiritual being, but I don’t sit and meditate. I have, but I believe in the soul of the universe. I believe in Mother Nature. I believe in a collective spirit – everyone is one."
Presently in Grade 10 at Rundle College High School, Virtue admits that he hasn’t had the chance to study the great philosophers to develop his worldview. He keeps his own mind busy and, like many young thinkers, Virtue has encountered people that have misinterpreted him. According to Aptitude, Virtue had an English teacher who just didn’t like him.
"Yeah," says Virtue. "She phoned my mom and thought I was depressed… just because she didn’t understand what I was saying.
"Because I do think the way I do, in school, I feel very restricted," he adds. "I feel very brainwashed by school, even though they teach. You don’t question the teachers. They tell you the answers."
Given that it is more his style to question the answers, Virtue seems to be more mentally mature than most kids his age. That maturity applies not only to his writing, but his business sense as well. Aptitude says when Prosthetik Senses was ready to be released, Virtue organized the release party and handled the promotion and marketing end of the project on his own. "He is always pushing forward, and I find his desire to get better really motivates me too," says Aptitude.
As active as he is in the hip-hop community, all of Virtue’s ambition comes from what is going on upstairs, in that finely-tuned 15-year-old brain of his. If he is going to follow in the footsteps of influential philosophers, then he is headed in the right direction. "I just like thinking," he says.
Virtue is performing as part of the first annual Rap Fest. Other performers include Urban Farmers, Top Shelf Records, Audible Intelligence, Dragon Fli Empire and Epic. |
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