HOT ON THE BLOCK: Toronto Artist Notifi Talks New Music & New Ventures

Toronto artist Notifi drops a new song titled “Close To You” produced by Ty Leon with further assistance from Kyleyoumadethat. Born in Montreal, Notifi has called Toronto home since he was months old. Over the years, Notifi has kept his public image mysterious and gave listeners quality music. With the right peas in the pod, Notifi was set for a great run in the music industry. Still in the field but steadily building himself and his music, Notifi takes time with his craft. In a conversation with the artist/producer, he broke down how feeling the music is the key to longevity. The impact of music can go far, changing lives in the process. With the intent of charting a more constructive trajectory, Notifi is looking forward to a few goals as he steadily stays building his music catalogue.

RESPECT: Congratulations on dropping new music, Now that it’s out how do you feel?

Notifi: It feels good, it definitely feels good! I’ve been wanting to drop music for a while now you know it’s just, a lot of things got in the way and that I wasn’t able to but, that’s pretty much been all cleared up so for the supporters and everyone thats been wanting some new Notifi music, it was really nice to give em something that I worked on, something I had a lot of fun with and then I thought the energy would be reciprocate.

RESPECT: Tell us what the process was like for your new single “Close To you”.

Notifi: Pretty typical when it comes to me making a song. That beat came in a beat pack from one of my guys producers his name is Ty Lion, he had shot me a couple beats over and I had gone through the pack and that one right there it stood out to me, it was up tempo, it had that kinda old School, almost that MJ feel I could see MJ kinda style to do to it, ya I heard it and I was just like I got to do something with this so I went in put some melodies, I ended up liking what I did and then I wrote to it and recorded it the same day, and then that was that.

RESPECT: What are some of the personal themes your fans can hear in your new single? Will these theme be continued on to your future project?

Notifi: Experience things i haven’t experienced before or, on that same note in a long time cause you know sometimes we get into relationships or what not and for whatever reason it might end we feel like, i’m never gonna have this feeling again or i’m never gonna meet somebody that’s gonna make me feel this way again and thats kinda like you know the older you get the more mature you get, you realize you know it’s not just one person thats for you, you can decide who you wanna build with and how you wanna go about it. That was just one of those records like you know at the time i was feeling like i haven’t felt you know this kind of attachment to anybody in a long time, it’s been years, so i kinda just tapped into that and i kinda just let that speak for itself.

RESPECT: What else do you have stored for the remainder of the year?

Notifi: Definitely for sure, for this project in particular this is the first single off that project for this i wanted to have some more fun with it, there’s a couple summer vibes in there, there’s a couple darker vibes and it’s just, it’s almost like a collective playlist of all the kinda like thoughts and feelings i’ve been having lately, you know packed into one 10 track project that i think people will really like just because it’s, it’s all about the vibes when it comes to music, if the vibe isn’t right you won’t feel it if it’s not right sonicly your not gonna feel it regardless of who it’s coming from or what’s being said, so for this one i just had fun it’s been a long time since you know i’ve been able to really just have fun with the music you know i’m not going for hits thats gonna you know allow me to blow up i’m doing this because you know i love music and i just wanna you know i wanna share this with people especially the ones that you know like the music i’m putting out, i feel like that there gonna really like this project.

RESPECT: During this lockdown how have you been keeping your self busy?

Notifi: For me personally like i’ve been affected of course like everybody else with things being. Shutdown and not being able to you know see friends and hangout in groups and what not but my schedule really hasn’t changed that much, it’s always been you know work, music and you know if i have time i’ll hangout with you know whoever but like since every things been locked down it’s strictly been work, music, work, music and it’s kinda been good because i’m focusing on a lot more on the music and i’m not as distracted as i was before you know i, as dedicated i was before i feel like you know i’m even more dedicated now just because i have the time it’s you know and i don’t necessarily have to, to make the time anymore it’s just, it’s available it’s there. I feel like it’s strengthened you know my work ethic and it’s strengthened my love for music.

RESPECT: So do you also produce?

Notifi: I do produce, i don’t think i will be producing on this project just because of the amount of beats i’ve been getting and the amount of just producers wanting to work, there coming up with a lot of dope records so for this one i’ll probably just stick to using junks from them but in the future for sure i’ll definitely have my production on future projects.

RESPECT: Often multifaceted artists, preferences are still a thing. What would you say yours is?

Notifi: Really everything when you think about it, because i work a full 9 to 5 so it’s like to produce, to engineer, to mix, to write, to make the actual song you know the recording process like theres a lot that goes into it and it’s really time consuming so i find myself a lot of the time like i’m working you know to late at night and getting up early in the morning to go to and then repeating again the next day so it’s like i don’t think there’s not one thing that i would love to do more then the other because everything ties in to that one finished product if that makes sense, so i definitely feel like it’s a package deal for sure.

RESPECT: What does music mean to you?

Notifi: Music is everything, i feel like if your not, if your an artist and you don’t really feel the music i don’t think you can have any longevity, i think your just making it because you know you wanna be you know popular or you wanna be rich or you know whatever, i don’t think, you’ll ever really truly appreciate the music for what it is. Songs can change lives, songs can save people, music is why i get up like, there’s nothing else i’d rather be doing, like even when i’m at my 9 to 5 i count the minutes until I can come home and work on something cause you know there’s always, i gotta fix this or you know what if i tried this or how would this sound you know so theres always something going on in my head when i’m at work returning to music so it’s like, music is everything that’s what i wanna do i just wanna make music, full time.

