See the full Red Bull USA article and video here.

It goes without saying that the Midwest has long held a distinction of birthing artists and musical movements that have left their own impactful mark upon the culture. Chicago in particular has left its mark musically in the recent past with such acts as Kanye West, Common (Sense), Lupe Fiasco, and OK GO, while serving as the birthplace for House Music, as well as its own Blues Movement.

Upon touching down during the Red Bull Thre3style World Finals week in Vancouver, Canada this past December, one could only describe the scene as a cacophony of sights and sounds. It came as no surprise upon my first meeting with Chi-town’s Big Once, that the potential for a similar affect was in the air; his demeanor and poise through the crowd was a keen juxtaposition to said chaos. It takes an equal amount of smarts, skill, and personality to hold the ever fleeting attention of the current pop-culture heads, and for a DJ in the middle of a World Class competition able to do that while maintaining his sense of calm — well that speaks volumes on the kind of competitor that he is.

Playing off rumors of his name being booed by an earlier crowd upon the hearing he was from the U.S., I decided to press the issue. Upon his own confirmation on the crowd response, the initial surprise gave way to making that image work for him on stage. If the crowd was expecting the ‘prototypical American tourist persona,’ we plotted to give it to them in spades — complete with a quest to find the most obnoxious t-shirt possible (read as a Bieber Fever fan club shirt). It was in failing our quest for the Bieber shirt that even more layers could be seen in the laid back complexity that makes up Big Once. It was easily apparent that here was a DJ who was self-aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, yet was not afraid to let it hang out and make a grab for the coveted titled of World Thre3style Champion.

Upon making our way back to the Hotel Georgia-Rosewood to prep for a practice session, we both agreed that there was much more of this story to tell… and that we shall in our next installment this Wednesday.

For a quick tease, follow the break for a video trailer on our piece on Big Once… and visit www.bigonce.com and www.redbull.com/thre3style for more information.

View the full Urb article here.

Paul’s credits include writing and production on nine songs on the album including chart toppers Born This Way and Edge of Glory.

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