Baguio’s very own, Canada-based rapper Lyrique is making waves amongst his musical peers in an industry that seems to be becoming harder and harder to climb. From experiencing abuse from an employer to having no choice but to sleep at a train station, it took a lot of low points before he was able to feel any form of recognition as an artist.

Here is a glimpse into what rap artist Lyrique had to do to make a name for himself in Canada’s music scene. The highs, the lows, and all that it took for this Baguio boy to rise above the hardships to ultimately be featured on platforms like MTV and Complex Magazine.

Before we start talking about your evolution as an artist, could you share with us a brief story of your migration from Baguio to Calgary?

I migrated to Canada, April 2014, so about 6 years ago. I came to Canada as a foreign temporary worker under the Live-in Caregiver/Live-in Nanny Program. Like anyone else coming from the third world into new horizons, I was hopeful, excited, and just all around rejuvenated. Unfortunately, things initially did not turn out for the best.

My first 2 weeks were trialing, as I had some dilemmas with family I was staying with at the time. So I had to leave my uncle’s residence due to some misunderstandings. I was unemployed, living off my luggage, moving from city to city, house to house.

I found employment, which was another challenge as I had to deal with abuse from it. But I did what I had to do in order to become a Permanent Canadian Resident. It was a struggle but looking back at it now I am happy where I am now.

Every passion starts somewhere. When and how did you first encounter your thirst to become a rapper?

I loved hip-hop music in general. When I was 11 [years-old], my mom bought me my first cassettes namely “The X-ecutioners” and Ice Cube. Then when I was 13 my dad got me The Game’s debut album “The Documentary”. That was what really ignited my passion to try and rap.

Every day I would rap along to every song on that album ’til I tried recording myself through Walkmans and old Nokia phone recorders, rapping over the songs. Other than that, I was also exposed to learning music at a young age. My grandfather taught me and my sister (musical) keys as kids, I studied bass guitar for 2 to 3 years at Music World in Baguio. So I can safely say that the thirst to be on stage and create had always been there. 

You could’ve been a lot of things in the music industry. What gave you the confidence to not only stand with the identity of a Filipino rapper but to actually aspire to break the ice as an international artist?

As a teenager, I came across this Fil-Am artist from California named Bambu De Pistola. I was so intrigued because he looked so cool and his diction was amazing. His style was very California-based but he still added touches of his Filipino roots on it. Later on, Bambu came to shine on another Fil-Am artist named Ruby Ibarra, who also added more fuel to my whims of representing Filipinos in the hip-hop game.

When the plan came for me to migrate, I had always told my friends, who at the time didn’t take me seriously, that I would break out in the Canadian hip-hop scene. It was a really hard road but even in my isolation of not having a solid circle here in Canada, I studied the competition and the scene and through the adversity I experienced came about the music I wrote and then came Lyrique.

Seeing artists of Filipino descent rise such as Manila Grey, Ruby Ibarra, and Bambu only adds to my drive that I am not alone in this scene as a Filipino artist on foreign soil.

What were your definitive ‘rock bottom’ experiences as an aspiring artist, and what made these memories so significant for you?

Man, there were a lot. But honestly, I know others have it worse. There was a time when I slept in train stations because I had problems with the house I lived in. One that I am still recovering from is the abuse I received at the hands of an employer. It wasn’t physical or anything, but a lot of mental anguish. I’ve developed a lot of anxiety because of that. Imagine living under the roof of a person who despises you and wants to kill you. There was no stability. I was also cheated on my salary for years. But I endured this because, as a male nanny, it was hard to find a job at the time. So I just sucked it up, saved up, and when the time came, I quit and got my residency.

Another would have to be the neglect of the family I had here [Canada] and my grandma passing away while I was on FaceTime with my family in Baguio. It’s hard when you don’t have friends and family to rely on. I only had myself for the most part.

It was not all bad. I had a light of hope amidst all of this. I had this one employer who, up to today, is still like family to me. He helped me when no one would. Like I said, I had a bad start but it could have been worse, I was blessed to find opportunity amidst my adversity.

An artist’s sound stems from a foundation of influences. Who are the rappers that inspire your flow and music?

I have to say my top influences would be Andre3000, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, T.I, Paul Wall, J.Cole and Biggie Smalls. Lately, I have been trying to revamp my sound and been listening to a lot of Brent Faiyaz, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, and 112.

