Pats

October 11, 2020

Chatham-Kent: Local Rapper Pats Dreams Big for 2021

October 11, 2020

October 11, 2020

Pats: A Local Rapper with Big Dreams

Chatham might be a small, rural city, but it has its share of talent.  Chatham-Kent has produced NHL, NFL, and MLB players.  The area has sent people to the WNBA and the ranks of Olympic Figure skating.  People from our community have written and produced music on an international stage.  Pats hopes to follow in their footsteps.  He is a young, up and coming rapper with a positive outlook on life and a dream he is determined to chase. 

Everyone can remember what they wanted to be when they were little. For some, it was a police officer, firefighter, professional athlete, maybe even a musician. Oftentimes we fall into a routine and just chug along. The routine life was not something that local rap artist Pats wanted. Growing up in the small city of Chatham but that didn’t stop him from having big dreams. Pats has always been an outgoing and fun guy and he credits music. “Music was basically injected into  me at a young age.” Pats said as he described his childhood. “My parents loved music and we were always rocking out. I can remember growing up and always having music by my side.” 

He finally let his passion for music come through in high school. “Listening to Mac Miller is what made me want to act on my passion. He is my favourite artist. I felt the way he was able to go from 0-100, sing, and rap – just wow. He was transcendent, man; revolutionary to the art.” In high school, Pats convinced a teacher to let him make a mixtape for his year end project. 

After working on it for nearly a month, he handed it in and got a B. “Not a bad mark for my first mixtape, right?” affirmed Pats. He would also send raps to his friends and family and receive feedback that helped him continue to grow. “Having those people in your corner is essential.” Pats knew that not everything was always positive. “I can remember some of the negative feedback that I would get from people at school. It honestly didn’t bother me at all. I knew I wasn’t where I wanted to be yet. I feel that there will always be someone hoping you fail. That makes success so much sweeter.”

Pats had been discreetly working away before surprising us with his release, “Chatham’s Back” in May of 2020. It had been a long eight years since Pats had released anything to the public. The music video features Pats walking around Chatham, “It was a super fun song. I feel good about everything that went into it.” 

Pats

Rap music often challenges society and social structures. It can be raw and sometimes have messages that are hard for people to hear. But Pats’ new track was a celebration of the city he loves. Pats laughed. “I have been able to keep the content coming because I’m full of ideas. On August 24th my album Kingston Hill dropped with 10 tracks –  and I have 3 more bonus tracks coming. I named it Kingston Hill because making music makes me feel like a kid again. When I was little we would spend hours and days at Kingston Park and well that hill always made me feel like a kid.”

 Going forward Pats has some big things in mind including a song titled “Julie” in honour of his mother. “I was experimenting with some new flows and beats. My mom is my biggest supporter and I wanted to do something to reflect that. I want to be able to change it up and be a musician who can do it all.”

 Pats is heading west to B.C. for a new adventure. “A new place is great for new opportunities. I’m excited to do a show, start networking, just to get a shot. I think getting out of your shell helps you be who you want to be. I can not wait to look back in 5 years and see where I am at.” 

 Pats encourages anyone who is struggling to take the plunge to just do it. “Follow your dreams. You never know when you will get your break. It is going to take a lot of work, and it is going to be hard. You will most likely have to self teach things on the fly. But the satisfaction you get when you succeed even a little, it’s amazing.”

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1 Comment

  1. Clint

    Thank you guys so much for the opportunity. It was a pleasure speaking with Dylan and sharing my story!

    Reply

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