Japhet on the power of rap and his new single “Trynna Call You”
By Nimra Amir, December 2 2022—
Growing up, Calgary-based rapper Japhet did everything but rap — from being in his school’s orchestra for the saxophone to being in his church’s choir. It was not until he heard a Juice Wrld freestyle that he rapped a freestyle of his own on the same beat at a friend’s studio.
Since then, Japhet has kept returning to the studio. But as he sets out to inspire the younger generation from poor to rich, the rap songs he creates are not like the typical rap songs that have become infamous for glorifying a lifestyle of playing women, taking drugs and being violent. These songs, especially because of their popularity in mainstream media, have led to a vicious reality in which younger fans in an attempt to be like their favourite rappers engage in the same glorified lifestyle, but then experience the negative repercussions that are simply not as “cool” as they might seem in the songs. The cycle just keeps repeating. In experiencing this reality first-hand, Japhet, now a rapper himself, has taken responsibility for the power that the words in his songs have.
His songs, instead, he says fall into the “pain-infused loverboy” style that is inspired by rappers like Polo G and Toosii. Despite how tough guys can pretend to be, Japhet has embraced vulnerability in order to connect with his audience on a deeper level — sending an inspirational message to the younger generation.
“You can be whoever you wanna be, act however you wanna act, say whatever you wanna say,” he said, even if that is a guy who raps about love.
His upcoming single “Trynna Call You” featuring Winnipeg-based rapper YSN Fab which is releasing by the end of this year with an accompanying music video follows this same style.
The upbeat song backed with a melodic acoustic guitar is about approaching a girl and trying to make her his girlfriend has been in the works since early this year when YSN Fab made a trip to Calgary. Already a fan, Japhet reached out once he heard that YSN Fab was in Calgary — and the very next day, they were both in the studio.
“My friends were fanboys in the studio,” he said. “I was trying to keep my cool but even I was like ‘This is crazy, he’s real.’”
Japhet had recorded his verse first but after listening to the verse recorded by YSN Fab — who finished in under an hour — he felt like he had to redo his verse the next day to match the power in the vocals. This attention to detail shows in the song which sounds so cohesive.
In just two days, both rappers had executed what they do best — a rap song about love. So, if you too are tired like Japhet that most rappers are “talking about the same shit nowadays,” as he says, then you are in luck. The release of this new single that plays on the strengths of other rap songs in its melodic beat and powerful vocals has set itself apart in its story that avoids glorifying such a harsh lifestyle.
To stay updated with Japhet and the release of “Trynna Call You,” you can follow him on Instagram and TikTok. Until then, be sure to listen to the rest of his discography on Spotify and Apple Music or watch his music videos on YouTube.