Divo

By: Jenna Melanson & Emily Thomson
Mixtape – Inside The Vault
Release Date – January 1, 2014
Bandcamp Link – http://divo.bandcamp.com/album/insidethevaultmixtape
Genre – HipHop
Label – Street Science Entertainment

Divo is a Toronto based Hip Hop artist who released a mixtape on January 1, 2014, it may just be the first
album released in 2014 by a Canadian, but don’t mark my words on that one.
The mixtape features 21 tracks, which is an uncommon, but welcome surprise. It features new material, as well
as some of the best tracks from his past 2 albums. All of the songs have great and catchy beats, although if you
are listening in front of innocent ears, be warned of the fact that there is a fair amount of language on here.
That being said, in most cases if you are a listener of HipHop
and Rap, you are very used to that.

3/6/2014 Review – Divo | Canadian Beats
http://canadianbeats.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/review-divo/ 2/2

The mixtape features a lot of collaborations with some other Canadian artists, such as Classified, Daneo,
DSisive
and more. The third song, “Don’t Believe” is a remix and is one of the tracks that features a
collaboration, actually it features four other artists, including Classified.
I really enjoyed the fourth song, “HipHop”.
Divo is a great rapper and if you haven’t heard of him, I’m sure you
will. The song is very different from most HipHop
songs out there, and I think you will all enjoy it.
The 13th song, “Soldier”, is probably my favourite, as it tells the listener a story, and Divo does an amazing job
with it. I can see why this song was released as a single, back in September. And of course, his newer single,
“Perserverance” is great. You can even see the video for it here:
http://canadianbeats.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/divoreleasesvideoforperseverance/
I would recommend this mixtape to anyone who is a fan of HipHop.
Divo is great at what he does, and if you
are a fan of other Canadian rappers, such as Classified, Nukky Grissom, DSisive
and more, you should look
into more from Divo. You won’t regret it.

Rating: 3.5/5 - Canadian Beats

Whether it’s collaborating with Canadian HipHop
heavy hitters such as but not limited to, Daneo,
Classified or D-Sisive, 33 yearold hip hop vet, Divo is not only one of the best talents in the country but diverse in his ability to create. Riding high off of the recent release of his first mix tape, Inside the Vault, Divo is busy putting the
finishing touches on his upcoming fourth album entitled, Transatlantic Soul.
So with new music here and more on the way, why not take a closer look at the man behind the music?
You’re well established in the music industry but
who exactly is Divo and what’s the inspiration
being your work?
I’d say I’m a multifaceted
individual but first and foremost an artist who enjoys expressing my creativity in
different ways and outlets with music being one of my favourite.
Creating artwork is another form I believe I excel in and both worlds are tied together by music. Since I make
hiphop
music I end up doing a lot of work with other musicians and it ties in both together in harmony.
As far as my inspiration, I try and take from personal experiences and I feel people usually go through many
of the same things in life that I do, so I try and make people relate and go a little deeper in my subject matter. I
like making people think, touching on social or maybe political issues and of course fun stuff as well to vibe
out to sometimes.
How has working with established HipHop
artists
helped your music?
It’s helped me build relationships with them that still currently exist, plus helped to solidify me as an artist able
to work with this high caliber people. It also helps from a promotional standpoint because they too help
promote my music when working with them.
I always try and work with those better than me and learn from them, that way it pushes me to do better and
strive for the best and working with all those artists helps that.

In what ways has the landscape of HipHop
music in Canada changed from your early days?
Well one thing I’m happy to see is making music is more accessible now. There’s way more artists who are
capable of making music and with the Internet, people are able to push their music and do so for free. Today,
there’s way more content for people to listen to and the exposure artist are getting now is way better than
before.
It use to be very difficult to promote yourself say 10 years ago where things like social media were not that big
and you had to physically go out on the street and sell your album, whereas now you can go online and gain
way more exposure and it’s a good look for Canada.
What was the concept behind you newly released
and first ever mix tape, Inside the Vault?
Because I had taken a break from making music, I felt there’d be a new generation of fans who wouldn’t be
familiar with some of my material before so I just wanted to put together a compilation of some fan favourites
and mix it in with brand new songs from my upcoming album (Translantic Soul) plus some unique pieces I
put together just for this mix tape.
I look at it as a bestoftype,
with no fillers at all, everything’s been hand selected and what people are going
to hear is the best material I have and the hope is fans will feel the same way about it as I do.
You’re a recording artist, graphic designer plus
directed and produced your mix tape’s first
single, “It’s Going Down.” What artistic outlet do
you enjoy most?
I always try to push myself to go outside the box, go past what I know and try to learn even more, so with me
dabbling into photography and designing I thought that was another realm for me to try my hand in.
I began learning how to direct and edit videos and took a course to help me learn more and was really happy
with how things turned out. I learned a lot from it and from here on out can only get better by trying different
techniques plus experimenting more to make really entertaining videos.
Making music is so rewarding because it allows me to really express my thoughts and create something for
the people to enjoy. I don’t think anything else can replace that and all these other outlets for expressing my
creativity are surrounded by what the real love is…making music.
When can we expect your new album, Translantic
Soul?
I’m going to say in the Spring, so maybe May or could be early Summer so perhaps June but I literally only
have one more verse to write for my last song and then it’s finished which I’m really ecstatic about. It’s been a
long time coming with this album, I’ve been putting together the songs over the course of a few years and just
had to learn the ropes again in terms of what people are doing now to promote their music.
I’ve really spent the last year just figuring out my process for promoting my music and at the same time
continue making the music, so it’s just been a real busy year from me. - T Dot Live

“Inside The Vault”, lo último de DIVO
En Canadá hay mucho talento. Divo es uno de ellos, y Toronto Hispano lo entrevistó en exclusiva. Aquí algunos datos sobre su trayectoria y proyectos.

