an ode to milo
I want to talk about an artist who has had a huge impact on me for the last six years. If it had not been for my sister introducing me to this rapper early on, I may have never been exposed to him. Our journey began during the sovereign summer days of 2013. My first encounter with milo occurred one day where I was playing video games, specifically the seventh installment of the Halo series which happened to be titled Halo 4. While I was off battling the Covenant, my sister was in the same room perusing the internet on the desktop computer. She had been cycling through a music site she had just discovered, and one song I vividly remember her blasting was Open Mike Eagle’s Cobra Commander ft. Danny Brown. Another song I remember specifically had a beat that reminded me of Q Tip’s Gettin’ Up , but at the time I hadn’t caught the name. Nonetheless these songs and a heavy rotation of music like them would become my theme music as I battled through the Halo 4 campaign for a couple of days. After hearing them on repeat for hours while playing the game, it got to a point where one day I felt that I couldn’t carry on without the background music that had become so familiar to me. I asked my sister for the names of the songs she had been playing a few days ago, and instead she sent me the full project of the artist I was referring to. I was focused on finding two songs that I had heard the most during my gaming sessions. After surfing through the project (foolishly unattentive to the artistry in front of me) I finally found what I was looking for. Mr. Doubt(w)riter and Backpacker’s Sermon from Mount Jansport. For whatever reason I latched on to these two songs, possibly because they had been on repeat for three days straight. But when I really started to listen to the lyrics I was even more intrigued. I could only describe this rapper as wordy. He was throwing out rhymes that included words like vagabond, octogenarian, neural disease, and necromancer. Which surprised me that a rapper would even include in his songs let alone be able to rhyme them. I quickly learned that he was no ordinary rapper. I was hooked, and as time went on I would find that I identified with this artist even more with each song. His songs would quickly transform from background music, to the most engaging music of any rapper.
I am dedicating this piece to is Rory Ferreira. He performs under the stage name milo, and sometimes even goes by scallops hotel. However, I want to dedicate this piece to Rory. Not just milo as an artists, but to all aspects of him as a person. I wish my brother Rob was here was the first project I ever listened to. Those first two songs opened a gateway into a new realm of rap I had never considered. When I first discovered him, he stood alone. He had a idiosyncratic sound that I couldn’t compare to anyone else I had been listening to. But what stood out even more was I was identifying with what he was saying. Lines like “My best connections were playing video games online, My classmates couldn’t recall my name during free time” and “I need you to pay me so I can buy shea butter for my curls, and a big jug of whey protein to impress some girls”. Every bar was so intricate and cleverly written, you’d get lost in the slew of lines if you didn’t pay close attention.That’s what really drew me to his style. He was an engaging rapper. I wasn’t just listening for entertainment, but because I wanted to truly hear what he had to say. I found myself asking questions while listening to lyrics. I was looking up who he was talking about and what he was saying. Things like “who was David Foster Wallace and Kurt Vonnegut?” “what is Zatarain’s” and “have I ever had bergamot tea before?”. I found myself looking up anything from philosophers, to particular foods, history, definitions, books and references. Listening to this rapper was expanding my horizons. His music was educating me. That’s what I truly value about milo, he’s philosopher and educator, even if it is unintentional. I often found myself questioning lines and seeking the knowledge necessary to understand his references. My inner nerd could identify with the majority of what he was saying; “For you I would cross the infinite sea of midpoints, and eat french fries at your favorite cheeseburger joint” and “I’m a nerd, but I didn’t identify with McLovin’, And much to my chagrin, My father taught me to always lend a hand to my brethren”. Once I finally sat down and listened to his first mixtape all the way through I was mad that I had slept on him for so long. I would later go on to discover more of his work. Milo Takes a Bath would reference Freud, Street Fighter, Miyazaki, Lord of the Rings and a plethora of other subjects my inner nerd could identify with. Easily one of my favorite works that I discovered early on. However, as I time passed and milo began to evolve as an artist, I was