Joseph Rose – True Colors: Vancouver Rapper Ascends Borders & Impresses on Debut [Review]

by | Aug 26, 2016

Vancouver hip hop artist Joseph Rose has released his debut EP ‘True Coloers’ today, August 26, 2016 through Aileron Music. The effort was produced by Pro Logic (Drake, Lil Bibby) and features appearances by P. Reign, Rob The Viking from Swollen Members, and Raeliss.

Stream the entire EP HERE (via Exclaim.ca)

On his debut EP ‘True Colors’, Vancouver rapper Joseph Rose manages to ascend borders and impresses on his debut effort. That’s part of the message here too and he states it bluntly that it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’re from, just do you and you’ll excel. That’s what he did here and I applaud his bravery for dropping his former alias “Ascend” and releasing a record that his brutally honest, brave and inspiring.

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‘True Colors’ is a laid back rap album and I love that kind of relaxed approach to the music when it still retains a cutting edge. There’s a real bite to the lyrics and Rose doesn’t hold back with lyrics like “Fuck where you came from”. I wasn’t overly familiar with Rose but had heard him previously on Madchild’s track ‘Little Things’. So I knew what the man is capable of, and he’s a very talented young artist who should have no problem climbing the Canadian rap scene with a strong shot at branching out on the road. He’s about to tour North America (see dates below) so make sure you check him out and this EP today too if you like that chill kind of hip hop.

“Fuck a real name and a gimmick, I want everyone to recognize my face and put respect on my name. I got a bunch of battle scars I just chose to man the fuck up and run through the pain.”

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Rose exudes this sense of cockiness in his rhymes but tries to ground himself in reality as well. He knows he’s in that grey area of rising successfully as an artist, but there’s still a lot of work to do and a fanbase to build along the way.  The time between that first EP and the full length is vital and the way you convey yourself and the work you put in at live shows, coupled with the availability you have to the fans online is essential. I can tell he’s dealing with all of that right now in his lyrics. I like his honesty and I like his positive attitude – I’ll be honest and say that some people may have issues with some words because they could rub you the wrong way. Joseph Rose is a young artist but he’s shown that he has what it takes to make it on this debut EP. Take a listen and relax – ‘True Colors’ is worth your time.

Rating: [star rating=”4″]

The track listing for Joseph Rose’s “True Colors” is as follows:

  1. Become What You Are
  2.  Commitment (Ft. Rob Carrell)
  3. Know Which Way To Go (Ft. Raeliss)
  4. The Fakeness
  5. Cookin’ (Ft. P Reign)
  6. Only Way Is Up (Ft. Raeliss)
  7. Pour You Out
  8. True Colors

“True Colors” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2osivZoZlLVCqa10XOQHOa
“True Colors” on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/true-colors/id114213479

For more information on Joseph Rose please visit http://www.josephrose.ca

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