On this episode of Solo Spotlight, Ryan sits down with Edmonton hip-hop artist Illiam for a conversation about confidence, craft, live performance, fake streams, collaboration, and the reality of building as an independent artist.

Illiam opens up about his journey from performing as Hades to becoming a more authentic version of himself, the years he spent writing hundreds of songs before feeling confident in his music, and the process behind sharpening his pen through rhyme drills and thousands of pages of rhymes.

The conversation also explores backing tracks in live rap shows, soundcheck struggles, touring with Junk, the Edmonton hip-hop community, fake playlist promotion, and the pressure artists face to look successful online before the foundation is actually built.

This episode is a grounded look at the work behind the music ...