Austria may not be the first place you think of when it comes to burgeoning rap stars, but make no mistake: Vienna-based Eqqi is on a mission to prove that great rap can be made from anywhere on the planet. The MC’s latest project, a seven track effort called Off the Dome, was recorded at the artist’s home studio in Vienna, where he relocated from his small hometown in order to pursue his career.
“It’s a mix of everything, I was just having fun in front of the mic and sometimes it got deep and meaningful, but other times it was funny and experimental,” said Eqqi. “[The inspiration behind the project] was mostly my daily life; my relationships with friends, family and girls.”
As for the project itself, Eqqi spits effortless bars in fluent English over a variety of beats that your favorite American rappers would most likely fit perfectly on. The intro track “I Take What’s Mine” is a quiet yet braggadocious opener that sets the tone for the rest of the project; on “Man in the Mirror” his autotuned croons resemble that of Russ and NAV, and “Nevermind” is a triumphant cut built on a soul sample that The College Dropout-era Kanye West would approve of. Off the Dome is certainly a statement piece from the Austrian, who doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.
“I will release two music videos…and I want to drop some singles, a solo EP and Off the Dome Volume 2,” said Eqqi. “So there’s a good amount of work to do.”
Eqqi self-engineered Off the Dome, and credits PurpOnThat, KiKiBeats, and Dober for helping bring the project to life, as well proclaiming them to be some of the most underrated producers in all of Europe. Austria’s hottest MC has a lot up his sleeve this year, and he is sure to be competing with the biggest names in hip hop soon enough.