EVIL EBENEZER FEATURED ARTIST NOVEMBER 2010 @ HIPHOPNORTHWEST.COM

The excellent people at Hip Hop Northwest dance

With the intention of hyping and supporting his next full-length release “Evil Eye” Evil Ebenezer recently wrapped up a mini-tour across British Columbia, including U.S. stops in Seattle, Portland & New York City. For the uninitiated, Evil is an artist on the reputable hip hop indie label, Camobear Records. His debut record “Call Me Evil” was nominated for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Music Album at the 2005 West Coast Music Awards and its video single “Told You So” clinched a LEO Award for Best Music Video 2006 at the annual B.C. Film Industry Night. The following EP “The Wanderer” was critically acclaimed as well, catching the attention of Canadian magazines and television.

Evil has such an original style and sound that there is no way even the average listener could confuse him with another artist, nor should anyone try to compare his sound to that of another. In the past, it appeared his focus was set on proving he is deserving of a spot in the scene, with aggressive and at times party themed verses. Judging the advance material from his upcoming release, it is obvious he has matured as an artist and is conscious of his responsibilities and role in the rap game. Never breaking away from his trademark sound, Ebenezer still has the same appeal as ever and the progression of his style over time is apparent. Having already proven himself, Evil Ebenezer can get introspective with the art of hip hop. “Evil Eye” will be available on October 31st, 2010.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNwCnnGbNWU]

THE INSECTS “GONE” WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN

Taxidermy Records is proud to present the new album from Arizona’s groundbreaking hip hop crew THE INSECTS. Gone pt. 2 sees the group pushing the boundaries of their genre defiant style, with a cohesive vision that can only come from true dedication to the art.

Pretty soon we will be dropping some previews of the music, but for now you can check out the cover and enjoy this short interview with producer/dj Foundation.

You guys list a lot of varied influences that range from Hip Hop to Rock to Soul and Blues. What made you choose the path of Hip Hop? We grew up listening to hip hop and going to shows at a young age. I remember when I first saw the Beastie Boys way way back in the day. I think that changed my life forever. Hip hop has always been my number one love. We love all music but this is the culture that raised us.

You have been at this for over a decade. What inspires you to keep at it?
Most of our inspiration comes from our peers. We’ve got a pretty tight knit community of severe bad asses down here in PHX. Also life experience, traveling, meeting new people and melting there faces off!

How did the live painting of Dumperfoo come into play? Is it a constant part of The Insects live experience? Do you work with other artists or is it more like he is a part of the group?
Dumperfoo is definitely in the group. We have worked with many others but just on some homie shit. Dumper is one of the originators of the live art movement and has been elevating our live show for as long as I can remember.

In the past five years we have seen an over saturation of the hip hop market after the rise of Myspace, where it seems like anyone can be a rapper. Do you feel like this detracts from the people who really are putting in the work to develop their talent, or benefits the growth of musical appreciation overall?
I used to not give a shit about the saturation because the cream will rise, but after these last two months of straight touring, the promoter putting all his marginally skilled homies on to burn out the crowed is getting pretty stale. The optimist in me wants to say you can’t appreciate the good without the bad so people are going to dig deeper.

How has the flood of internet information/promotion changed the way you interact with fans and release your music? Do you think that music blogs are important points of connection? Do you feel as though its easy to get lost in the ongoing shuffle of new songs that appear daily?
It’s just added another venue for us to push the art. We haven’t delved in to the blog scene as much as we would like but we are definitely down with any avenue of getting the music to the people that want it even if they don’t know it yet. I feel you could easily get lost in the shuffle but that’s part of the fun of going on those blogs -it’s like a treasure hunt, you just might find a gem.

What are some themes on your new album? How does this album fit into your catalog – is it a departure, a further development, a new experiment or any of the above?
I wouldn’t say it is a departure. We just create music because we love to and are just gonna keep creating and pushing ourselves to get better at what we do. There is no single underlying theme. We hit it from different angles so its more like a collage of ideas, hence the name Gone.

UGSMAG INTERVIEWS ONRY OZZBORN

The intensely talented and eccentrically amazing Onry Ozzborn was interviewed in UGSMAG. If you have listened toGigantics you probably have some idea that he is one of the freshest and most eccentric minds in underground hip hop.  Time for a journey into the heart and mind of Onry Ozzborn courtesy of the maniacs at UGSMAG.

