Fly In Formation - ILLiam
Sometimes on FiF, I know a lot about the artist I’m talking to; other times, I know very little. Then there are those moments where I realize mid-interview that I know more of someone's history than I thought — perhaps thanks to a somewhat recent name change. That was the case with this one. Years back, I remember seeing posts from someone named Hades in a Facebook group, maybe Alberta Underground Hip Hop or something like that. It wasn’t until ILLiam mentioned that he had turned over a new leaf since his trolling days under that alias, that I realized I’d been more aware of his presence than I thought.
I never interacted with the posts, but I do remember Hades stirring up drama in what was usually a pretty quiet scene. Over time, I noticed him engaging with different artists in the comments, basically trolling his way into the AB scene by dissing everyone before eventually pivoting off that first impression to build relationships. I’m not really into drama like that and tend to try my hardest not to argue in comment sections, so this interview feels like the ideal result of his rebrand as ILLiam. Not sure I’d have spoken to Hades. I’m glad he made the switch and continued to evolve musically because he’s got a style that stands out — laid-back, almost monotone, with a lot of bars that’ll make you chuckle at the word play, dad joke style.
ILLiam’s got plenty of opinions too, which made for a dope conversation. We touched on everything from the importance of music videos, the right romatic relationship, and pressing vinyl to his history and perspective on the Edmonton scene. He's been observing the cliques that have been around for a while, and having that outsider vantage point brought some fresh insights to the table.
Now, I haven’t posted a full weekly schedule for FiF and I’m not sure if I will. Right now, it’s week-to-week, so make sure to hit follow on Twitch and turn on notifications so you don’t miss when I go live. Hit follow on Youtube too while you’re at it so that you can catch the videos when they get edited and posted there a day or few later. Everyone’s welcome to drop in, say what’s up, or toss a question to the guest. If it’s a good one, I might even pretend I thought of it myself.
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