Urban Vault caught up with Toronto, Canada based emcee Forunato to ask him some questions about his latest album MDCXVII, and more…

Fortunato has worked with the late Sean Price, Smif-N-Wessun, Snak The Ripper and Merkules and toured across Canada and Europe with Onyx, The Beatnuts and DJ Illegal of the Snowgoons. He is a veteran of the Hip Hop game, and his new video ‘Magnificent’ is the latest single off his recent project ‘MDCXVII’ which features Madchild, Mugg Shot and Kryple and is produced by Scopic who is best known for his work on the album ‘Against All Authorities’ by Onyx.

What is your name?

Fortunato

Where are you from?

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada.

How long have you been making music?

I’ve been writing rhymes for 25 years but I only started releasing albums 10 years ago.

How many songs/albums have you released to date?

I started off in a group called Angerville and we released 2 albums (Rebellion, Uprising) and 4 mixtapes (This Hits For Free part 1-4) from 2007-2011. As a solo artist I’ve released 7 albums, ‘The Grocer’, ‘Eisenhower Meets Batista’, ‘Warfare’, ‘Unseen Armada’, ‘Blue Collar’, ‘2 Bad Dudes’, & ‘MDCXVII’ between the years of 2011-present.

Tell us more about your latest album?

MDCXVII is an ode to my tour of Western Canada last summer. I was based in the Maritimes for my two previous releases and worked almost exclusively with talent from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. After meeting so many exceptionally talented artists out west, I wanted to make an album that showcased that part of my journey. Scopic, Kryple, Mugg Shot, Madchild and even my engineer NATO are all from Western Canada so I think that gives the album a vibe that you won’t find in my previous releases.

Who have you collaborated with so far in your Career?

Sean Price (R.I.P.) Pumpkinhead, Smif-N-Wessun, Snak The Ripper, Merkules, Ghettosocks, Madchild.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

I would love to work with Onyx since we’ve done so much touring together I feel like it’s overdue. Also want to work with Buckshot, Black Thought, Vinnie Paz, and Harry Fraud.

What inspires you when you make your music?

The beat is what drives me to write when I hear a banging beat I can’t help myself. I also get inspired by concerts and watching rap battles, but mostly the beat.

How have you ended up in the music industry?

It’s strange but we all used to hang out and have big cyphers together until my friend Ill Da Shystee was murdered. He had big dreams of making it as a rapper professionally, so we decided to pursue that dream on his behalf and things got pretty serious really quick. Next thing you know we had videos on TV and were doing tours and I’ve just kept at it ever since.

What do you think of the music industry in 2018?

It’s the same as ever, a lot of shady losers trying to capitalize on young naive artists. You also have real professionals who are genuine and work hard to put out amazing music and create opportunities for others. Streaming is big now, singles are bigger than albums, in the end, it’s all Hip Hop for me and I stick to what I do best and still love what I do.

What have you got planned for 2019?

2-3 more albums, across Canada tour. Gonna get more into the clothing design and merchandise aspect of my brand and as always lots of visuals.

What’s your favourite track at the moment?

I love, ‘live from the moon’ by Action Bronson, it just makes me happy even though I'm pretty sure it’s about nothing lol.

What do you do when your not making music?

The gym is big for me, I spend a lot of time there, I also enjoy movies and working on videos, photography and social media. Also spend a good amount of time eating, I have a passion for food from all over the world.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook just cause I have so many friends who use it. I’ve been on there for so long that if it wasn’t for that network I would probably lose touch with a lot of people.

In a few words sum up your thoughts about Urban Vault and what we’re trying to do?

I think it’s important that someone diligently documents all the Hip Hop being made on all levels, not just the mainstream. It may seem like a thankless task but I have a huge amount of respect for Urban Vault UK for providing a great service for us artists and creating an archive for future generations.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music…

Fortunato – MDCXVII via iTunes/Spotify/bandcamp

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