For most artists, a first international performance might mean a small club or an intimate venue in an unfamiliar city. For Toronto rapper Casper TNG, it meant stepping onto the stage at London's O2 Arena as an opening act for J. Cole. Casper opened the first two London shows of Cole's The Fall-Off World Tour on October 19 and 20, marking the first time he had performed outside Canada.
Speaking exclusively with Complex Canada's Christopher Turner, Casper revealed that the opportunity came together through his close relationship with producer Boi-1da, who helped connect him with J. Cole's team ahead of the tour's Toronto stop.
"Me and Boi-1da, we're mad close," Casper explained, before revealing how the connection came together.
"That was actually Boi-1da who made the connection. J. Cole was doing his tour and he had a stop in Toronto. I guess J. Cole's team asked him, 'Who's the guy? Who's the opener? Who should we holler at in Toronto?' And he responded, 'It's got to be Casper. He's got this song "The Market" that's going crazy.'"
With "The Market" generating momentum, Casper suddenly had an opportunity to bring his music to an arena audience in his hometown.
"So Boi-1da ends up hitting me up and asks, 'Do you want to do this? I have this opportunity for you at Scotiabank Arena.' I was like, 'Hell yeah, let's do this,'" Casper recalled.
On July 27, when J. Cole brought The Fall-Off World Tour to Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, he surprised the crowd by bringing Casper out as a special guest to perform his local hit "The Market." What initially appeared to be a one-night opportunity, however, would soon turn into something much bigger.
Following the Toronto performance, Casper received an unexpected invitation to join Cole's tour for two shows in London, this time as an official opening act performing his own set before the headliner took the stage.
"From that, they went to London and the link was good. So they reached out and they wanted me to do it again in London," Casper explained. "So shout out to Wonder for that."
The two October performances marked a major milestone in Casper's career. Not only was he opening for J. Cole, but he was also making his international performance debut at the O2 Arena, a venue that has hosted some of the biggest artists in music.
"First time in the O2 arena, first time on stage in another country & you guys made it feel easy," Casper wrote in an Instagram post following the performances, thanking the London crowd for showing him love and adding that he was "putting on for Toronto everywhere I go."
What began with a recommendation from a trusted Toronto producer led to a surprise hometown appearance alongside J. Cole, followed by an invitation to open for the rapper in London. For Casper, it was a pretty remarkable way to make his international debut.
