Canyon, a New York-bred and LA-based rapper, has spent most of 2021 developing his sound. While his debut singles, “Reservations” and “Shark Tank,” were well-received for their tough flows, the brave rapper has opted to take his newest tune in an unexpected path. Canyon’s latest single, “IN THE PAINT,” shows off his rebellious and free-spirited side while displaying a whole new side of him that fans have yet to see. “IN THE PAINT,” featuring Mvthabrain, is Canyon’s debut visual and it’s everything that audiences have been anticipating.
Canyon is an artist who says that music ultimately reflects the bigger picture in his life.
“I feel like music is a microcosm for my life,” Canyon said. “Like if I’m doing well mentally the music I’m making is gonna be on point. If I’m struggling, or mentally all over the place, the music is gonna reflect that too. So I love that.”
He says that his inspiration comes from real life experiences, and sometimes things that he sees or hears on a daily basis, which is why he feels as though music reflects his life.
“It makes music feel so important because it’s so reflective of where my head is at,” he continues. “Smoking inspires me. Meditation inspires me. Sometimes what will inspire me is hearing a dope kind of background beat at a restaurant and all of a sudden my mind starts kind of automatically creating a flow to it.”
“This song [IN THE PAINT] is about me saying that I’ve grown up since I was in high school, but I’m still a rebellious, free-thinking motherf–ker like I was back then,” the rapper stated.
Finding inspiration among his musical idols comes easy to Canyon. While his signature raspy flow and powerful delivery on “IN THE PAINT” marked him unique, he was mainly influenced by several well-known hip-hop greats on his quest to develop his identity as an artist.
“I feel like everyone that I listen to subconsciously influences me a little the next time I spit,” Canyon said. “Tupac for sure was the first person to get me into writing raps when I was a little kid. He’s a hero of mine. Other than that, there’s Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye, Wu-Tang, Jadakiss, Cudi, and more,” he added.
The feedback the young rapper has gotten from fans and musical influencers alike is perhaps most motivating according to him. Canyon has already caught the attention of some of hip hop’s biggest giants as his first two albums continue to gather popularity, racking up over a million listens on music-sharing site SoundCloud.
Many people feel that Canyon exudes the “IT” factor, including Jadakiss, Raekwon, and Outkast associate Big Rube. Their endorsements have given the fledgling rapper a lot of legitimacy, but they’ve also been “the proudest and most bizarre moments in his career so far,” having grown up looking up to these artists and appreciating all of their music.
Canyon continues to look forward to the future of his profession as the year draws to a close. As he discloses plans for releasing his debut album in 2022, be on the lookout for new music in the coming months.
Check out the video for “IN THE PAINT,” below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43qhJiXy-7I