Interviews

Published on September 11th, 2015 | by Jameelah "Just Jay" Wilkerson

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Canadian artist Stokes makes a splash with his music and his perspective of America

Every so often the world produces an artist whose music and story touches us in a place we didn’t know we could be reached.  That is exactly how I felt when I watched the music video for  Canadian artist Stoke‘s video for his single “God Decided”  The beginning scene really touched me and Stokes words and  message were powerful.  I literally could not stop watching.  I caught up with the Canadian to get his take on his powerful video and asked him about how the video came to be.  (Side bar for a non signed artist one would never know by looking at the video.)

So your music video for “God Decided” has been getting a lot of buzz what was the inspiration for the song ?

The song itself was a mark of frustration. I was witnessing in the news acts of violence towards young black males and i felt the need to talk about it. The writing process felt natural because i was so in tune with what was going on with trayvon’s and mike’s trial. I think the whole point of hip hop is just to make records that people will relate to.

How did that vison carry over into the video?

We basically did a reenactment of the Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown stories and added a little twist by displaying this regular black kid going through the same motions. We also shed a light on the social behaviours often manifested when white people with prejudice encounter black people.

The video is very visual and emotional, What was the message you wanted people to really feel?

I wanted them to understand that black people are as regular as everyone else. We have a culture, we have families, we have jobs and the whole nine yards. We should be treated differently because of our skin color.  We are human beings and if I talk or dress differently it is because God decided to make me this way.

You are from Canada, What is your opinion of all the drama that goes in America today?

I think that America is over populated and this is why it gives birth to all this violence.

If you pay attention to a country all Cuba per say, they all are educated and a doctor makes the same pay as a cab driver. At the end of the day there is no hierarchy. The American dream is based on your love for material and money.  Money is the ruler of  all evil and this is why, in my opinion America has all this drama

What do you think America is lacking from the entertainment industry?

Appreciation for real talent. You have people with zero talent that will star in a box office movie just because of the amount of followers they have on twitter and Instagram. I think the quality of entertainment will end up in a better state if they start filtering the people that are in a position to make a difference. I think entertainment just has to stop worshiping ignorance.

If you could see yourself in 5 years who would stokes be and what is your vison for your music?

I see myself as an established independent artist with a couple of investments like real estate and food chains. Being CEO of my record label would be an accomplishment as well. I feel that my city, Montreal, Quebec as a lot to offer but somebody has to bring it home. I am working towards that.

Where can people find you on social media to keep up with you new music and video releases?

The easiest way to get at me would be through my website realcitystokes.com Follow me on twitter, Facebook and instagram @realcitystokes

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaEdFqqWHIA&w=420&h=236]


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About the Author

Publisher and CEO of The Hype Magazine. Follow me on Twitter @HypeJustJay


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