It seems that there’s no cap to the possibilities you are aiming for. What are the career highlights that mean the most to you?

My top highlight would probably be being featured on Complex Magazine. I have always read Complex as a kid and to be on it just gives me chills. I never imagined a kid from Baguio would one day be on Complex with names I have on my playlist. Other highlights I would say would be being on MTV and CBC, [performing] live. I never imagined the music I created could reach those platforms.

One highlight I am truly grateful for is sharing the stage and opening for some artists I never thought I would meet and share the stage with. It’s just surreal to see them and speak to them when before, I was just watching and listening to them on Instagram and Spotify.

And honestly being on Clavel Magazine is a highlight, I have always been a reader and this is my first Philippine publication feature and it’s really an honor, so thank you guys for adding to my memory!

Man that’s a great question. It’s a good reminder of things I should be thankful for.

To quote Pac, “When you do rap albums, you got to train yourself. You got to constantly be in character.” If you could share the best things that you have done to train yourself as an artist, what are they and why are they so important to your craft?

Again, excellent question. To answer that, I would probably pretend I was talking to my past-self three years ago, when I started. All I have to say is it’s more than just rap. Music is a soundtrack to life. Music is emotion-based. That’s why an artist’s brain is his biggest tool.

1. Prioritize your mental health – Always make sure your mental health is 100% because artists tap into sometimes dark and light sides of their brain in order to present the best art.
2. Focus on your physical health – I always do cardio because when you perform you have this performance cardio when you run, walk, rap and sing simultaneously.
3. Meditate – I always try to meditate and stay present because it’s so easy to get caught up with the buzz of social media.
4. Study albums – I highly recommend listening to full albums of not just hip hop, experiment your ear listen to jazz, neo-soul, trap, alternative music, folk music etc. Study how they deliver the lyrics and how they wrote them. Review and write the good and bad in the albums and journal them as if they were school notes.
5. STAY GROUNDED – Always try to remain grounded, be proud of your achievements but never be complacent because the world moves even though you don’t so keep moving with the world and don’t fly on your successes high.

If you could go back in time, what are the important mistakes that you learned from the most?

One of the early mistakes I made was I wish I took care of myself sooner. It’s so true that bottling things in your past affects your future in more ways than one. I wish I took care of my health. More specifically, my mental health. And I wish I studied music more in-depth. But it’s never too late. Right now, I’m applying myself in these things I wish I did sooner. Always better late than never.

We all want to go somewhere and to be somebody. What are your highest aspirations as an artist and where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

I want to be timeless. During this time of quarantine, I have been reflecting a lot. Is this really ‘LYRIQUE’ for the next 10 years? Or can I create a better version of ‘LYRIQUE’ that would last for 20 more years?

I want to create timeless music, one that is not just rap. I want to create music for the soul, music that touches people’s emotions and make them feel that I went through what they are going through and are not alone–music that will help celebrate others’ successes because I want everyone to win. But in order to achieve that, I have to break myself down and pick up the relevant pieces in a new journey.

Lately, I’ve been in the process of reinventing my sound and image. Sharing the music that makes me happy, sad and everything in between. I wanna make songs that are not hits but will be perfect for life’s moods. And I am close to peace with myself now and the music will soon pour out, that I can promise.

As we see you come out with single after single, giving everyone a taste of your musical identity and creative diversity–which by the way, is difficult to cohesively achieve–what music should we expect from you in the coming months? 

I am planning to take a short hiatus, a short social media break in order to be more present. I wanna create music I love first before anyone else. You have to be selfish in order to be giving, right? So after my hiatus, which I plan to match with this quarantine. Trust, I will give another EP or album of a more timeless LYRIQUE. It’s not just rap, but I will give you trap soul, R&B, jazz, and spoken word in this new music I am to create.

It’s clear that Lyrique’s potential is far from reaching its peak, as his music is evolving. From his last three releases, “Ivory”, “Rain”, and “Minus 35”, we can admire his versatility as an artist, grounded by his love and talent for the art of rap. And we can’t wait to see where his resilience–to do what needs to be done and to become what he wants to become–will ultimately take him.

You can listen to Lyrique’s discography and latest release, “Sideline,” on Spotify.

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