growing up at that same time as well. When I stumbled upon Things that Happen at Day/Night EP I was enthralled with the change of pace. It was more geared towards philosophical questions like transcendental idealism and metaphysics. To me it seemed he was taking rap a little more serious, while still holding true to his roots. He dedicated a full song to a wrestling move and littered the album with pro wrestler names. Monologion, which is one of my favorite milo songs of all time, is loaded with references towards authors, and philosophers. The beat sounds grave, but milo sounds stern on the track and commands attention as he rhymes. If that’s not enough he wraps the song up with a verse in Latin that requires further investigation. Milo follows up his EP’s success with Cavalcade, which is my favorite collection of songs. A 7-track mixtape that starts with audio of a philosopher engaging in a debate on language and meaning. This project is heavy on audio that pertain to ideas and assertions, movie quotes, monologues, and the overall pursuit of knowledge in some shape or fashion. His first studio album A Toothpaste Suburb is a fantastic piece of work as well. He kicks the project off with Salladhor Saan Smuggler, an introduction to his isolated village where he speaks on relationships and simplies Kant’s ‘Notion of the Sublime’. His outro addresses police brutality, which at the time of the album’s release (September, 2014) was a poignant subject that year. He declares the parameters for his suburb and states “We will not tolerate…fear”, which were words I needed to hear at that age, in a time where I could targeted just for walking the street. He garners features from prevalent art rappers such as Busdriver, and Open Mike Eagle. He also revisits Just Us(a reprise for Robert who has not been forgotten) a dedication to a fallen friend who is an inspiration and one of the reasons Rory started rapping. Even though Rob is no longer with him, his music and legacy live on through milo, as he dedicates his work to an unforgettable friend. milo feverishly produces work, either under his primary stage name or by his alter ego scallops hotel. I could go on and on about his work, he has many projects under his belt. Over the past seven years he has consistently released works each year, sometimes even up to two or three at times. His discography has a total of 13 projects in the catalog, which will soon include his 5th album which is set to release in three days. I can talk about them all I want, but there aren’t enough words to properly credit his art, and I would highly encourage you give them a listen.
I’ve met Ferreira twice now, both times in LA and each time I walked away truly enlightened. The first time we spoke was a fall night at a small concert in a record store in LA of 2015. I took an Uber all the way from my school to see him perform. He had just released his project Plain Speaking under his alias scallops hotel. Ferreira performed a few songs from his recent release and a couple from A Toothpaste Suburb as well, both of which were his most recent creations. After the show I saw Ferreira talking with a few people post performance, so I slid over in the forming line in hopes of getting to speak with him. It was finally my time to speak with him and I just gushed. I was finally meeting my favorite rapper for the past four years! It was hard for me to contain myself, but I managed to get my message across coherently. What I said I’m sure he’s heard a million times before, “You’re my favorite rapper, I had to come see you, I came all the way from (insert distant city), there isn’t a project you’ve done that I haven’t bumped” I was starstruck. I was so glad that he was nothing but gracious, and he just beamed as I talked his ears off. But then he pulled the unexpected. He turned around and reached into his bag and brought out a cassette for Plain Speaking, a compact disc for A Toothpaste Suburb, and a scallops hotel sticker that sits on my laptop to this day. He just handed me these items like he had been carrying them for this exact moment. I hadn’t seen him give anyone else anything and I had no one there to check my ego so I just stood there struck that he gave me those items right then and there. I was ecstatic to receive physical copies of his work, but I was even more grateful at his actions because it was so personal. Ferreira often has merchandise for sale on his website, and from his loyal and dedicated fan base these items always sell out. This man could’ve used these items to sell on his site, put some money in his pocket, or even to feed his family. But instead he handed them to me like our meeting was premeditated. He dapped me up and I went on my way, but I’ll always remember that interaction. I’m sure he’s had hundreds of those encounters with other fans, but it was so genuine that it left a lasting impression with me.
