The city of Victoria has yet to see the best of local hip-hop artist Doug Waterman. Waterman is about to graduate from Camosun College; once he is freed of his responsibilities to his education, and of his duties as team captain on the Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball team, Waterman will be able to invest more time in his passion for hip hop and production.
His experiences with music throughout his life—playing the snare drum in Cadets, taking piano lessons, and performing in his middle-school jazz band—have built a foundation upon which Waterman has developed a passion for producing hip hop.
“I pretty much always start with making a beat,” says Waterman of his creative process, “which usually starts with some sort of melody, or keys. I’m definitely a huge fan of piano, that kind of nice melody sound. I’m a big fan of Drake and his producer 40; I’m a huge fan of that kind of sound, so I pretty much always start with keys or some sort of melody, and then I’ll add in some drums. I always pull in my drums specifically; I’ll never pull in a drum kit. I always pull in each sound separately based on what I want on top of it, and then I’ll start kind of layering depending on what I hear.”
Waterman recently travelled to LA to perform as a part of a showcase for up-and-coming musicians. He found it motivating to perform in a new city and receive positive feedback from an unfamiliar audience.
“It was definitely a really cool experience, just being from completely out of town,” says Waterman. “I definitely was really ready for my set when I went there, and I got a good response from other performers that were there, and just the crowd in general, which was super nice. I have yet to put out my best music, obviously, so being able to perform at a good level with the music I have out now, and get a good response from a totally unbiased crowd, was really nice to see. [It was] promising. It’s just like a bit of a confidence boost, you know?”
Waterman’s coach for the past four years has been Charles Parkinson. Parkinson says that when he recruited Waterman, he wouldn’t have guessed that he was a budding musician. Even though he may not be a big hip hop fan, Parkinson is impressed by Waterman’s music.
“I must admit I do find a lot of his stuff is infectious,” says Parkinson. “The beats are good, and I like his lyrics; I think they’re actually pretty good. Hip hop in general isn’t really my thing, but of course I make exceptions, and I go on the website and I listen to his music and think, ‘Wow, that’s Doug!’ Yeah, so it’s pretty cool.”
Getting ready to move on to the next chapter in his life, Waterman is grateful for the time he has had at Camosun and in particular with his Chargers teammates and his coach.
“Charles has been with me for four years. We’ve won [provincials] four times, won nationals once, so it’s been pretty interesting. I’ve been really lucky coming in at the right time, starting my first year, and going through these four years, having incredible teammates to help me with this achievement that’s been donned upon me. I think when I look back it will be a good chapter of my life, probably the best one.”