By Will McGuirk
Canadian Métis rapper Troy Junker has released a new track “4U” featuring LUVR, from the July 20, 2020 release ‘The Path’. Although Troy is originally from Saskatchewan he took a winding musical journey via Florida and arrived in Oshawa, signing up for Durham College’s Music Business Management program. While commuting to school he would pass Parkwood, home of GM Canada founder, which has a rich history but for Troy it was where the movie “Billy Madison” was filmed. That was the inspiration for his mix tape project, “Trilly Madison”. He has since graduated but we at slowcity.ca like to check in with our fellow alumni so we asked Troy some questions on whats been going on with the tunes and stuff.
Slowcity.ca: How was your time at Durham College and in Oshawa?
Troy Junker: “Even though Oshawa gets a bad rap, studying Music Business Management at Durham College was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. It was liberating studying something you really are interested in versus something easy or that pays well but you hate. I moved there only knowing one person (Fetchy) and I met a lot of my best friends at Durham. When I was younger, I dropped out of high school and didn’t care to study much but since I was interested in the music business, I didn’t miss any classes. I even made the honour roll because I enjoyed what I was learning. It was litty, the professors even let me do the assignments on myself to prepare for upcoming releases. I still speak to so many people today from the program.”
SC: What was the hip hop scene in Oshawa like during your time in the city - where did you hang, perform, create?
TJ: “We threw a few shows on campus but our program found a venue called The Moustache Club (RIP). They put on for a lot of local acts and they had a nice sound system. My roommate at the time Mike, was a big fan of throwing house shows on the college block, Dalhousie Crescent. That’s where we mostly hung, just around the college. I’d commute to Toronto often though to get involved in the music scene and get away for day/night trips.
“Durham College has a studio called, Push Play but I found it tough to book so I would create tracks in my room with my own equipment. I had this really big bedroom with a walk-in closet and I’d set up my gear in. When I’d do collaborations, I’d prefer to record in Push Play and then mix at home so there is a different vibe for the artists.
SC: How did the single “4U” come about, and why did you want LUVR involved?
TJ: “LUVR and I studied together at Durham College but for the time we studied together we never collaborated. We just hung out and became great friends. He recently moved to The Netherlands but came back to Toronto for a visit. While he was here, we spent a couple days cooking up beats and shortly after that, 4U was made. I wanted him involved because he’s so talented and has his own style. Once I heard his chorus, I was hooked and he was excited for me to lay down my raps so we made it happen. I feel like some songs are good and other songs are great and “4U “is one of the great songs.”