OB1: Oldominion is a massive crew and I’ve seen reports of anywhere from 9 to 13 members. How many people are apart of the crew and what does everyone do?

Onry: There are 25 total members. We have 2 DJ’s, 8 producers, and everyone emcees.

Your music is thought provoking, challenging the listeners to comprehend your concepts with abstract references. What is the driving force behind this, and is it your goal to keep heads thinking on a deeper level?

It’s like this…The leader of Oldominion past away about a year and a half ago.

Who was the leader?

Rochester A.P. the common alien. His album will come out! What it was is that everybody in Oldominion was always really spiritual. Some people are in to god, some people are in to good, some believed in whatever it was… There is a lot of spiritual emotion going around. Instead of dictating which direction each member would go we all knew we were trying to achieve something good. You know music is another language, in it, it is rarely seen that you get what you see. I’m not saying necessarily don’t cuss or don’t talk about weedz and that, but make sure the person listening knows where you are coming from. Try to relate to them, that’s our main objective. He (Rochester A.P.) was the main person who made us believe in ourselves. Don’t be ashamed of what you believe, you can share it and then take some of what other people believe, and then balance it out and grow. He passed away so were trying to carry that on. The group is really spiritual, real soulful.

So it’s not just Christianity then?

No, that’s the whole thing. People be like, your Christian rappers. My answer to that is were what ever you get from us, whatever you feel in you heart, whatever it makes you think about, whatever you see, whatever… Anything, that’s what we are. I’m not going to label anything. I believe in god, and I believe in Jesus and all that, but that’s me. I’m one member out of 25. There are a lot of members that feel the same way as me, but that’s not the point. Religion has really, to me, screwed up. I think this because there’s lot of tradition that was made up in the church that has nothing to do with the true belief in our heart. So this is what it is.

What is the religion you choose to follow?

I was raised Catholic but I’m cool with all religions, but I am a strong believer.

What is it like being part of such a huge crew? Do a lot of issues come up such as splitting money, mic time, who gets to travel, and what not?

Realistically the only problem we ever have with each other is that we get annoyed with each other. As far as mic time, it’s all good. We all get about equal amount of rap time on everything, we have 6 albums on the internet, and we have this album we just put out now, “One”. So were always making music, so nobodies ever really mad, and everybody has their solo projects. So just as people we are so different that yeah we clash, but we learn to work with it. Money has never been an issue. I’ll put it this way if I have $500 and everybody else only has $5 then I’ll pay for them until I’m out of cash. That’s how everybody does it. So it’s like whoever has money pays for it. When it comes time to pay everybody, if we only make $4, then the entire crew only makes $4. There’s so many of us, but we take care of each other, a big family.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Are you aiming for commercial success or are you content with where you are?

Lets put it this way, in hip hop this is yet to be done. I know there are a lot of legends and a lot of people who won’t be forgotten. Such as Rakim, KRS-1, Dr. Dre, but you know how the Beatles are, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, certain groups that where you can still put on one of their jams and it’s like it just dropped. That has been lost, music now-a-days is the moment, it’s like we want to put your album out, we want to put your single out, next year your forgotten, you made us our money. I want to have the impact to where in 2015 if you put on a Onry Ozzborn album, or an Oldominion album, or anything from us, it’s like it just dropped, you know what I mean. That’s hard to do in hip hop, so we’re trying to create that sound to where it is timeless music. That’s the only way to explain it.

Your not dating your self with the music you’re making…

Yeah, exactly and that’s very hard to do in hip hop.

You have a harder almost dark feel to some of your music but yet the lyrics are positive and spiritual. How much does spirituality play a role in the music?

It plays a large role because a lot of the time I’ll hear a beat, close my eyes and start listening to it and start writing. I’ll go into the studio, drop the verse and then 3 days later it’s like listening to someone else. A lot of times it feels like my hand is moving, it just does what its going to do. I don’t read books. I’m from New Mexico, a small town by Albuquerque where nobody knows where it is, so everything I’ve ever learned was on my own, but I’ve always been able to come through in a certain way with certain words that I can’t even explain myself. A lot of people don’t believe me with that…

You sound more like a painter…

Yeah exactly, it’s funny that you said that because my second album on BSI Recordings is going to be called “Salvador”, after Salvador Dali. The painting is exactly what I’m talking about.

