No shade to Portland rappers, but itās one thing to be a Portland-raised artist who packs shows in their hometown week after week, benefitting from that same community thatās been supporting them, and itās an entirely different thing to move to a new city and try to build a career and fanbase off grind, charisma, and talent alone.
After catching a couple of recent performances from Houston-born rapper Quinn while he was backing up his friend and collaborator KayelaJ, I was intrigued. He had a distinct style, bouncy sound, and an extra-listenable, coherent flow. I was even more intrigued after hearing his outstanding debut LP Detached Thoughts, most of which he made while living in Portland. From front to back, the album is enjoyable and could easily play on the radio (with edits, of course).
I recently met up with Quinn at Lloyd Center and we got to chatting about his journey with freestyling, writing rhymes, his debut album, and his recent relocation to Portland from Texas. Wearing a colorful windbreaker and his signature two-braid beard styling (but not his typical two afro-poofs), Quinn greeted me with a big smile, his gorgeous Southern accent, and a cannabis-infused Rice Krispies treat.
āI didnāt start off writing raps, I started [out] freestyling off the dome,ā he tells me. āIām from Texas, so itās in our culture.ā Quinn remembers being in little league when he started freestyling, and was in eighth grade when he wrote down his first rhyme. It wasnāt until he was 18 that he began recording music.
āI was part of speech and debate and we had an extracurricular activity [where] we had to do a rap. We were setting up our own concert for the school, like, to showcase our talent. I was the host and I had to do a little rap,ā he explains. āAnd even though I donāt like people, people usually gravitate toward my energy. When they started cheering, I was like, āThis could be something I could do, with me up here and them over there.āā
Even though Quinn jokes that he doesnāt like people, the rapper does have a very genuine, positive spirit. If youāre on his wavelength, youāll definitely feel drawn to his vibe. Having moved to Portland in February, he says the city has been welcoming both to him as a person and an artist.
āI had visited Portland three times prior to moving here, and people were naturally gravitating toward my aesthetics and music. People would peep me as an artist before I would even say that I do music,ā he says.
āIām not the type to go around and be like, āHey, I do music and woo woo woo.ā People would be like, āAre you an artist? I just got that just from your vibe and just how you look and how you dress,āā he explains. āPeople are accepting of who I naturally am, and the way I move and the way I walk and the way I rap.... I was like, āThis is the best move for me to make musically and holistically, if I was going to move anywhere else.ā Thatās what my intuition was telling me.ā
When asked about the differences he notices between Houston and Portland, Quinn says, āPortlandās got way more white people than Houston. But to me the biggest difference is Portland is more accessible in every way: transportation wise, to obtain better income, to obtain... [weed], and the livability.ā
If you werenāt paying close attention to the lyrics on songs like āMajor Payne,ā āStep on āEm,ā or the quick-firing verses on ā4 DA DLās,ā you might not immediately realize that Quinn is queer. He asserts that heās a free agent when it comes to battle rap, but tells me about an LGBTQ battle rap league started by Sara Kana in New York called Prism Battle League, for which heās been booked twice. Quinnās first Prism battle was at Pride 2017, and he also shined in a freestyle with Prism in this yearās New York Pride parade.
Quinn says that after seeing the fruits of his labor on Detached Thoughts, heās focusing on continuing his uninhibited, free-flowing writing process, and creating some tunes in the soul genre as well. "In 2019 I will display my singing abilities and [play instruments] on more songs," he says. He also tells me he's planning to release a music video for his single "Brain In A Drought" later this Winter. Look out for the rapperās name on hip-hop bills in 2019, and even in the nearer future. Quinn tells me he has a collaboration with Donāt Shoot Portland in the works. āI appreciate those that believe in me in Portland enough to book me, to listen to my music, to vibe with me, to want to interview meāfrom radio to magazines to newspapersāitās been a blessing. Like, Iām new here, and to be honest, Iāve observed other artists here and like... Iāve done a lot with the time that Iāve been here.ā
When asked what he wants his role in Portlandās scene to be, Quinn says āan artist thatās from the South that expanded to Portland, and he gonā expand all around the world. Yeah, Iām gonna stay in Portland for a liāl bit and continue to expand.ā