On The Line W/ DimEnSiOn Of f•í•s•h
Fishing Is Strangely Hip
On The Line w/ dImEnSiOn lead of f•í•s•h (fishing is strangely hip)
The unlikely fusion of fishing and hip-hop is here. It's not a combination you hear every day. So, when we stumbled upon the artist dImEnSiOn from f•í•s•h (fishing is strangely hip), we were instantly intrigued. We were especially into with the track “Extra Heavy” and the visuals from the video teaser. This unexpected fusion prompted several questions, which dImEnSiOn graciously answered below.
Thanks for your time. What is your hometown (or where are you currently based)?
From Los Angeles. At six years old, I moved to Oklahoma, and back to LA at 12, and have been here since.
Who was the person that got you into music? Are you still in touch with them?
My mother and father got me into music. Hearing it in our household as a child nurtured me into loving it. My brother got me into doing music. I always seemed to follow what he was doing, from dancing to becoming an emcee. Us discovering hip-hop together as kids was a pivotal time. I’m still in touch with my brother. He now creates my visuals.
What's been the biggest non-music inspiration for you lately?
Fishing and skateboarding have been my biggest non-musical inspiration, not only lately, but my entire teenage to adult life.
You skate! That's awesome. Who were some skaters that inspired you when you started?
I used to skate; I don’t anymore, but truly still love it and the culture. When I started skating, I was inspired by so many. Gershon Mosley, Stevie Williams, Marc Johnson, Stephen Olson, Jamie Thomas, Geoff Rowley, just to name a few, not to mention all the homies I skated with.
Could you beat Rich The Kid in a game of skate, ha?
All depends if it’s flat ground only. In my day I could. Ha ha ha.
How did fishing enter your world and how has it inspired or influenced you?
My father introduced me to fishing as a kid, and I’ve been hooked since. It wasn’t until my late teens when I truly became inspired by it, after being a part of the subculture of urban bass fishing. A movement of urban, like-minded city kids that loved dope music, fashion, art, and design, who just happened to be passionate bass fishermen. Now I’m inspired and influenced by it daily. The talent within the culture is astonishing.
What is Urban Bass Fishing, and how can people get involved?
Urban Bass Fishing started from a culture of urban street kids that mobbed the city with backpacks and a combo of fishing the banks of local parks, lakes, ponds, and golf course lakes. Like-minded city kids that loved dope music, art, and fashion, but also just happened to love catching largemouth bass in the only local bodies of water that were available to them. It’s turned into a culture of matured heads continuing to inflict their city urban backgrounds into the outdoor sport of fishing. People can get involved by just grabbing a rod and reel and visiting their local body of water. You’ll soon adapt to the ways and life.
What do you think is the biggest challenge that artists face?
At one time, exposure was the biggest challenge artists faced, but at the same time, there was a lot more originality. Artists were just being themselves and creating what felt good to them, with not much influence, which made it harder, weeding out the saturation. But now I feel it’s reversed. The exposure is there, but the originality and creativity are lacking.
Is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with? Other artists to appear on a song or even a visual artist for an album cover or merch?
There have always been artists I’d like to collaborate with throughout my musical journey, but after taking a 10-year hiatus from music, the only thing that inspired me to come back and start writing again was content solely about fishing. You tell me an artist that’s making hip-hop music about fishing! Lol! From that point, my focus turned towards challenging myself as an artist/writer to making dope hip-hop music with fishing content, which birthed the “Fish Hop” genre.
You took a 10 year break from music. What was the previous project?
I was in a Underground Hip Hop group called “Non Human Intelligence”. We were together a long time. We came up in the LA Underground Hip Hop scene.
“A movement of urban like minded city kids that loved dope music, fashion, art & design that just happen to be passionate bass fishermen. Now I’m inspired & influenced by it daily”
Have you ever seen Fishing with John? It was a fishing show hosted by the musician John Lurie in the early 90s.
I perceive fishing in genres, and Fishing with John was a genre I really didn’t have any interest in at the time it was airing. But now, as a more matured and seasoned angler, I’m going to see if I can find something available from that series to check out. I'm always open to exploring different perspectives on fishing.
What's been the best thing that's happened since you started releasing music?
I’ll speak on the best thing that’s happened since my hiatus, and now coming back to release the “f•í•s•h” project. For me, I consider the best thing being the confirmation from the two cultures, that what I set out to accomplish with rekindling the Golden Era of Hip Hop, with a new rendition from an Anglers perspective was certain. It was a left field coming for the two cultures, but fit so strangely as our own groove is engraved, birthing the genre “Fish Hop”.
Who created the visuals for the Extra Heavy video? They're great! If that was you, do you have a background in design?
All video visuals are created by my visual team, Malack & Will. I give them a mental picture of what I’m looking for, and they bring it to life.
Have you had a "it happened for a reason" moment in the recent past? Something you weren't happy about at the time but turned out to be a good thing?
I feel everything you experience during your journey in life happens for a reason, regardless if it’s a positive or negative outcome, you have to embrace the balance of the two and learn from each side of the experiences.
What platforms have been the most helpful with getting your music heard? Bandcamp, YouTube, IG etc.
IG is honestly the only approach I’ve attempted, besides having my videos on YouTube. As I stated before, this was more of a challenge to myself as an emcee/writer, so I didn’t have the normal artist release tactic. I just put it out to get more of a feedback, but the response has been crazy.
How would you define success?
I define success as being 100% happy and content with whatever you’re doing in life.
Can you share one of your lyrics from your songs that sums up your state of mind RN / feels representative of you?
“Rippin Mics to Rippin Lips”!
For more info: IG @dimEnSiOn | fishingisstrangelyhip.com