Cuando el talento es innato, los artistas comienzan a explorar el arte desde muy temprano. Divo empezó a escribir canciones cuando tenía tan solo trece años. “Yo rimaba con mis amigos en el vecindario y en la escuela también”, nos cuenta el cantante. Poco a poco, comenzó a grabar canciones sobre música y eso resultó en su primer álbum musical en el año 2000. “Yo siempre he sido una persona artística y me gusta poder expresar mi creatividad en diferentes modos”, señala. Cuando Divo se dio cuenta que él tenía un talento para hacer música y, que a la gente le gustaba, entonces decidió seguir este camino artístico.

La preferencia musical de Divo es amplia, al cantante le gusta toda clase de música, y se influencia de varios géneros. Entre los cantantes que han servido de inspiración destacan Daddy Yankee y Nengo Flow, con las combinaciones de melodías que usan en sus versos. También artistas de rap Americanos como Nas, Big Punisher y Wiz Khalifa. Divo siente admiración de artistas como latinos como Daddy Yankee por el éxito que ha tenido con la música urbana y su habilidad de volverla en un negocio que lo sostiene.

Sobre su reciente trabajo, el Divo nos comentó en exclusiva. “La música de este álbum que estoy terminando es bien orgánica. Tomamos sonidos de los 60’s y 70’s como trompetas y guitarras y mi productor ensambló nuevas composiciones con ellas”. El resultado de este ejemplar trabajo es un sonido bien suave y con vida. Respecto a la letra, el artista siempre se empeña por tener mensajes conscientes para el público. “Hablo de la realidad y de temas sociales y políticos. Trato de darle mucha emoción a mi música. Por supuesto también tengo canciones en que me divierto y hablo de cosas no tan serias”.

La música de Divo pega más con los jóvenes en áreas urbanas que tal vez han tenido las mismas experiencias que él. Conversando sobre sus orígenes, Divo nos contó que nació en la Capital de Guatemala y llegó a Canadá con sus padres y hermana cuando tenía cinco años. El artista extraña mucho a su familia en Guatemala. “Cuando he regresado a visitar siempre es una experiencia contenta pero emocional para mí”, comparte con nosotros el cantante. Divo ha viajado por varios países, en Latinoamérica estuvo en México, Cuba, República Dominicana, Puerto Rico y Costa Rica. En Europa, tuvo la suerte de visitar a las islas Azores de Portugal, Inglaterra, Francia y España… “Pero siempre estoy contento de regresar a Canadá”, nos cuenta. Lo que le encanta de la Cultura Latina es el sabor, energía y creatividad que tenemos los latinos. “Se siente en la comida, música y arte y pienso que todo el mundo lo reconoce”.

“Sin música el mundo fuera muy aburrido. Música le da vida a la gente y nos ayuda a expresar nuestras emociones con sonido y movimiento. Nos hace cantar, bailar y disfrutar. Yo no me pudiera imaginar la vida sin música”, nos dice el Divo. Para los jóvenes o aquellas personas que desean entrar al mundo de la música, Divo comparte un consejo con ustedes: “Es divertido (ser músico) pero también hay que comportarse como un profesional para avanzar en la carrera. Muchos artistas jóvenes piensan solo a nivel local en vez de forma mundial, es importante tener una mentalidad de negocio para expandir tu base de aficionados”.

La experiencia del artista se ve reflejado en su trayectoria. Colaboró con uno de los raperos más notables en Canadá como Classified, Dan-e-o, D-Sisive y Eternia. Además de eso, está próximo a culminar su tercer álbum y acabo de sacar un mixtape también. Además, Divo es reconocido en la comunidad de la música como uno de los mejores diseñadores de arte de álbumes con su compañía Artesano Design Studios. Son logros que llenan de orgullo al cantante, pero también a nuestra comunidad latina. Su reciente lanzamiento es su nuevo mixtape llamado “Inside The Vault”, producción que tiene los mejores temas de su último par de álbumes, canciones exclusivas y también música de su nuevo álbum. El mixtape tiene 21 canciones y nuestros lectores lo pueden descargar completamente gratis en su sitio web

El artista confiesa que estuvo a punto de no llegar a este punto de su carrera, tras un descanso de siete años, tiempo que le sirvió –como nos cuenta– para establecer su vida. “No estaba seguro si iba a regresar al escenario pero estoy contento de haberlo hecho. Estoy cumpliendo una de mis metas personales con este próximo álbum y no tengo ningún arrepentimiento”, afirma. Próximamente, el Divo filmará unos videos musicales y seguirá grabando buena música, la que nos tiene muy bien acostumbrados. Ahora se encuentra terminando su próximo álbum. Solo le hace falta grabar una canción más, por lo que el artista se encuentra muy emocionado. El álbum se va llamar “Transatlantic Soul” y se lanzará cuando llegue la primavera. “Es una colaboración con un productor llamado GMJ que vive en Francia y va ser el mejor proyecto que haya hecho”, señaló.

Disfruten de la música del Divo ingresando a: http://www.divohiphop.com
Y sigue a tu artista en las redes sociales Twitter: https://twitter.com/DivoHipHop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divohiphop
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/DivoHipHop - Toronto Hispano

We’re probably the only Canadian hiphop
site that was running when Divo dropped his Sparks of Friction album in 2000.. at least the
only site still around today. Now, after a long hiatus, Divo is promoting his latest project, Transatlantic Soul Plane, and gearing up for the release of a new
music video, “Perseverance.” - Hip Hop Canada