Doxi's Mix: Greek spirit meets the power of Hip-Hop

Doxi turns out to be one of the most promising and original artists of the new Greek music scene. He releases a video clip for his new single "Couldn't Wait" (via Panik Records), which serves as a precursor to his upcoming album "From Athens".

In Doxi's English-language musical world, echoes of Greek music and poetry meet the power of hip-hop, the creative spirit of progressive rock, and the verbal immediacy of the rebetiko music genre.

"Couldn't Wait" is the daring union of 20-year-old musician and songwriter "Negro tou Moria". The two artists, who wrote the lyrics in English and Greek respectively, explosively fuse their different musical styles.

Doxi handles both the music of the track and the idea of the video. Thanks to the musician's collaboration with cinematographer Antonis Kounellas, it looks more like a film than just another YouTube video.

With the album "From Athens", a musical journey with English lyrics and a Greek heart, Doxi shows how music transcends any language and captivates anyone willing to follow it.

"Couldn't Wait" is just the beginning...

Doxi writes to us about his approach to music and introduces us to his new single "Couldn't Wait".

Athens calls...

I was born and raised in Athens twenty years ago.

Even as a child, I loved music. My first musical contact was at home, mainly the music my father listened to, Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Randy Newman, but also Rebetika and many others.

At the age of eight, when Eminem started playing on Greek radio, I discovered hip-hop and have been a faithful listener ever since. But on Kendrick Lamar I realized how open it is, how many things hip-hop can contain.

Today, I follow everything that happens in the music industry. Among many others, I constantly listen to Frank Ocean, Kanye West, SZA, Isaiah Rashad, but without giving up my former listening.

As a kid I wrote lyrics, not music, basically poetry. Music came later as a natural addition. And that's where rap is important.

Homer as rapper

Many people think that hip-hop and rap are synonymous. But hip-hop is a genre of music born by DJs and MCs in New York in the late 70s, while rap is ancient history. I like to say this because I believe the first rapper is Homer. Rap is essentially rhythmic storytelling, narrative poetry music. That's what I do.

With the album "From Athens" that I just finished, I feel like I'm making something that has its own form, that doesn't fall into a certain category. "Couldn't Wait" is the first single from the album.

In the video, as in the song, we perform together with the "Negro tou Moria". The theme of the song is the impatience that often overcomes young people, which is reflected in its fast, sharp rhythm.

My connection to "Negro tou Moria" began unilaterally, admiring his music as a listener.

But the most meaningful acquaintance with Kevin (his real name) began when I suggested that we work together. It was during this working process that I learned to admire him the most. A precious moment of our meeting was when I realized how much our local musical roots in hip-hop culture come from rebetiko music, which Kevin also loves very much.

I write the lyrics in English because, like any artist, I first imitated my early influences, which were in English. And of course, the heart of the music scene is America. But Athens is and will always be my city, no matter where music takes me. And I will never erase Greece from my soul.