With the spiritual feel are you trying to portray a message to your fans?

A lot of times I feel as though I’m talking to myself. I’ll write a whole song and then listen to it; I’m telling myself to do that, so it’s like I’m going to write my songs according to how my life is going and I know there are a lot of people out there going through the same thing I am. So it helps me, I don’t ever sit down and be like I’m going to write this for this certain type people. I don’t ever think about that. This is what I’m going through, this is what I’m writing. This is like therapy for me, it helps me balance life out.

What are you feeling right now, what are you listening too?

I listen to Staind, one of my favorite bands; Linkin Park, I went to their concert and I thought it was dope; Deftones, and some 80’s music. I don’t really listen to much hip hop, it has turned to garbage, I’m not trying to diss, but… Swollen Members, I heard their new album and it’s going to be one of the greatest albums ever! I like the darker stuff. I can’t stand most hip hop. Most of my favorite MC’s are doing something’s I never thought they would do, except there’s one person I give some credit to is Pharoahe Monch. It doesn’t matter if he does a jiggy cut or what, that fool is still flipping some the illest cadences. Pharoahe Monch is one of the greatest to me because he is always on. I’m feeling the Smut Peddlers, I love Cage; I like the Weathermen, Aesop Rock is dope. Aesop Rock is a perfect writer, his lyrics, his word play is phenomenal. But there is this cat in our crew named Nyquil, honestly he to me is the most phenomenal writer I have ever heard in my life. He is going to have to just show and prove when his album comes out. He is one of those artists that really is going to go crazy, and he’s not going to be felt till he’s gone. I’ll shut up now but poetry is an understatement for what he writes. He is just phenomenal. Outside the group though Aesop Rock is word perfect.

Any last words?

This may not have any importance but at our show in New York my man Bishop I battled a cat from the Atoms Family named Alaska and Bishop I slaughtered him! I don’t care what the internet says, I don’t care about what anybody says, he humiliated him, and that’s real. They’ve been putting it on the internet that my boy got sliced, and they’re all New York people. No diss to New York, I mean El-P, Big Jus, and Mr. Len are my friends, them my boys. I know people in New York, it’s a dope place, but Bishop slaughtered him. I want it to be known he slaughtered him!

SPINNER.CA GETS GREASY WITH THE CHICHARONES

Portland-based group the Chicharones are gearing up for their 12th visit to SXSW, as well as the release of their new album, ‘Swine Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ due out this spring. Between touring, recording, running a record label and performing at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Josh Martinez, one third of the Chicharones, found time to talk to Spinner.

Your biographies tend to describe the Chicharones as “underground hip-hop.” Is that a fair way to describe your sound?

We’re trying to change that description entirely because I don’t think that’s what we even do. We may have come from that scene, but I feel like the music that we make has more in common with a BECK album or a BLACK KEYS album. It’s so stupid in music because everything sounds like a hybrid of ten other things, and we’re exactly that. But I just don’t think anyone’s rearranged the pieces like we’ve rearranged them. I like to say underground pop because we’re stealing the stuff from pop music that we like, that we already listen to and are picking up on, but trying to use more subversive themes. There’s rap on it, but it’s not an indie rap album. I think it fits with GNARLS BARKLEY or theGORILLAZ. It’s genre-less. It steals and borrows from everything and sounds current.

How did your band form?

We met 11 years ago at our first SXSW. We’ve been to 11 straight now. It’s become a centerpiece of our year to spend time out there, and any new material we release as a group, we always try to bring it to a show at SXSW. This time, we’ve tried to add a Broadway appeal to our show by bringing a live band out and doing a magic show.

Tell us a little more about the magic show.

Both Sleep and DJ Zone are magicians. They both were in magic schools. At one time, DJ Zone was a traveling magician, all over the world. So, we incorporate various stage magic tricks that he picked up. Some illusions. Levitation. I don’t do shit. I’m the rube. I can’t give you too much more without giving too much away.

A magician cannot reveal his secrets.

And the rube can definitely not reveal the magician’s secrets because he will get his ass kicked, revealing tricks that he doesn’t know anything about.

Did Sleep and DJ Zone know each other before the Chicharones? Or is it just a weird coincidence that they both were magicians?

