Aristo's On Top Of The World With New Album
Thursday September 06, 2007 @ 06:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff


Aristo

Sitting on top of the world can sometimes be a lonely place. But for ambitious people like Aristo, the top of the world is just the beginning.

The Guyana-born, Toronto-raised rapper will release his Top Of The World debut full-length CD on Oct. 16, and loneliness is the last thing on his mind. The Heyworldmusic release is a 15-track glimpse into Aristo's life and, contrary to popular hip-hop standards, it's void of blingin', big pimpin' Moet-drinking cliches.

"The album is kind of like a rollercoaster," Aristo says. "I mean, we're having fun, but then we get back to real-life situations.

"To me, in order to get to the top of the world, you gotta go through your ups and downs to get there."

It's been somewhat of a lengthy journey for Aristo. For the past eight years, he's made a name for himself on the underground hip-hop scene as a prolific freestyler who's been involved with half-a-dozen mixtapes. After increasing demand for an official CD, Aristo decided to give people a clearer version of himself and his sound.

"I felt I was developed enough as an artist to put out an album," he says. "Everything on the album is a reflection of me. I definitely wanted to give the people something where they could think, 'OK, I know what Aristo's about.'"

Stepping away from the underground and trying to go mainstream could sour some supporters. And even though the album's first single, "Playa 4 Life," is a sharp turn from his usual guttural, hardcore freestyles, Aristo is confident that real fans will stick by him.

"The respect thing, coming from the streets and rapping about street stuff all the time, everybody's gonna respect you for that," he explains. "But there comes a point in everybody's life where you gotta grow up and do different things and experiment."

Despite trying the populist route, Aristo hasn't left his past behind, as "Tried, Tried, Tried," "Crazy" and "Missin U" all deal with life's struggles and the sadness of street culture.

"Right now, I feel I'm in a good position as an artist in Canada," he says. "I feel I have a lot of freedom to create my music.

"[But] it's a hard industry, so I'm gonna try and make the best out of everything. I want to get the best out of music and every opportunity I get. I'm gonna take full advantage of everything."

Here are the tracks on Top Of The World:

"Top Of The World"
"Believe"
"Angel"
"Playa 4 Life"
"Cup On Full"
"Let's ****"
"Obsession"
"Swagga"
"Dedication"
"No Other Way"
"Tried, Tried, Tried"
"Missin U"
"Crazy"
"The Streets"
"Right Now"
—Antoinette Mercurio

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