optikzofficial

OPTIKZ IS A TOP 40 RADIO AWARD WINNING RAPPER, SINGER,
SONGWRITER, MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE AND ENTREPRENEUR.
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The journey of Optikz, once littered with childhood trauma, multiple addictions and mental health issues is now paved with songs of healing, hope, courage and inspiration.
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Born in 1983 in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, Darren Piper (Optikz) and his family moved to Guelph, Ontario, Canada in 1990. As a teen he struggled to feel safe and secure: at home, an abusive and dysfunctional religious family environment; in a judgmental church community; and at high school. He found acceptance, connection and respect in the skateboarding, breakdancing and hip hop communities. A severe skateboard injury to his ankle, along with a lower spine disorder, forced him to have two major reconstructive surgeries and put the brakes on his promising skateboarding career. As he recuperated, he found solace in hip hop music and by the time he was 18, he’d joined and help build the rap group RCR and was featured on the group’s first and only release, Royal City Records Presents RCR.
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He quickly developed a talent for rhyming, singing and songwriting participating in local rhyme cyphers, hip hop open mic events and freestyle battles against other local emcees. In his early 20s he left RCR to go solo, releasing AREA FIFTY ONE NINE COVERT OPS, his first independent, underground full-length solo album. 2006 turned into a watershed year as Optikz graduated from Seneca College’s Independent Music Production program, won the MAGIC 106.1 “ROYAL CITY SINGS” contest, was one of five winners of the 91.5 THE BEAT “RHYTHM OF THE FUTURE TALENT SEARCH” contest. He also opened for SNOW , K-OS and JELLESTONE at the 91.5 the Beat “HIPHOPTOBERFEST and released the single “Rise Up” produced by and featuring MARCUS KANE.
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His career and fan base kept growing with the release of his second independent, full-length album, FOCUSIN’ featuring the single “Coming from the Cold” (produced by CLASSIFIED). He went on to be one of the winners of another top-40 radio contest: the B101 FM “BASEMENT TAPES” Contest. He opened for NAS, KNAAN and ELEPHANT MAN at the “HIP HOP IS DEAD Tour at Kitchener's "Centre In The Square" and for JD Era and Bishop Brigante at the "Welcome to G-Town" concert in Guelph. He continued developing his writing skills, composing commercial theme songs and jingles for a variety of clients including the national retailer MARK’S, Vegehut Bakery Ltd., the GUELPH GRYPHONS and ARCH Aids Resources and Community Health. He capped off the decade of growth and creativity with the release of his third independent album, DESTINY, in 2011.
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Although he was gaining recognition and accolades as a rap artist, Optikz struggled with, unresolved childhood trauma from emotional, psychological, physical, religious and sexual abuse. Although he found hip hop music as a place to vent his rage, despair, overwhelming sadness, frustration and confusion, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and other addictions became his main means of escape. Eventually, through drug and alcohol detox, rehab treatment, recovery programs, counselling, therapy and a spirituality that works for him, Optikz found himself on the road to recovery. He now celebrates six years of being clean and sober and three years of being nicotine/smoke free.
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His continuing journey of recovery has led to a wellspring of creativity and inspiration resulting in a new direction in his music career. He made the decision to create all of his new songs within the walls of METALWORKS STUDIOS, rated Canada's Best Recording Studio an unprecedented 17 years in a row at the CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK AWARDS . Working in the same studios used by major label artists like DRAKE, LI'L WAYNE, JUSTIN BIEBER, NELLY FURTADO and others, has given Optikz a newfound confidence and the belief that he to can achieve real success with his music career. He feels he’s finally in the right place and it’s only a matter of time before his music begins to make waves and gain widespread notice.
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The teenaged Darren Piper adopted the moniker “Optikz” because the word “optics” means the scientific study of sight that deals with the genesis and propagation of light, the changes that it undergoes and produces, and other phenomena closely associated with it. Even in his darkest times, he tried to bring light into the situation. Now, with a renewed vision, he hopes to bring the message of healing and inspiration to others through his newly-released song “Love the Child in Me,” and his works in progress “So Long Goodbye”, “My Own Lane” and more. As Optikz says:
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“If I had heard a song like "love The Child In Me" back when I was 15, that could have changed the whole course of my life. That’s the idea behind a lot of the songs I am writing for what I am considering to be my official debut album.”