It’s a ridiculous coincidence. DJ Zone came into our lives two years ago. Me and Sleep are both 28. DJ Zone is a 22-year-old, so he’s this young kid. We met him two years ago when he shouldn’t have been in a club, and he was doing magic after being a DJ. He was showing card tricks. I was like, “That’s the DJ!” And Sleep just went over and grabbed him right away. With the Chicharones, he just proves to be such a good performer that he just kind of worked himself into being the third part of the band.

How did you name the band?

Chicharones are a deep-fried pork fat, and definitely spiced heavily. Sleep is from Farmington, New Mexico, and whenever we’re in the Southwest, we go and visit his family, and on numerous occasions had chicharones, and it just fit so well for the music we were making.

What are your musical influences?

I really like old rock and doo wop and Jamaican melody groups. Definitely anything that’s got four guys in it, like the Gladiators, the Mighty Diamonds, the Ethiopians, theBEACH BOYS. Anything with multi-group harmonies, I love. Also, I like raw old British three-chord rock. We’re an amalgam of all the different things we like.

What are your musical guilty pleasures?

The two JT’s: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and JAMES TAYLOR. I don’t know if it’s a guilty pleasure, I just think maybe some people think it’s a little syrupy. I just like whatever’s in my ear. There’s a GRIZZLY BEAR song out right now that sounds like it should be a guilty pleasure, but it’s just f—ing perfect.

Beatles or Stones?

BEATLES, and I would even go more specifically and say PAUL MCCARTNEY. I love rock ‘n’ roll, but I love melody more. Had it been between the WHO and the Beatles, I would’ve had a harder time. But I’m undoubtedly a Beatles fan.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve experienced on tour?

In France, my tour manager drank my DJ’s piss, thinking that it was Jack Daniels. [My DJ] couldn’t find the bathroom, because everything was written in French, and so he peed in an empty bottle. Then my tour manager wanted to impress us, so he took a shot of the JD before he was told there was piss in there. But I think that’s fairly common, the friend who drinks the piss of the other friend. I think most of us have had that happen.

What’s in your SXSW survival kit?

You need a solid backpack, so you can go out and pick up things that get tossed your way, like free beer and shirts. I mean, you don’t take the beer in the backpack, but you put the shirt in the backpack and drink the beer. Sunglasses, for sure, because then you can even put those on indoors when you’re looking crazy. I’m a big fan of earplugs. That’s just about the most important thing to have because you can sleep through just about anything. Also, certain shows are terribly loud and they’ll kick your ass if you’re going to music for six days in row. And bananas. Because if one thing is going to f—ing keep you going, it’s bananas. It’s got potassium, sugar. You’re good to go. You can forget to eat, you can have a lot to drink and [bananas] will help you out.

Jason Jach is a contributor from SEED.COM. Learn how you can contribute HERE.

SEX MACHINE INTERVIEWED BY SENSESLOST.COM

Where did the name “Snak The Ripper” come from?

Snak: Well i been running with name Snak since about 2001. Mainly cause my old name sucked, and i just hit a wall with that shit. Literally. When I started making rap music in 2007, i added ”The Ripper”. It fits cause i been known to rip shit up. What ever im attempting.

You’ve recently released the self titled album “Snak The Ripper”. Whats are your thoughts on the final copy? How’s the response been from the public? Can we expect another album anytime soon?

Snak: Well, being that I was in a very early stage of rap, I’m actually very pleased with the final cut. The first verse I ever wrote is on track ten, a song called ‘Another Day’. The album features production from Vancouver’s top up and comingBeatsmiths; D-rec, Blunt, Ozziechan, and Victoria’s QB8. The whole shit was recorded, mixed, and mastered in a home studio by my boy Skrypt. He also produced a couple beats on it as well. The response from the public was different than what I had originally expected. I had no idea people were gonna like it as much as they do. The album offers a wide range of different styles songs, and moods. I honestly feel there is a song for pretty much anyone to relate to on it. Girls, boys, Kings, Toys, everyone. Sales have been good. You can get a hard copy of the album on my myspace page,MYSPACE.COM/SNAKTHERIPPER. Or if you want, you can purchase it digitally at WWW.CAMOBEARDIGITAL.COM

Can we expect another album anytime soon?

