I never write blogs in the first person. But this topic deserves an exception. The release of John Meloche’s MeloTel Rap (10 Years Later) project this week has marked a very special occasion in our company’s history. And I’d like to share how proud I am to have contributed to it. But first, it’s important to give you a little history. John’s latest release actually has quite the back story. Therefore, I’ll be telling it over the course of two blogs.
In addition to being a professional hip-hop artist named Dan-e-o for nearly 30 years, I’m MeloTel’s Editor In Chief. In truth, that’s the fancy title John has bestowed upon me for handling all of the blogging and social media content for MeloTel and many of its clients. Writing has always been my forte. I graduated from York University with a double major in English and Mass Communications in 2001. All the while, I’ve been pursuing a career in entertainment.
When Dan met John.
I first met John in the latter years of the 00’s decade (what do we really call that, anyway?). Having recently become a homeowner, I needed to supplement my income. John was an office manager at a company that offered me the opportunity to first work on the phones and then supervise other employees. While I enjoyed some success in both roles, they were never really for me.
Developing a friendship with me over the course of my tenure with that company, John learned of and fully supported my music career. So much so that he appeared in two of my music videos. While promoting my group, Perfeck Strangers’ debut album, Series Premiere in 2012, we filmed videos for the songs “Ghetto” and “Work To Do”.
John has acting chops!
In “Ghetto”, John was only too happy to lend both his likeness and his vehicle (complete with an incredible sound system) to a scene where my lyrics poke fun at overindulgence. Starting at the 2:49 mark, I rap “But, how about that cat with shiny rims on his car? A house speaker in the trunk, but he can’t drive you far, ‘Cause his license was lost, there’s nothing in the bank, so he’s got an empty tank, now that’s ghetto!”
During the scene, John can be seen opening the trunk of his car, proudly showing off his sound system, and then getting into his car only to be annoyed by the fact it won’t start. My partner in the group, Promise and I loved John’s performance so much, we invited him back to play a much larger role in our “Work To Do” video.
John nailed the role.
Inspired by the comedy film, Office Space, the “Work To Do” video is my favourite music video of my career – and I’ve filmed north of 30! It’s hilarious. And John is a big reason why. He parodies the role of Bill Lumbergh who was played by Gary Cole in the movie. The intensely-hated office boss who shows zero compassion towards his employees was ironically, an easy role for John to play. In real life, he’s the opposite. But again, John took on the challenge and knocked it out of the park.
You now have the back story of both our friendship and working relationship. So how did the whole MeloTel Rap (10 Years Later) project come out of it? Be sure to check back for tomorrow’s blog to find out!
Stream MeloTel Rap (10 Years Later) on YouTube and SoundCloud. You can also download the tracks from Apple Music.
