Step Out

How fashion influenced the creation of my new single

Nov 05, 2025

My new single “Step Out” featuring Junia-T and DijahSB is out today!

When I’m making a song, the first thing I think about is how it might be used. I like to visualize how it might exist in the world after it’s been unleashed. In the case of “Step Out,” I loved the idea of people playing it in the background as they got dressed up. The ultimate application for it would be if it were played at a runway fashion show (I’m a major proponent of visualization and manifestation, so consider this me putting these wishes out into the universe).

The creation of “Step Out” was quite organic. At the time, Junia-T and I had already made a few songs together and decided we should try to bring in a guest for our next track. DijahSB was the natural choice, as they were also adept at flowing over electronic music. This project we were working on had mostly resided in a slower BPM range that befits classic hip-hop, so we were eager to bring something a bit more spritely into the mix.

Junia-T, myself, DijahSB and Knowuh at the studio after making this track

Not long after we linked up in the studio, we vibed out to the track that Junia had constructed and came up with our bars rapidly. I personally love working with artists who can work at the speed of creativity. Everyone has different processes and can get to the same conclusion in their own way, of course, but it’s also really sick when all the trains can arrive at the station simultaneously.

Dijah quickly came up with the chorus, which was deceptively simple but felt right immediately. The homage to OutKast was perfect, considering we were a pair of aliens in the Canadian hip-hop scene. The last thing that was added to the song was the little bridge part. It felt like something Mase would sing. When I’m making a song, I’ll be humming and murmuring flows and ideas over the beat without really thinking about what I’m doing. Then I’ll tap into something that actually sounds good and I’ll have to frantically record myself before the idea floats off into the ether, never to be found again. Here’s a voice note of me coming up with this particular flow in the studio:

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-0:12

And then you can hear a bit of how that part turned out in this clip from when were finishing the song at Division 88 in Toronto this past February:

As you can see in the group photo up there, I’m wearing a plaid blazer in the studio. Throughout all the recording sessions I did over the past couple years, I was always wearing a jacket of some kind. I sometimes bought a jacket on the way to the studio or referenced the coat I was wearing in the song I was recording. It was as if I was slipping into character, assuming the identity that the jacket bestowed upon me.

Thus the line “Got more jackets than the New York assassin.” In fact, Luigi Mangione was arrested the same day that we made this track. There’s something ‘90s rap about making a specific cultural reference like that. The lyric about SSENSE also feels prescient in light of their bankruptcy. The single artwork references their website’s merchandising aesthetic:

Photo by Vonny Lorde, styled by Bobby Bowen

The video was directed by Fatty Soprano, whom I discovered while I was in the studio with Junia. I watched a previous video he had done and knew immediately that I had to work with him. This is all the beginning of a new direction for me, so please let me know what you think in the comments!

Listen to “Step Out” now on all platforms