RESPECT: Toronto is known to produce a lot of great talented singers, rappers and producers that have been dominating charts. Do you think this is the best it gets or Canada over all still has a long way to go?

Notifi: We have a long way to go for sure but this is the greatest start i think any city in the world would ever have. Like we have Drake like he’s been at the top of the game for 10 years right? like other then Jay-Z and like Wayne who else you know from their respective City’s really came out of nowhere and did that Especially coming from somewhere like Canada like nobody knows you know anybody from Canada so it’s kinda like when your talking about state side the music industry you know, is the states, that’s where it’s at you know hollywoods there, New Yorks there so it’s like to have artists like drake, the weekend you know Tory Lanez, Daniel Caesar, Jessy Reyez just so many artists that have you know put Toronto on you know like they gave us a face you know and then the raptors so it’s kinda like everything came together so we definitely have a long way to go because theres just so many you know talented people in the city and you know the people that are on top now won’t be on top forever right? so we gotta keep it going there’s a lot of talent people just gotta you know try to keep working and stay with it and they to can shine and put on a face for Toronto.

RESPECT: So how did you and Charlie B link up?

Notifi: A few years ago, i met an artist by the name of Robin Banks, Toronto here, we live in the same neighbourhood, he was doing this thing and he had a mixtape and he got Charlie to host it for him, and then i didn’t know at the time my boy sent it to me and my boy was like look you know, Roberts getting his tape hosted by Charlie so i was like alright cool, dope i want my tape hosted by Charlie too cause Im tryna get out there myself and you know Charlie B he’s like Torontos like top DJ so i sent him an email with a link to one of my Soundcloud records and then he hit me back, i think probably the same day or the day after he hit me back and he’s like yo this is dope come to the studio, so i went out to the studio, i think it was like out in Mississauga or something, and we just, we sat down there was a couple other artists and producers or what not, we sat down i played then some records and they was just like bro this is, this is really dope you know i really like the music your making so i’m like yo maybe we can you know team up like, between what you have and what i’m tryna do i definitely think we can make some noise you know and really make a run for things, and he was like yo let’s do it and since then we’ve been connected. it was definitely an experience i definitely learned a lot, definitely grew a lot and he definitely helped me with you know this music thing cause the industry is you know it’s tough it’s not easy, but, a lot of girls came outta that relationship for sure.

RESPECT: When did you realise you wanted to be a serious musician?

Notifi: Probably 16 17 maybe. i started making music when i was around 12 or so my homies like hey, he was making music for a bit so he was like hey let’s go make a record back then being like 11 12 i was like what are you talking about how we gonna do this so whatever he had he has a setup at his house and that’s what where we worked and just you know have fun, just make songs and then i got a computer myself and then i had a mic and i was just jammin’ away, doing my thing. I started off rapping, rapping was like a passion, rapping it’s it sill is it’s in the core, everything R&B you hear is strictly R&B but when you start hearing songs like you know a lot Dramamine, Tattoos, records like that. It’s not straight up like rap anymore it’s more like infused so it’s like a melodic rap, but i have a record coming on this project where it’s just straight rap just like i’m taking it back to my root but ya no just over time just making songs i realised that you know i really love melodies and i really love that kinda melodic kinda flow so it’s kinda like it makes sense that i’m like why not add this in you know why can’t i do both why can’t i be one of those artist, so that happened and then i started getting like good at doing so so i has like you know what imma keep this up and by the time i turned 17-18 i was like i really want to do this cause by the time high school i wasn’t really interested in school like i didn’t care for it i didn’t care for the way they taught, i didn’t care for you know what they were teaching cause i didn’t feel like it was anything i needed like you can’t teach somebody to be a rockstar so it’s like for music the only real offers i had was going to like one of those music collages where they teach you the fundamentals of recording and mixing and mastering doing that kind of stuff and that was cool but at the time i wasn’t really thinking about that it was more so you know how do i make you know these records dope like what am i doing so ever since then i’ve been working on my craft i’ve been getting better and better slowly just learning and adapting tryna figure out the best way to go about things and ya i’m still learning you know day to day that’s pretty much were i’m at right now.

RESPECT: Other than the plans you already told me about, what are your other big goals for you this year?

Notifi: I don’t know that’s a tough one cause we’re almost halfway through the year already i can’t believe time flies but i mean with everything that’s going on with COVID it’s not making it any easier, but hopefully i mean if things do lighten up i would definitely love to, just have a dope show like for one for sure, bring some other artists through and just have a fun time with that, i’d definitely definitely wanna raise the awareness of like, what i’m doing on my songs, definitely get it to people because if you don’t get the music to the people they’ll never hear it you know nothing can ever grow, a third goal i feel like i definitely have to be comfortable with you know being by myself because if your not comfortable by yourself it doesn’t matter who comes along you’ll never be you know comfortable or ready to do you know whatever so i feel like that personal growth has to be there for sure, for fourth goal i’m definitely tryna bring on some collectives on board in terms of you know definitely you know design work and future merch and just you know just a whole branding, i feel like i’ve been doing good so far but everything can always be you know added on too and built up and for a fifth goal, i’m pretty hard on myself so just making sure that the music itself is ready cause i know a lot of the time like a lot of artists are really eager to just drop records and sometimes we don’t really plan everything out the way we should so definitely more self restraint and making sure these records are good these records you know they hit hard and it definitely has to be sonically pleasing, ya pretty much i think that would be it those five ones right there.