Artist Profile: FARO
FARO, a rapper native to Gainesville, Florida, incorporates a plethora of sounds and genre-influences into his rhyme-driven tracks, constructing a series of memorable sonic moments in the process.
His journey began as a young boy in the early days of hip-hop’s presence on the internet, as he combed the various websites, such as Limewire and Jamglue, that provided avenues for music from home.
Once he arrived at college, he found a group of friends that freestyled prolifically, and he quickly discovered he had a knack for the art form and social activity. By the end of his first year in college, he could routinely freestyle for five to ten minutes and, by the time he ultimately returned to Gainesville, had a solid sense of his capabilities as a rapper.
He linked up with a friend that had a studio set-up in a shed in his backyard and, from there, slowly carved out his diverse style.
From his first project on streaming, FOR ALL RANDOM OCCASIONS., which operates primarily in the realm of trap beats and hard-hitting rhyme schemes, to his two projects with the enigmatic producer Eagle Syndrome, FARO has undeniably already shown off his raw and versatile talent as a rapper.
He aims for every project he creates to have a wide variety of sounds so that each and every listener finds something that is appealing to them.
“I might come back to this and laugh later, but I don't think I have an album that is completely focused. I think, no matter what, if you're ever going to listen to one of my projects, you're going to get a lot of different flavors and sounds; you're going to get a lot of different experiences. [For my first album] I want whoever listens to this album for the first time to find at least one song that they really really like.”
Yet, this aim manifests itself in different ways across his discography.
His collaborations with Eagle Syndrome, DRAGONFRUIT and 2DAY, reflect the duo’s shared love of electronic music, and their infusion of these sounds on these projects elevates FARO’s raps to a punchy, subliminal height that suits his flow perfectly.
Both projects pursue a concept from Chinese Folklore, symbolizing the dragon fruit as the ultimate prize of a warrior who defeats a fire-breathing dragon. In FARO’s case, DRAGONFRUIT represents a piece of art that emerged from a tumultuous time in his life; the project was the reward he sustained through his own battles.
Further, 2DAY and his upcoming project, 2MORREAUX, take on a concept of temporality in addition to the original dragon fruit concept.
“The concept with 2DAY was living in the moment…The only thing that is real in existence is the sh*t that's happening right now. So I wanted to make very right now music, very in your face music; punchy, fast, high-paced, tongue in cheek, just get-after-it type of music. 2MORReaux is going to be more contemplative. It's going to be around the concept of the anxieties around tomorrow; the idea that tomorrow is kind of scary to a lot of people.”
2MORREAUX will also be produced by Eagle Syndrome, and, as such, will surely command the same arsenal of sounds that their first two projects make such beautiful use of.
As FARO, who was recently featured on Ghais Guevara’s critically acclaimed new album (Goyard Ibn Said), looks to continue to amp up his creative versatility, it is certain that he will be a force to be reckoned with.