Snak: Well since i released my first project, I’v also released a collaboration album with my boy Fatt Matt, called ”FattSnak”. The whole idea of the album was to try to bring it back. You know? All the beats are super funky and shit. 90’s rap was the main influence. We released a video for the first single from the album, ”Beer day” which you can check out here: WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=MJ58T3OVSU4This album is also available on the sites i listed above. I’ve recently started working on my next solo album, set to be released in early 2009. All the details are still up in the air, but the beats Im fucking with are nuts. In the meantime, I’ll be releasing free downloads, and exclusive tracks every three weeks on my myspace page until then. So if you are on myspace, facebook or whatever, add me homie!!

What influenced you to start creating music?

Snak: I’ve always loved all different kinds of music, but rap and hip hop has always had the majority of my attention. I free styled and battled and shit with my friends for a couple years, but It never seemed like something I would be good at. Or at least I thought. I had been going through a lot of shit in my life at the time of my first album. I was doing lots of hard drugs, and living in a tiny one bedroom apartment in East Vancouver. I was fucked. Rap saved me. The mental state I was in, made it hard to be confident with rhyming. But as I started trying to lay of the drugs, I received my first beats ever from D-rec andBlunt. Before I knew it I was writing two songs a day. I did not need to leave my house on friday night anymore. I gained close to 40 pounds since then. I still consider myself a drug addict, but as long as I’m making music, i don’t think about getting high. Lots of weed helps to keep me chill too.

How long have you been in the Canadian Hip Hop scene?

Snak: Well that all depends how you look at it. I been involved in the Canadian Graffiti scene for years. But I only started really getting involved in the hip hop side of things in like 2006.

What are your thoughts on the Vancouver Hip Hop scene?

Snak: I’ve got love for my city. The scene here is small, but it is tight knit. Every one supports each other the best they can. But with every scene there are haters. Vancouver’s rap scene is dope, but also lacks a lot of variety. You’re either on some ”metaphorical, historical, mind altering” backpack shit, or you on some fake thug coke dealing ‘I’m a fucking baller’ shit. I aint either of those things. I’m just a regular guy, with regular problems, that finds himself in irregular situations. I’m not rich, and I’m not perfect. I’m just like you. I’m just trying to be the medium.

What are some of the musicians you find yourself listening to these days?

Snak: Man, i listen to everything. Everything from Lil Wayne to Purple Rain. From Neil Young to Young Jeezy. FuckingRolling Stones to Bizzy Bone. As a song writer, I feel its crucial to be open to all types of music.

Any traveling with you music in the near future?

Snak: Yep. I’ve got lots of plans, but still not a lot of shit is set in stone. There are rumors of a RA the Ruggedman slash Snak The Ripper tour this September of 2008. But I still have not received many details. I think there are nine dates set up from Victoria to Saskatoon. I also am planning an east coast tour in early 2009. If you want to check me out live, the best thing to do is join my Facebook group, or my myspace page. Show dates are updated as they happen, and I do a shit load of shows.

So tell us a little about your graffiti career. When did you start? What got you into graffiti? Are you still getting out to paint?

Snak: I started in 1997. My side kick Smerk got me into it. Once I tried it, I could not stop. It was my first love and first addiction. I still paint every weekend with my boys. You can still find my shit in cities across Canada. Toronto and Montreal graffiti scenes played a large part in influencing my graffiti. I met a lot of good peoples in graffiti, in every city. I fucking love painting man.

Throughout our past interviews we’ve done we usually ask artists if they have any crazy stories about a time they were out painting. What is one experience that sticks out in your mind?

Snak: Hmmm. Well I’m not really sure if I should be making this story public. But.. fuck it. When i lived in Montreal in 2003, my friend Noheart and I decided that before we returned home to Vancouver, we would hit a Montreal subway car. I loved the subway system in Montreal, so I was excited. We took the last train into the middle of nowhere at an end station. It was the dead of winter, two feet of snow, and the first train wasn’t starting up until six am. Noheart and I broke into a service staircase that lead straight to the train parked underground. We grilled the shit real nice. The ultimate rush. We were standing on the third rail to reach higher up, while it was dead for the night. Shit was awesome. When the train started up again, we got on it, and rode it a few stops to wait for our car. We saw it pull into the station full of people, and almost shit our pants. As we took our photo’s, we were spotted by a transit worker that was on our car. We ran like crazy out of the station and just kept running. Running in the snow sucks. But we hid from cops in a snowy forest, for three hours. Turns out Noheart and Snak were the first Westcoasters to hit the Montreal Metro. I’m pretty proud of that.

