Indie Rapper Making a Name for Himself: Siple
So I’m just chillin, waiting for my squad, checking out whatever rap YouTube’s serving up, when I come across this music video, ‘Run It Up’, that just snatches my wig. This track IS it, chief: the security camera footage-style abduction video, authentically dim and grainy, the machine gun refrain “run it up”, and the chilling lyrics that stick in your head, like, “there ain’t no amount that’ll keep you from death”.
Gotta check this artist out, I decide, and as I bump his songs on Spotify, I find I’m hooked: ‘Ghettoville’, with its drippy drill rap delivery mixed in with the “West Coast whistle” type synth that became famous thanks to Dr. Dre, ‘Piper Perri’ with its sick refrain that somehow reminded me of Eminem, ‘I’m Not The One’ that’s got a rap meets Orient sound with its groovy gong and flute combo, and ‘F*ck With Me’ whose wordplay just blew my mind — “I’ll lyrically murder you and let the vultures eat away”…
Siple. That’s the name of the artist, and I reckon it’ll be real fun talking to this guy. An email, a few DMs on Instagram, and I’m on video call with the man himself. Turns out to be an interesting conversation, so of course, I’ve got to share some bits and pieces with the readers here. The artist, Siple, is denoted by ‘S’ in the chat summary below:
Q : Siple, I’m curious… you’ve got some real dank wordplay going on in some of your songs, and some of the background scores are pretty sick, as well. What’s the inspiration behind your music?
S: Yeah, good question. I’ve seen rap evolve, from where it was all about the lyrics and the expression of ideas and feelings, to where now it’s all about the music, the melody, the signature sound. Personally, I admire both, I’m a fan of both styles… I don’t believe there’s just one way to do rap. It really depends on the specific track, the artist. And that’s what you’ll hear in my music — a blend that balances the lyrics and the music.
Q : So, how did you get started in rap? Can you tell us a bit about your journey in music?
S: I grew up listening to rap… Atmosphere, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco… those were the days of street dancing and the hyphy era. I diversified later, of course — Big Sean, J Cole and Logic… these days, I’m really into Russ, Tyler the Creator, Snow tha Product. And, of course, I’ve always admired MCs, their wit, their lyrical ability to just build up your expectations, then totally surprise you… it’s incredible. So naturally, in my music, I try to take my audience along, build up the suspense, then deliver the punch-line. And the music can help you do that, as well.
Q : What’s the significance of your artist name — “Siple”? Any story behind that?
S: I was expecting this question… I coined ‘Siple’ as my own variant of ‘disciple’, y’know? ’Coz I feel that an artist is constantly learning, constantly evolving, taking elements from so many different styles, different artists, putting them together to create his own, unique brand of music.
Q : Is there anything or anyone that particularly inspires you and your music?
S: Seriously, the single most important reason for me to be an artist is the connect with my fans and supporters. They make it worth it, the hard work, the travel, the nights with no sleep… the amazing feeling of resonating with these awesome peeps as they get to know and love my music, that’s worth everything.
Q : You’ve already got a bunch of singles out there that are doing really well on Spotify and other platforms. What’s next in the pipeline?
S: Well, I’ve got one music video out, for ‘Run It Up’ — you already mentioned that you dug that. And I’ve been seeing the amazing response from my audience to all my singles, and to the video as well… I’m looking forward to an album release, hopefully in the near future… and, of course, more great videos.
Q : Cool. What would be one message you’d put out for your fans and followers?
S: I’d tell them, “Don’t let anything hold you back.” I can really relate to that struggle, that sense of wanting to overcome all the odds… coming from an immigrant family, I’ve had to see and live the pain, see how hard my parents worked to build a life, a future for my family. What I’ve learned from that is that hard work is absolutely essential… when you’re going after your dream, what’s important to you.
One thing’s for sure… the way Siple’s been dropping one dope single after another, this artist is going after his dream. And if you’ve been bopping along to Siple’s tracks, you’ll agree that this is one artist who’s well on his way to becoming the next big noise on the rap scene.
