Abdi Mohammed Mohamoud: Father, Basketball Coach, Mentor, Activist & Community Leader 2
Daniel Christopher Kai: Artist, Creative Mind, Music Producer
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- When and where were you born
- How is it being the oldest boy
- Tell me about some of your early memories of Neptune.
- Did you participate in community events or activities at Neptune
- Where did you go to school
- Why did you want to go to Rosedale Heights
- When did you realize your creativity, and being good at art
- What interests you about making art
- What are some of the themes in your art
- Tell me about your music.
- Who or what are your musical influences
- Is there one particular piece of art that inspires or impacts you
- So you’re in your last year of school now. Are you thinking about your future
- If you could see yourself 20 years from now, what would you be doing
Daniel Christopher Kai: Artist, Creative Mind, Music Producer When and where were you born?
I was born in Toronto, I’m not sure which hospital. It was June 17th 1998. I turned 17 this past year. Tell me about your family. In the house I live in, there’s my mom, my step dad, myself and my younger brothers Anthony and Jordan. I’m the oldest boy in my house. How is it being the oldest boy?
Umm, I feel like more of the pressure is on you. Looking out for the other ones, being responsible. When did you first come to live in Neptune? It was when I was about 2 or 3 years old. We used to live in another place before Anthony was born. It was so long ago but I do remember when I first went there. It’s been over a decade ago but it always feels so familiar. It has a comforting mentality, a sense of belonging. Tell me about some of your early memories of Neptune.  The basketball court. Before we got the basketball court there was a little playground. There used to be a sandbox with little toys there and we used to play there. Sometimes we had the school to play basketball. Then they took out the sandbox and put the basketball court in. That was a game changer. The splash pad came too, when I was in Grade 4 or 5. Everyone was excited about it, but it didn’t really work, it always kept flooding with this nasty stuff. A lot of my childhood friends moved away though.
When I was in Grade 5 I went to live with my Dad. It was quieter. I lived with him until I came back here to Neptune in Grade 11. When I came back, things changed. Different people.
Yea, I always attended the BBQs. Last year, I started cooking at the BBQs. I like the people at Neptune, people always take the time to help you if you need it. People are mostly okay there. But the rotten few spoil the bunch. Where did you go to school? The first school I went to was Glen Park. I was in the French Immersion program there from Kindergarten to Grade 3. Then I went to Baycrest until I graduated from Grade 5. Then I went to live with my Dad, he was living in Etobicoke and I went to a school called Smithfield. It was a middle school. I’ll always remember my Grade 6 teacher at Smithfield, his name is Mr. Khsatri. He was easy to talk to, he was reasonable. My Grade 8 teacher at Smithfield, Mr. Stewart. He was harsh but we liked him, he was straight up (laughs). For my first year of high school, I went to North Albion Collegiate. I wanted to go to Rosedale Heights High School from Grade 9 but I didn’t get in until Grade 10. That’s where I am now, in my last year. Why did you want to go to Rosedale Heights? My older brother went there. Also because of the arts programs, more for the music aspect though. The environment was more welcoming. I applied using my visual art to get in, but once I got in I started taking music courses. I kind of thing school is a waste of time but I have to go. My best subjects are the arts, and science and my worse subject is Math. When did you realize your creativity, and being good at art? I always just scribbled. I started doing actual sketches in elementary school, when I was around 6 or 7 years old. I got into painting a bit, mixing different colours, using pastels, oil pastels and charcoal. That was in Grade 8 or 9. We changed up the mediums in Grade 10. What interests you about making art? The freedom to create. I create whatever comes to mind. I like how it varies. Something I deem art is completely different from what someone else would deem art. It’s a way to express myself. If I feel a certain mood, what I make is a reflection of that. It’s the same with music. If I feel a certain mood, my music will reflect that. Sometimes there’s no words to explain it, but when I make a song, it explains it. The satisfaction that I created something is important to me. I might influence someone else to create something. Like I left my legacy or something like that.
My art is a reflection of my emotions and my reality. It’s who I am. Whatever you take of it, it’s how I want you to perceive of me. I would say living at Neptune is an inspiration for my music. What I make is my reality. Tell me about your music. I make hip hop. I use a lot of 90’s influence in my music. When I went to Rosedale, my friend Gabe introduced me to this music software. I got interested in it and started making beats. I took guitar for 2 years in Grade 10 and Grade 11 and I want to take senior band this year. I’ll make a bunch of songs and take them to a studio in Mississauga. I’m working with a band called North Creed. My older step brother Nicholas manages them. I like their sound. How they first started- with the old classic stuff. They made a whole new sound. I’m thinking about performing live. I do more turn table, scratching records on stage. Now I’m making a type of rap called boom bap. It sounds smooth. What hooks you is the intricate sounds of the drums. People like JDilla, Pete Rock. Who or what are your musical influences? Nas, Wu Tang, NWA, Tupac, Big L. I like 90’s hip hop. I like NAS’s first album, it’s called Illmatic. It’s the story of his life, growing up in his hood in Queen’s Bridge. My Mom and I went to see Straight Outta Compton yesterday, it’s about NWA. I really liked it.  Is there one particular piece of art that inspires or impacts you?
There’s a NAS song called I Gave You Power. The whole premise of the song is that he’s talking from the perspective of a gun. He’s talking as if he is the gun. The first verse is about how the gun is made, the second verse he talks about the ways he’s used and the next verse, he’s just done- someone takes him and jams him and the last verse, he gets passed to the next person. He talks in a very primitive way, a raw way. It impacts me because I’ve experienced my share of gun violence. I can relate to it. That’s why it impacts me. The gun is saying that he doesn’t really want to do this anymore, but then that’s the whole purpose of its creation. So the irony of the song, it catches me. So you’re in your last year of school now. Are you thinking about your future? I’d like to take a year off and work. I’m thinking of either going to Recording Arts Canada, that’s a one year program. There’s a music production school in Mississauga called Metalworks, it’s $53 grand for the tuition. If you could see yourself 20 years from now, what would you be doing? Hmm, I’d be working for a record label. That would be cool. Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2015 2015 -> Police Militarization 2015 -> 2015 ihbb championships: hs history Bowl Round 4 – Prelims First Quarter 2015 -> Wrtp/big step · 3841 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, wi 53208 2015 -> Rao bulletin 1 December 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Darton College 2015 -> Training Workshop on Planning and Implementation of Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) in Bihar Date : 6th 2015 -> Rao bulletin 15 June 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Rao bulletin 1 September 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Rao bulletin 1 August 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Science, and transportation united states senate Download 3.64 Mb. Share with your friends:
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