Any last words for the Senses Lost readers?

Snak: Alright yo, if you are reading this, and you like my shit, get at me on the internet. Canada’s music scene is what it is cause not enough people support the artist’s they really like. Just add me, or drop me a line. I always reply to emails and shit. If you cant afford my entire album, I’m sure I could throw you some free shit. Just spread the word for me. Let everyone you know, know about me. Tell them I’m coming, and to get ready. I love all you Ripper heads. Keep downloading my music and buying albums. It helps me with new projects. I’m still broke. Respect and love to you all. SPREAD THE DISEASE. Stay up.
–Snak

EVIL: GOTHIC RAP BOOT IN THE FACE TYPE OF INTERVIEW

Hiphopcanda.com  interviewed our roving scholar. Check the shit out.

Vancouver, B.C. – Evil’s not as sinister as he seems. The pale, sunken-eyed character on the cover of his new album The Wanderer may look like something out of a Dickens novel but his brand of villainy is more mischievous than depraved.

Anyone in their late twenties probably saw Evil on TV back in the day. He had a part in CTV’s twisted kid’s show The Odyssey, not to mention those car dealership commercials he rapped on. Evil has since become a staple of Vancouver hip-hop; his work with the Draftdodgers earned him several awards and helped carve a niche in Vancouver’s soundless scene. His work with Camobear Records and DJ Stu Ray helped pioneer the gothic hip-hop styles used by other dark personas like Snak the Ripper.

The boy who once pissed in his basketball coach’s suitcase now weighs his options carefully. He wants it all: hip-hop, film, artistic self-expression that can be reflected upon by an audience. He’s open, and you need only to visit his MySpace to know that he’s got some demons. He’s cautious too, and is sensitive to the effects that his statements will have. He hesitates to say anything unkind about his peers, aware of the violent consequences his words may incur.

The classic image of a bad boy redeemed by music works well for Evil. His sullen stories are tied together with an inner consistency and given depth through layers of cryptic beats and gritty rhymes. He’s hungry for change; grounded in the production of Stu Ray he’s experimenting with crossing genres and mixing media. I met Evil on an auspicious spring day in East Vancouver to discuss his new projects, his dark places and his contemporaries.

HipHopCanada: You know, Evil, you don’t really look so badass. What’s with the somber image?

Evil: That’s just who I am when I do this kind of music that I make. Evil Ebenezer is a grumpy kind of guy, I’m not content. I always have this scowl all the time. I joke around a lot, I think I’m pretty funny and other people think I’m a funny nice guy but I have a lot of dark things that go on in my mind and I try to write about them. I like to step outside myself and think about what things would have been like in the olden days, I really like history. I just kind of like this dark imagery and the Gothic, haunted stuff is the kind of stuff that I dream about and that I see in my mind. I think everybody has a dark side but not a lot of people know how to express it other than in a negative way by fighting or having aggression towards women. I’m not always happy with this world so I just try to imagine living somewhere else. I think people kind of get it but if they don’t I don’t really care.

HipHopCanada: How’s your new album The Wanderer going over?

Evil: A lot of the feedback at first was that it was weird, that people liked the old Evil. Some feedback I got was that it’s not as focused: I made it in a week, the writing and recording. I just wanted something new to tour with. I like it. I’m the type of guy though that I’m already working on something new. I want to be prolific, I’m really inspired by people like Moka who put out lots of projects cause your work or product is all you really have at the end of the day.

HipHopCanada: So what other projects are you working on?

Evil: I’m working on a short film that’s also going to have my music to it. It’s basically a small town rap murder mystery. I’m doing that with my producer and best friend Stu Ray. It’s called “Dirt Cheap,” coming out this spring. It’s a 20 minute film that has my music as the soundtrack and it’ll probably be available online. It reflects where I’m from, a small town, and what small town people do. They’re really bored and living there you feel trapped.

My next major release is going to be the ZZBRA record which is me and Moka Only. It’s going to be good. I think Stu wants to do something crazy, like a film or a variety show that goes with it with crazy performances and skits. It’s going to be more of a major release in Canada, don’t know what label yet but we’re working on it right now. It’s a big-sounding record, it’s got a more pop feel to it. I compare it to something like Beatnuts, 2 crazy guys doing their style over really big sounding cool beats. I’m really excited about it. It’s very different than The Wanderer. I don’t want to sound the same as I did on my last record. I don’t want to just be a rapper, I want to be Evil, I want to be me. I want to be this weird kind of guy who does all these different things.

