Casper TNG, born and raised in Toronto, has quickly become one of the city’s most compelling new voices in hip-hop. Known for his melodic flow and introspective lyrics, Casper has built a loyal following through both his solo work and collaborations with other rising Canadian artists. His music reflects the diverse influences of his hometown and his own journey from the underground scene to the national stage. With a unique ability to blend personal storytelling and infectious beats, Casper’s sound captures the energy and ambition of a new generation of Toronto talent.​

Casper’s debut album, Draft Day, serves as both a personal milestone and a reflection of his environment—blending stories of ambition, struggle, and triumph. Overall, the project explores how his experiences in Toronto, the challenges he’s overcome, and the relationships he’s built have shaped the music. The result is an album that captures not only Casper’s evolution as an artist, but also the spirit of a city known for producing global talent.

We spoke with Casper about making his debut album, the experiences that inspired it, and the vibrant Toronto scene fueling his rise. Dive in to discover the moments, influences, and vision behind the music.

Where did the process of this album begin for you?

I started recording some of it before I got signed. I had a couple of songs that I was thinking about releasing, but I held onto them. Once I got signed in January, everything came together quickly. We made most of the project between January and April.

What was different about making this particular album than your previous work?

During this album, we did a lot of living. I got to have different experiences while I was recording. We travelled the world, and I was able to bring my friends along.

Experiencing a different side of life with my people and making great music out of it was special. I was putting those experiences on wax. The music has a different vibe because I'm in a different environment now. That's really the biggest difference.

How has being from Toronto influenced and impacted your musical style?

Everything about my musical style is Toronto. We have some of the biggest artists in the world here: Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Tory Lanez. I grew up on all of them. They were a big inspiration for me.

The culture we grew up in here in Toronto has shaped my music. There are some really big shoes to fill, and that keeps me hungry and motivated to keep getting better and bigger in the game.

Who are some artists that have inspired you?

Definitely the Toronto and Canadian artists. Drake, The Weeknd and, honestly, people would probably be surprised, but I listened to a lot of Justin Bieber growing up too.

Then on the U.S. side, I listened to a lot of Kanye West and French Montana. On the R&B side, Chris Brown too. Those are the main artists I listened to growing up, and the ones that inspired me most to make music and keep making music.

In terms of building the sound and crafting the album, how was that process?

I wanted it to feel like a continuation of One Helluvalife, my last project with 100Bandplan. I wanted to keep the vibe the same.

That's why I made sure Heath Stone was involved. He produced "The Market" and most of One Helluvalife, so I wanted to keep the sound as consistent as possible.

I didn't want to leave the pocket I was already in just because I got a deal. I wanted to keep the ball rolling. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

When it comes to talent from Toronto, how do you feel about the hip-hop landscape at the moment?

I think we're in a good place.

It feels like everybody's at the top of their game right now. The Weeknd is touring the world, Drake's got the city going crazy with the music he's been dropping, and "The Market" is having a big moment too.

Younger artists are coming up with a lot of potential too, like 100Bandplan and some of those younger guys. The momentum is coming back to the city. The light is coming back to the city, the eyes are coming back, and in a few years there are going to be a couple of new names at the top of that list.

What does this particular body of work represent in terms of where you are in your artist journey?

That's really why I called it Draft Day.

Everyone who knows me knows I used to play basketball. I wanted to go to the NBA. Draft Day is the beginning of a player's professional career, but it's only possible because of all the work that came before it. Playing when you're a kid, AAU, high school, college. You have to earn that moment.

For me, Draft Day represents the start of my professional career. It's my debut album, but it also represents everything it took to get here. It's a fresh start and a new beginning.​

If you could play one song from the album that you feel people should hear, what would it be?

I'd probably say "Where’s Reed (Freestyle)”.

It feels really triumphant. It captures where my life has been over the past six months, and you can feel that through the music.​

Let's talk about ‘The Market ’; how did that song come about, and the collaboration with 100Bandplan and A Boogie wit da Hoodie?

"The Market" came together pretty naturally.

I found the beat before I went to the studio. I loved how it started with that Caribbean influence before it switched into trap. I'd always wanted to do something with that Caribbean sound, but I never wanted it to feel corny. I'm not really too good with the patois and all that, so I never wanted to force it. When I heard this beat and how it switched into trap, I knew I had to try something with it.

I recorded my verse and posted a Reel the same day, and it just started going crazy. It got way more love than I usually get.

Around that time, 100Bandplan had just come home from jail and released his single "Thought I Was Done," which was doing really well. I was watching that happen, and I felt he'd be perfect for the record because he'd bring something different and had built his own audience. We got him into the studio, filmed him recording his verse, posted that clip, and it took off.

When the song kept growing, my label asked who I wanted on a remix. A Boogie was one of the first names I mentioned, along with Central Cee. Through some mutual connections, A Boogie heard the record, liked it, and everything came together. We linked up for the video, and it was all good vibes.

I didn't expect the song to become this big, but it was an incredible moment for the city. It created another wave and another shift in Toronto's music scene.

What excites you most about where you are in this moment?

Knowing that this is only the beginning.

There's still so much I haven't done yet, and that's what excites me the most. I'm excited for everything that's still ahead.

You collaborated with A Boogie wit da Hoodie, are there any other collaborations we can expect from you?

I kept this project more Toronto-focused.

There might be a UK feature people can look forward to, but I wanted to keep the features to a minimum. I wanted to see what I could do on my own. I didn't want people to be like, "Oh, he has a song with this person," or, "He has a song with that person." I wanted people to like the songs for what they are.

I just wanted to introduce myself to the world and say, "Here I am. This is my music, and this is what you can expect from me." On the next project, I'll probably do more collaborations, but for now I wanted to build my own fanbase first.

Outside of your own music, you also launched PuzzL Music Collective Inc. Tell us more about that?

PuzzL Music Collective is about creating a platform for artists who take music seriously and share the goal of bringing Toronto's underground scene to the forefront.

I called it PuzzL because everybody's just one piece of the puzzle. You can't build it with just one piece. We all have to work together to reach the bigger goal: bringing Toronto's underground scene to the forefront and showing people the talent we have here.

We've got 100Bandplan, K Money, and I'm looking at a few more artists coming up in the city. Hopefully we can keep growing it. We'll see what the future holds.

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