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Vancouver hip hop rapper 'Junk' has a message for you

Social media... what's it doing to you?
Junk
Vancouver rapper Junk releases new song 'SocioMedia' as a reminder to shut off from social media every now and then. Photo Joel Dufresne

He goes by the name Junk. He’s an up-and-coming Vancouver hip-hop artist. And he has a message for you.

That message – while strewn with profanities – might not be too far off the money.

“Social media she a mother****** … turn you into a sociopath," that’s the gist of the chorus of his new song ‘SocioMedia'.

The rap explores how social media is consuming people's lives and shutting them off from the real world… well, from Junk’s perspective.

You can listen to the rest here, if you dare. 

While the rap may not be everyone’s cup of tea, his message is spreading.

The video clip - created by Liam Lime and produced by Imperetiv - on his official Facebook fan page has had over 18k views, 360 shares and 71 comments since it was posted a few days ago. 

Not quite what one would call “going viral” nowadays.

And that mentality is the point of his song. To make people stop and think about why we have become so obsessed with social media and being ‘liked’ in the online realm. 

It’s not a new question but one that keeps popping up over and over again. The way Junk has raised the issue may just slap you in the face a little harder than the normal statistics and mental health awareness days.

Ian Tonino, a.k.a Junk, told the Courier he "just wanted to make it clear that everything of value doesn’t have to be on social media or displayed on social media.”

“The focus we put into social media is turning us into sociopaths who care less for one another,” he said.

“But I’m also stating (in the song) that it’s a wild world of necessity.

“I just feel like people, and myself included, are drifting further apart due to the constant search for online approval.”

>Now, I don't quite agree with social media turning "us all into sociopaths" but I do think he has a point. It's not a bad reminder to reflect on the way social media is making you feel, given it is just as much a part of most people's lives as drinking water is these days.  

Junk, who was discovered in the grimy underbelly of East Vancouver’s hip-hop scene, has just dropped his third studio album – Audio Heroin.

He started out in the Vancouver rap scene performing at house parties and battle rapping in King of the Dot battles (a rap battle league founded in Toronto).

He’s also a four-time winner of Vancouver's Rent Money freestyle competition and the Canadian National champion of the End Of The Weak freestyle competition. 

 

I really appreciate everyone. : @gboxx604

A post shared by JUNK (@mynameisjunk) on

As an artist, he said he was no stranger to feeling pressure to perform on social media.

“If it (a song) doesn’t do well with numbers it’s like the song was made for nothing and falls on deaf ears … since it’s so key to have become a viral sensation nowadays to make a splash on a wider audience," Junk said.

“Hence the parallel universe of hating it and needing it.

“Sometimes I want to throw my phone against a brick wall and smash it with a sledge hammer but then I’d cry and take it to a repair shop.”

So instead of breaking his phone, to deal with the pressure, Junk does what he does best, raps.

“Making songs about it and venting in a creative way helps,” he said.

“But also eating gelato in English bay and watching the sunset.”

Junk said his overall message to people was to find a balance in life.

He's definitely not the only one sending that message... others are just sending it more politely, like Canadians do.

“Just realize that it’s not as important as it seems and that we should enjoy life through our eyes more and not through a filter or screen of a phone,” Junk said.
“I really do believe that.  I know everyone deep down in their little black hearts does too." 

I guess it's something to think about... while you sit reading this story about social media on your phone. 

What's social media doing to you? 

Is it time to switch off?