The Meliorist ? Blog Archive ? MC Soprano

Daniel Okpala ? Mc Soprano ? is a local hip-hop artist who took a risk. Having left school for one year to focus on his music, Okpala finds that ?it?s paying off.? Before committing himself to his music, Okpala was a student at the U of L who was busy with music, volunteering, soccer, school, and working. With these strains on his time, Okpala decided to give seven months to music. ?I figured I?d put my all into it,? says Okpala.

This fall, Okpala has been busy booking shows, writing music, and working on two music videos to be filmed in Lethbridge this month for his tracks ?Somebody? and ?What?s Us.? He is speaking with companies who?d like to sponsor a music video, speaking with producers, and generally working towards acquiring exposure for his music. As well, Okpala will of course ?just continue recording and writing more songs.? In November, he performed at ?10 at 10: a Hip-Hop Showcase of Beats and Rhymes? and is presently working on booking New Year?s shows.

To expand musically, Okpala is learning how to play the guitar and the drums. However, Okpala says ?I?m more of a songwriter,? and along with writing songs for himself, he is also working on forming a band with artists that he performed with this September during Lethbridge Arts Days. ?I write for people as well,? says Okpala, and he has written songs for artists in Ontario.

Personally, Okpala has recorded five songs that are now being mastered and mixed. He plans to promote these tracks in the New Year, but his current tracks, particularly ?Somebody,? have already received international attention from a university radio station in the States and a radio station in Africa. Okpala writes hip-hop genre style songs but there is also a slight Afro hip-hop influence in his music which is ?more energetic and bubbly,? says Okpala.

While Okpala is putting together a team to help promote his music and take care of visual elements of his music such as graphic design, for now Okpala says that ?I do most of it myself.? However, Okpala views this as positive, because working independently, as he says, ?I establish relationships with people and websites on a personal basis.?

Okpala is also ?trying to branch out to different places.? Last month he was in Calgary to see a talent agency about receiving commercial exposure. ?I?ve never done a commercial before, so I think it?ll be a good experience; I think it?ll be fun.? He doesn?t have an immediate focus of signing with a record label; ?I?m just trying to get myself out there first of all.? A great way to do that is through Soundcloud, and you can check out MC Soprano?s tracks at soundcloud.com/mcsoprano/tracks.

Okpala started writing songs in 2009. Visiting a friend in Calgary who is also a producer, Okpala asked one day about writing a song. ?The producer agreed and together he and Okpala wrote a track that ended up sounding really good. He started writing and rapping to more tracks after that and has now acquired a unique sound and growing exposure to his music. ?I?m more of a chill kind of slow melody,? says Okpala. ?It?s almost like poetry, like I?m talking to someone.? Although working extremely hard and tirelessly to promote his music, from the sheer enthusiasm and joy with which he talked about his music, it?s clear that Okpala has passion for his work. Gaining exposure in the music sphere is a vastly difficult endeavour, but Okpala?s perseverance is sure to succeed; as he says, ?no risk, no reward.?

Source: http://themeliorist.ca/2012/12/mc-soprano/

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