For rapper and vocalist Ryan Vincent, returning to Antigonish to film his latest music video was a chance to revisit more than just his hometown.
It was an opportunity to return to the places, people and memories that have shaped him, and turn those memories into a music video.
Vincent has spent more than a decade developing his sound, drawing inspiration from hip-hop while experimenting with different genres. Now based in Halifax, the independent artist is preparing to release a new music video for “Love and Let Go”, the latest chapter in a growing catalogue rooted in his lived experiences.
The video, set to be released Friday, Aug. 21, was filmed entirely in and around Antigonish and serves as an ode to the community where Vincent spent the first 18 years of his life.
“I have 18 years of memories just all built up from that spot,” Vincent says.
Vincent began making music at 14, working alongside his longtime friend and producer Acalus. What began with the pair experimenting with remixes and production eventually developed into songwriting, recording and engineering.
His work in Halifax later grew into the co-founding of the music collective PRZM, as Vincent and fellow artists built a creative community around their shared interest in music.
While Antigonish has a strong local folk music scene, Vincent says the community did not have much of a space for the kind of music he and his friends wanted to make.
“We were like, we gotta go to the city for this,” he says.
Moving from a town of roughly 4,000 people to Halifax was a major transition. Vincent initially came to the city to study photography at NSCAD University, living in residence at Saint Mary’s University. Although photography became an important part of his creative background, music remained at the centre of his artistic identity.
Since 2021, Vincent has released two full-length projects: his solo album A Damn Good Show and FTV Vol. 1, a collaboration with local artist Romaine. The projects showcase his ability to move between different sonic worlds while maintaining a lyrical style grounded in his own experiences.
His latest project, Love and Let Go, continues that approach through a six-track EP that traces the stages of a fleeting relationship, from the excitement of meeting someone to the moment of finally letting them go.
The project grew out of a past relationship that Vincent described as unhealthy and emotionally difficult. Over roughly two years, he turned those experiences into songs.
“The whole project was based around this old relationship that I had been in,” he says.
The EP’s opening tracks explore the beginning of a relationship, while the middle songs capture the uncertainty that comes as things begin to fall apart. By the final tracks, Vincent is confronting the need to move forward.
The accompanying music video for “Love and Let Go” brings that emotional journey back to the place where Vincent grew up.
Vincent travelled to Antigonish with his close friend and fellow Halifax artist Basil. They stayed at Vincent’s parents’ house for two or three days, visiting places throughout the community that carried emotional significance for him.
Among them was Arisaig Beach, where Acalus also grew up, as well as other familiar locations and local landmarks.
For Vincent, bringing Basil to Antigonish made the experience even more meaningful. It was the first time he had taken his friend to his hometown in that way, allowing Basyl to meet his family and see the places Vincent had spent years talking about.
“He expressed great gratitude for being able to come with me and see how I grew up and meet my family,” Vincent says.
Vincent filmed the video himself using a Canon camera, turning his hometown into both the setting and subject of the project.
The finished product struck him emotionally.
“When I watched the video for the first time, I shed a tear,” he says. “I cried in the studio when I seen the video because it was just like so special to me.”
He hopes that everyone who watches the video has a different reaction. “Art is subjective, and I want people to have their own take on the video.”
The video captures the connection Vincent still has with Antigonish,a place he says he misses almost daily despite having built a life in Halifax.
“Now that I have it in video to one of my songs, I could just watch that anytime I need and feel like I’m at home,” he says.
That connection to home has become an important part of Vincent’s identity as an artist.
Halifax gave him the creative community and opportunities to develop his career, but Antigonish provided the experiences that continue to inform his music.
The transition between the two places has also shaped Vincent’s perspective. He describes Antigonish as a community where people know one another and casually wave as they pass on the street, while Halifax offers a larger and more diverse creative environment.
He says he is grateful for the communities he has found in the city and for the people willing to listen to what he creates.
But establishing himself as an independent artist comes with challenges.
Vincent says grant writing is one of his biggest personal hurdles. While he feels comfortable writing songs, navigating applications and formal funding proposals has been more difficult.
Finding venues and opportunities to perform has also been a challenge as he works to establish himself as a solo performer.
Recent cuts to arts funding in Nova Scotia have added to those concerns, although Vincent says the cuts have not directly affected his current project.
“Artists in this city need a way to live,” he says. “They need a way to really just keep being artists.”
For now, Vincent is continuing to build.
He is working on a collaborative album with another Halifax artist, while also planning more videos, online content and performances around Love and Let Go. He is currently speaking with people about potential opportunities for his first show connected to the project, although nothing has been confirmed.
At 26, Vincent has already spent nearly half his life making music.
Now, as he continues to establish himself in Halifax, he is bringing the place where that journey began along with him.
Antigonish is sometimes jokingly referred to as “anti-go-nowhere,” Vincent says, a place that can be easy to drive straight past.
But for Vincent, it is a place worth stopping for.