The second time I met milo it was two years later, summer of 2017 and I came down to California to visit my long term girlfriend, Mira. He was performing in town at the same time that I was visiting, and I was with the one person that I would want to share my favorite artist with. milo happened to be performing at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The timing was nothing short of perfect, so this time I came prepared. At our last meeting he had bestowed upon me items that were of relevance to him, and importance to me. So the natural response for me was to reciprocate that same kindness. I brought him homemade shea butter that my father creates on the side, as well as two shirts my father also produced for our family. These items were extremely personal to me and I hoped they’d leave milo with the same impression I had walked away with from our first encounter. He was in town at the same time that I was, and I was visiting the one person that I would want to share my favorite artist with. I was lucky that my I had Mira with me otherwise my nerves might have got the best of me. I had ample opportunities to speak with him at the museum. He wasn’t hard to find, he sat in plain view for everyone to see. He’d often walk among the crowd to greet friends and fans who all came to see him. He didn’t distance himself from the people who were there, he blended right in with the hundreds of people at the museum and for the show. With some encouragement and support from Mira, she helped me finally muster the courage to approach him. Like last time, I was starstruck, and I wanted to gush about how much I loved his work. But we had already had that conversation, and while he may not remember it, this was the time to leave an impression. I caught him on his way backstage, the set before him had just wrapped up so he would be on within the next 20 minutes or so. I introduced myself, told him about the last time we met, and that I wanted to speak with him after the show too. Once again, he was nothing but gracious and excited to be approached by a fan. It was like our quick little interaction was between old friends. But clearly I’m sensationalizing the extent of our relationship as artist and fan. Nonetheless he noted my name, thanked me for coming out to support and expressed slight confusion but excitement for my perplexing foreshadowing. 15 minutes later he was on stage performing. As usual, he killed it. He performed a wide array of songs from projects like So the Flies Don’t Come, Plain Speaking, (Boyle) and Piles EP, as well as debuting a song or two from his new album Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?!. He was just so casual up there, reiterating to the crowd that he was “just rapping”. But his work and music has been so much more than that. This man suffers for his art, and he lives for his craft. ‘Just rapping’ is what a lot of mainstream artists do just for the clout, money, or helluvit. This man lives for rap, and his passion and expertise are conveyed in his music. He cycled through songs, teasing fans with intros from beloved songs. He wrapped up his set with Song About a Raygunn (An Ode to Busdriver), which is a beautiful melody dedicated to one of his inspirations. After he left the stage and it was all over I spotted him back stage cooling off after the performance. As expected, there were a couple of people lining up to see him. I hopped in line, and Once it was my turn I gathered myself and gave him the full spiel. I told how our last interaction impacted me, I spoke of him highly and how he recites many of the same ideals that my father does (coincidentally they share the same birthday), and most importantly how he’s shaped my approach to music. This artist has by far had the biggest influence on me personally. I look up to this guy. So gave him two bottles of shea butter, and two shirts, one of which was for his wife. As an evolving black man he now has a family to look after, he’s a man suffering for his art. There’s nothing more important to me then family, and it was a hope of mine to present something worthwhile not only to him but the people close to him as well. I was thankful to have my girlfriend by my side to help me remain calm and keep me focused. Overall, I’m just glad I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet this dude. He is truly a one of a kind artist and human being. He expresses true and genuine concern for his work and his fan base. His commitment to his craft is precise and intense, the steps he takes to be the artist he is today sometimes goes unspoken. I have to stop myself at some point because I could go on and on about this guy. Rory Ferreira as a human being is no different from the rest of us, he’s conscious of reality and the struggles in front of us. As an artist, he has something to say. He doesn’t rap to get rich. He raps because it is his life. Milo lives by his art, which is something I don’t see in most artists.
His next project is Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?! which will be released August 11th. I have already pre ordered it and set aside a full day to listen to it. I strongly encourage you to tune in to what this artist has to say.
