Rising rapper Mouraine wants to leave a legacy — for himself and Edmonton

"When you gotta leave home and everybody that you know/ That's a, that's a tough situation." Those heartfelt lyrics jump out on rapper Mouraine's song "Tonight," one of the most impassioned songs on his sophomore album, In Search of Gold, which arrives in May. It's one of the tracks where he reflects on the hardships he endured as an immigrant — he, along with his mother and siblings, left Sudan for Egypt before seeking asylum in Canada, eventually settling in Edmonton in 2005.

Working through that experience — unearthing his fears, hopes and cultural roots — helped Mouraine map not only the journey to his new album, but he also says it helped him figure out his own identity, too. "I was able to kind of find myself," Mouraine says. "Throughout the pandemic, I had a lot of time to think and figure out what I wanted to do with my life and who I wanted to be. So that kind of gave me the space to [do that]."

His deeply personal lyricism flows over sharp beats on a number of songs as he weaves together his past and present, honing in on moments of heartbreak and triumph. His ambitiousness and vulnerability are on full display — tracks such as "Glory" demonstrate his drive to excel: "Used to sit down just perfecting the flow/ Cuz I always had faith I'll make it big when I grow."

"It's a journey," he says of unpacking his emotions in his lyrics. "I think the more that you [grow], you start to just love yourself and I think it becomes easier to share your stories." 

Mouraine credits rap with helping him learn English, build confidence and make new friends while growing up. Icons like 50 Cent and Akon entered Mouraine's world by way of MuchMusic and BET, through their colourful, flashy music videos. He listened to them and turned to writing poetry, but one artist stood out from the rest to inspire his music career: K'naan. Mouraine saw himself represented by the fellow East African musician, and suddenly his musical dreams felt like real possibilities. Now, he hopes his own songs can be a similar catalyst for other up-and-coming artists.

"Hopefully, I can just one day be able to inspire somebody that's in my shoes or [who] can relate to my story, and they can use my music as guidance," he says. "I continue to encourage people to make stories, to be themselves, to reach for their goals and dreams and ambitions, and that everything is attainable and you can accomplish anything you want as long as you just stick to it."

Mouraine also hopes his music helps to put Edmonton on the hip-hop map. Although Toronto is often seen as Canada's rap epicenter, he believes his hometown deserves attention. "There's so many artists and a lot of talent that just gets [hidden from] the spotlight," he says. 

It's important to him to show love to Edmonton, as the city has had a powerful influence on his artistry, helping to mold and shape him as a musician. When he was younger, Mouraine embedded himself into the city's music scene, performing as many as 100 shows in a year. "I was that kid that [would] always show up and everybody knew me," he laughs. 

As he began carving out a space for himself, he eventually befriended local MC Arlo Maverick, who became a mentor to him. "At the time, he was part of Politic Live and it was [a] hip-hop group that was doing pretty big things in Edmonton," he explains.

Every Saturday at 10 a.m., Moraine and his brothers would head to Maverick's studio to learn from him and his band, rehearse and write verses. "They basically took us to school," he says, adding that they'd practice performing in front of a mirror, doing their songs over and over again until they nailed it.

It's that perfectionism — and hustle mentality — that stuck with him. Several bouncy songs on In Search of Gold including "Big Dawg" and "Destiny" speak to that grind, as they're filled with braggadocious rhymes about blazing one's trail. There are also quieter moments, such as his ambient song "FOMO," where his introspective verses highlight his aspirations for greatness.

The album is tied together by sleek production, which is courtesy of the Winnipeg duo, deadmen. Mouraine connected with them during the pandemic and they immediately clicked. Initially, there was no plan to make a full-length project together, but after trading demos and verses, he says it was a no-brainer to link up and engineer an album.

"It's almost like it naturally happened," he says. "We went in the room blindly [with] no other demos except the 'Gold' song, and we came up with the whole album."

"I think 'Gold' is definitely one of my favourite songs, just because … it kicked off the whole album. And it came from a natural and organic dynamic and is just different from the sounds that I usually make," he adds. "Gold" is much funkier and optimistic compared to past releases such as "Badmon," which is thematically darker and grittier.

Whether it's overcoming personal obstacles or uplifting others, Mouraine equates searching for gold to finding happiness. It's an album title that is emblematic of his desire to leave the world a little better than he found it, while also solidifying his legacy.

"I want to leave content [and] music [so] that when my kids or my grandkids listen to it, they can be proud of it and be like, 'Oh, that's my grandfather. This is the lineage that I come from,'" Mouraine says."[In my culture] a lot of the wisdom was spread through the poetry and the music and the elders in your community. And that's how knowledge has always been passed down. So I think I can be used as a vessel to kind of be able to introduce that to the newer generation."