HipHopCanada: How have you found the Vancouver hip-hop scene?

Evil: The scene here is very divided and competitive. It’s all these squirrels trying to get to one nut. There’s all these camps and all these people and it’s like we’re all chasing the same thing, it’s almost like we’re just chasing our tails. There’s no point in trying divide a scene so small; you think it’s so big but go down to Monday Night Live and see the same people week after week. It’s rappers performing for rappers. There’s a million people here but only fifty at MNL . Where’s the fans? They’re at dance clubs because you can’t dance to hip-hop anymore, you can’t have fun with it right now and that has to come back. I want it to come back.

I remember when I was a teenager that’s what it was all about. Hip-hop clubs were the clubs to go to and now everyone claims to like hip-hop but there’s only one hip-hop night so what do people really like? The hipsters are the ones who are having fun right now. They’re the ones having a good time, the hip-hop people aren’t having a good time right now. Something needs to be opened up; I want to tour with a punk band and get out to a different audience cause I feel I could win over any crowd. To me that’s a challenge and I want those kinds of opportunities. I like a lot of the punk shit.

HipHopCanada: Who do you like collaborating with?

Evil: I like working with Snak the Ripper because he’s very passionate. None of us are getting paid a lot of money so I like to be around people who are passionate and have a style and their own thing going. Me and Snak have a lot in common. We’re both from small towns, we’ve had similar upbringings and I think he has similar taste in music. We’re actually good friends and we’re on the same wavelength so I think his music’s very different from mine but at the same time we have similar influences.

HipHopCanada: Who would a dream collaboration be for you?

Evil: I think it would be someone weird like Prince or someone like that. I don’t know if it would be a rapper. I like Mad Child a lot, I like his style. I like [DJ] Kemo, I’ve been talking to Heatwave lately, I’d like to work with those guys too.

HipHopCanada: HipHopCanada interviewed you in 2007; how has your role in this industry changed since then?

Evil: I’m thirty now, I’ve been on my big 50 city tours with Josh Martinez and I’ve done the partying and I just try to take it a little more seriously now as far as having control of my image and my music. This is a business I’m running so I’m just trying to take care of it. I don’t always chase the party, sometimes I have responsibilities. Everyone has to go through it and find their own way.

The world has changed in the last couple of years, everyone’s on a computer now and the way of marketing yourself is so different. You don’t necessarily need that video on MuchMusic anymore, there’s other ways to get out. I’m just trying through MySpace or Facebook or whatever to be in closer contact with my friends or fans. These are the people that you’re inspiring, or are into your stuff, so that communication is right there. I can be like, ‘do you like this?’ and I get negative feedback and can respond to it. It’s that instant access with people that I’m learning.

HipHopCanada: Your music is pretty honest and emotive, what’s it like to be so vulnerable in an super-accessible forum like the internet? Evil: It actually feels good. If anything, this music is a release. People always go, “what’s your style?” and I say “self-expression.” My style is being able to say how I feel at that exact moment in time and try to have people relate to it. When I first started making music it was hard to talk about emotional stuff, I didn’t know how. It was hard for me to access that part of my brain and I was more into battle kind of raps. Ever since my first emotional song, “I’m Leaving,” I was able to just make that kind of music happen. Which is good, I find that those kinds of songs are my most popular.

HipHopCanada: Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life and career?

Evil: I released The Wanderer and I got to do a couple tours this fall. I did R.A. The Rugged Man and the Bliss and Eso tour. Europe hasn’t happened yet although I’d hoped it would, but Australia is in the works for the summer with Bliss and Eso. I can’t put time on anything. It’s great to have goals and schedules to help you elevate where you’re trying to go but at the same time things are going to happen if they’re meant to be so you just got to try to keep working at it.

Editor’s note: For more information on Evil stay tuned to HipHopCanada or check outHTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/EVILDRAFTDODGERS.

SNAKS INTERVIEW ON HIP HOP.COM.

