-Young rapper will go head-to-head against 50 other MCs at Calgary competition-
OSOYOOS TIMES-January 2, 2008-
By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times
The first time Mike Tsigonias performed his hip-hop stylings live was in front of a classroom of his fellow Grade 11 students four years ago.
It was a song for his social studies class about history and the reviews were positive.
That was the first time an adult told me my music was good, Tsigonias said.
Now the 19-year-old, who goes by the stage name Endless, is comfortable and confident expressing his rhymes before much larger crowds at Osoyoos venues such as the Lady on the Lake pub, where he performed to a gathering of 150 people in July.
It was amazing having 150 people there who just came to see me and give me a big ovation afterwards, Tsigonias said, adding he considered the experience his first real gig.
When I first went up I had no idea what to expect. And then all of a sudden I was singing and people were cheering.rnFrom there, he has travelled between his hometown of Osoyoos and Calgary to get his music out to the masses. He said he has stood outside clubs in Calgary, rapping to people coming out of hip-hop shows, until a crowd forms.
Tsigonias hopes putting himself in the public eye in such a way will earn him some fans and possibly the attention of someone within the music industry who could start building his career.
Hopefully the right ear catches it and helps me out financially, he said.
But it's difficult, he said, trying to get his career going in a small town such as Osoyoos which doesn't have a large hip-hop following.
It's been real hard pushing it because not a lot of people care for it, he said. But at the same time, some people in town have said they're going to help me.rnUnlike many other rappers, Tsigonias is comfortable in admitting his passion for hip-hop music doesn't come from an interest in a thug-like lifestyle.
He said he became interested in the art form when he was 15 from reading various forms of poetry.
Then I just started transforming poetry into rap music, he said.
He describes his songs as having a West Canadian Coast type of style as opposed to the tone of Eastern Canadian rap, which he says is similar to up-beat jazz music.rnMine is more like good beat, solid flow, he said, adding that most of his rhymes come off the top of his head and he can rap about any subject.
Tsigonias' friend, Steve Seifert, who sometimes DJs for the young rapper, said the music is more poetic, more deeper in the soul than in the streets.rnSeifert, 27, has worked with other Canadian hip-hop acts in Calgary and is coaching Tsigonias as his career develops.
Although, Seifert said, he is not Tsigonias' manager.
My role is that he is my best friend in Osoyoos and I've got some connections in the hip-hop industry.rnAs for Tsigonias' future, Seifert is optimistic that his friend will shine in Canada's hip-hop community.
He's got more chance to make it now because most people his age have never had a chance to take the stage, he said.
In January, Tsigonias and Seifert will take part in an international hip-hop festival in Calgary where Tsigonias will compete against roughly 50 other rappers for the chance to open for a well-known Canadian hip-hop act.
Beyond that, Tsigonias only wants a chance to continue sharing his lyrics and beats with those who will listen.
I just want to be able to perform in front of a large group of people and have people embrace my music and what I say.rn
