Interviewed by: @CopaseticSoulz
Tell us about your experience with the Vancouver battlerap scene, how has it affected your music?
It was a great experience. Battle rap was the perfect platform for me to break into a scene where I was virtually unknown and start to get my name out there. I had a lot of fun while I was doing it, as for affecting my music I can say that it without a doubt sharpened my writing and performance game a lot
What are your thoughts about the current state of rap battles and would you ever consider re-entering that world?
I would have to say, I think KOTD has made battling the most popular it’s ever been in the history of rap. It is absolutely insane how big the scene is right now and it’s only gonna keep on growing. The emcees that compete live and breathe the culture and the demand from the fans has never been higher. It’s pretty incredible. I have no plans to return in the near future but I will always be huge fan. Shout out to my boy La Sparka !
What was the motivation behind uniting with other local artists to create NWD? And how do you see your role inside the group?
We never really sat down and said “hey lets form this group” It just kind of happened naturally. We had all known and respected each other for years before NWD. Katch has been one of my best friends since I was 14. We had also all been part of failed groups in the past. I think we really jus wanted to try to make some good music without having to deal with all the negative things that sometimes come with being in a group. We started making songs, realized there was chemistry and never looked back really. My role within the group is pretty straight forward: Rap. Write songs, record and perform them. Be an entertainer.
In your bio it says you were a troubled youth headed down the wrong path, what about your past has changed you for the better? How did you come to the realization that you needed to change?
I was into some pretty standard juvenile delinquent stuff. Nothing too serious. Skipped school til I got kicked out. Smoked tons of weed, and drank tons of booze. Shoplifting, breaking and entering, stealing cars, selling drugs etc. I was just a little shit. I’m not sure if any of those things have changed me for the better, they have definitely given me some perspective though. I think after I got arrested a few times I eventually started to realize I was being an idiot and that if i ever wanted to have a life and be successful at anything I was gonna have to smarten up real quick. I started focusing a lot more on rap and entered almost every battle I could to keep me occupied and help me avoid doing dumb shit. About a year after that I found out I was gonna be a father and that was it for me.
What kind of impact has your son had on your music?
He definitely motivates and inspires me more than anyone. There are songs I never would have written if he had not been born, and I’m sure there will be a lot more. His mom and I split custody and I work nights, so it does make scheduling things like studio time and rehearsals a bit tricky. Everybody else kind of has to work around my time with him. Sometimes I won’t be able to play certain shows etc. I have to leave for a few weeks this summer to tour not sure how that’s gonna work out yet. At the end of the day I love being a dad and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I would like to think one day he will be able to look back and listen to all of the music I’ve made and there will be some kind of story there he can follow.
Which artists from Vancouver have had the biggest influence on your style of music? Who are some of your favourite local hiphop artists today?
Growing up I listened to a lot of Sweatshop Union. Also a couple of groups that don’t exist anymore like Main Offenders and Ink Operated. When i was around 17 or 18 I had a group with Mike Murder and Engineer called “Animal Crackaz” Those guys definitely influenced my writing style a lot. Also people like Kaboom, Kyprios, Emotionz. Checkmate and concise. I would have to say my my favorite emcee out of vancouver right now is Shad. I was feeling SonReals new project a lot also.
R.B.P.H just dropped, tell the people about the album.
We tried to have a lot more fun with this album and i think it is a pretty diverse project. There is range of different styles on there from double time to just straight punch line bars. Everything from Golden era type boom bap joints, to industry club banger type shit, ignorant party rap and also a few very personal songs. I think there are a lot of good beats and a lot of good rhymes on the album, but we’ll let people decide that for themselves. Its important for us to always be real in our music and I think we do a pretty good job of that. You are really just gonna hear us rapping about our lives for the past 2 years and if you know us at all it should be pretty easy to hear that.
Where are you taking NWD, what are your plans for the future?
We have a couple big shows/ opening slots in the next coming months. We just opened for Ghostface for the 3rd time. May 2nd is our album release, May 6th we opened for Hopsin, May 21st People Under the Stairs. June 5th we are teaming up with KOTD to host a freestyle battle. June 7th were opening for one of my favorite artists right now, Cyhi the Prynce. We have played so much in Vancouver though i think our goal is to start doing more tours and playing outside of the province. At the end of July we will be headlining a 10 date Western Canadian tour. In August we play Shambhala music festival. We’re all very excited about that. We have a 6 track mixtape already written that we will be releasing in August also and we have already written a few tracks for our 3rd album which will hopefully be out next February.
Great stuff, we look forward to hearing your new music, thanks for talking with us