THE SCRAPE - ISSUE 1
Candid Ramblings - By Salo
As I sit down with Candid Ramblings at Scrape Zine headquarters, I can sense the experience behind her humble, soft-spoken demeanor. After checking out her music on Spotify, I hardly know how she keeps her chill. Her music is simultaneously exhilarating and velvety, with a flow that rolls on and on. If I were her, I'd be walking around telling the world that I'm the next big thing.
She's a 29-year-old lyricist based in Portland, Oregon, and although she's a local now, she has roots in Lake City, Florida and El Paso, Texas. Like a true southerner (my words, not hers), Candid sang alto in her church's choir and learned to play the piano and guitar. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Despite her early interest in music, her primary focus was her first love, basketball. At the end of high school - right before graduating valedictorian (I mean, come on...) Candid won the talent show performing her own version of "Over" by Drake. She pocketed that win, but stayed focused on her lifelong dream to play pro basketball. True to her dreams, she went on to play college ball on a full-ride scholarship. Though her hopes of playing pro ball didn't come to fruition, Candid ended up a prolific artist, adding to her already impressive resume.
In 2017 she moved to Portland for a new start. Captivated by the music scene, she started performing spoken word and poetry at open mics and small shows. In the years that followed she met artists like festival coordinator and musical powerhouse Rainezra, who invited her into the fray of Portland artists. Hip-hop had become just as influential for her as basketball was, and Candid realized she had a deep desire to perform, and to say something real.
"I make lyrical hip-hop music that helps me embody confidence, create mantras of personal wisdom, and express myself vulnerably. I tend to mix elements of old school and new school hip-hop."
In 2020, Candid released two double singles and her debut EP Urban Decay, which I gotta say, are dope. She mixed and mastered all of the tracks on her own, and recorded with a basic home setup. Take a listen, then tell me it doesn't sound like it was made in a professional studio. Can't be done.