Get To Know: CA$PAR

LA-born, London-bred rapper, CA$PAR, writes music that pays homage to the two cities that raised him. Though some may know him as the new face that won the Red Bull Raise the Bar cypher, his love affair with rap began at an early age and the time he spent in the US has heavily influenced his sound. For CA$PAR, West Coast rap has always been “his favourite” type of music and Californian legend, Dr Dre, is one of his biggest role models. He recalls childhood memories of his Dad introducing him to Eminem’s music, and the first time he listened to Jay-Z. The latter remains his “biggest influence”, not only for his “rapping ability”, which CA$PAR deems him incredible for, but also for his “business-savvy mind and the way that he has navigated his career.”

Photographer: Maximilian Rapheal

Stylist: Mae Sinnott

CA$PAR has always wanted to pursue rap. He never anticipated getting into the industry by way of the Northern Jungle and DnB scene, though. While at university, the artist was the resident MC for Northern Jungle and also MC’ed for the Locked Off Crew. Founded by himself and his close mates, GClass and RJD, and named after the fate of every rave they went to in their teens. Back then, the Locked Off Crew was successful - namely from sets at Boomtown, El Dorado and Notting Hill Carnival. "When I was younger I was a bit delusional. I was so confident in my rapping so I thought that I didn’t need to work hard. But, if it wasn’t for G-Class and RJD, I wouldn't have done all of the Drum and Bass stuff. ” however doesn’t typically see himself as a Jungle or DnB MC.

Last October, the cultural tastemakers at Red Bull launched Red Bull Raise the Bar - a brand new tempo-switching rap cypher that invited eight MC’s to battle it out in front of a live audience. Curated by Unknown T, the lineup featured MCs that are currently making waves in the UK music scene. After competing in the pilot episode, CA$PAR was told that he would not be selected to be in the actual cypher. He recalls how he received a phone call a month or two later asking him to come back for the competition. It was the biggest opportunity that the artist had been given in his career but its magnitude didn’t phase him. “I started preparing straight away, and I was very confident from the get go. From when I got that call, I knew that I was going to win.”

Though the artist isn’t one to take himself too seriously, his music is something that is incredibly important to him. His dedication shines through with his methodical approach to writing new material. The artist thinks the process of listening to a beat, and then doing an unrelated activity is the key: “I think that’s when the best stuff comes, when it’s happening naturally. The Notes app also plays a big part in the artists’ creative process - he has a note called ‘good single bars’, to which he refers if he's ever struggling to come up with something new. As an avid film fan and aspiring actor, the artist often looks to the screen for a helping hand, and describes film as a “big inspiration” for him.

With CA$PAR's successes ranging from his win at Raise to Bar to performing at huge festivals, he lets us know he’s grateful for the love and support he received last year; supporters can expect 2024 to be even bigger.