Vancouver, B.C. – Snak the Ripper has only been recording since 2007, but his gritty rhymes are spreading fast like a contagious disease. While some rappers push albums and mixtapes with the format of a drug hustle, Snak pushes his albums and music videos with a graffiti hustle. In 2 years, Snak has created a widespread, multi-faceted on-line presence, in addition to a thick fan-base. I met-up with Snak to discuss his new albums, and how he has translated a 15-year relationship with graffiti into rap music.

HipHopCanada: Although your career is young, you’ve freestyled for years. Is that right? Snak the Ripper: Yeah. I’ve freestyled since I was 13 or 14. It was just something to do when I was drunk with friends. I didn’t take it too serious. But, a couple years ago when I was wasting my life and doing drugs, I had a lot of people tell me that I should pursue rap, so I decided to make an album.

HipHopCanada: You’ve done graffiti forever. How does your love of graffiti translate into rap? Snak the Ripper:There are similarities for sure. I utilize my graffiti skills and put them into rap. One example is how I promote myself. Getting fans is like doing tags. The more tags you have, the more strength you have as a writer. Fans increase your strength as a rapper. The only difference between rap and graffiti is that there’s no money in graffiti.

HipHopCanada: Do you think that having a presence on-line through multiple mediums has played a major role in building your career? Snak the Ripper:For sure, the Internet is my prime tool. Without YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, it’s like the caveman era. A lot of rappers these days aren’t even up on their Internet game. They don’t know. These days, more people spend time on the Internet and watching YouTube than they spend watching TV. I think the Internet is a good look. It allows me to connect to fans all over the world. Most of my fans aren’t even in Vancouver.

HipHopCanada: You were raised in the suburbs. How has that influenced your music? Snak the Ripper:I never really felt like I fit-in, in the suburbs. If you put me in with other people out there, I stick out like a sore thumb. As soon as I was able to come out to the city I was a lot happier. I didn’t like the suburbs and I hated high school.

HipHopCanada: In addition to your regular fan-base, you have tons of teenaged fans. Do you think that your experiences of the suburbs and hating high school created an authentic dissonant quality in your music that kids can relate to? Snak the Ripper:Yeah. When you’re anywhere from 12-20, that’s when everything is the hardest. I write a lot about when I was younger. That was the realest time in my life. Now I’m just lazy with my emotions. I’m like an old man these days.

HipHopCanada: You talk a lot about yucky stuff in your lyrics. What’s up with that? Snak the Ripper:I’m a yucky guy. My family’s like that. My mom’s like that. I like to talk about dirty shit, but I’m realistic. I’m not going to talk about sawing off your head, because I’m not like that . . . I’ll pee on your head while you’re sleeping on the coach, but that’s about it. I’m not going to write about carrying guns ‘cause I don’t have any. If rappers carry guns and rap about guns . . . then all the power to them. But I’m honestly just a fat, regular guy [Snak belches].

HipHopCanada: I heard you say before that rap saved your life. Is that true? Snak the Ripper:Yeah. When I started rapping, I was doing a lot of drugs. It was a rough time. I couldn’t see it at the time. But now that I’ve had the time to get better, I can look back and see that I was dying. I was literally on the verge of death. When I started recording, I started staying home more and just writing lyrics.

HipHopCanada: So rap and graffiti are outlets for you that help you stay off hard drugs? Snak the Ripper:Yeah. I get out aggression through music and when I do graffiti it takes my mind off everything. I’ve seen graffiti function like that for people like my friend OAPH, who went out and did the craziest shit when he had just broken up with his fiancé. Rap and graffiti are good ways to distract your mind from stress.

HipHopCanada: If you had the chance to go mainstream and have radio songs with R&B hooks, would you do it? Snak the Ripper:I already do R&B hooks. I do my own R&B hooks, you know? [Laughing] I would sign to a major label if I was allowed to do what I want creatively but I doubt that would happen. If I could keep creative freedom, they could dress me in glitter, give me Botox or whatever . . . I don’t care . . . I could use some lypo on my hips [Laughing]. But, I don’t even care about getting a record deal, because I currently have more freedom and I can keep a larger percentage of my profits without a big record label taking a massive chunk. I would rather just build my fans. Being rich and famous would be nice, but I just want to hit this at a level where I can tour and do music as a job.

HipHopCanada: How important do you think it is that you have a strong girl at your back? Snak the Ripper:It’s so important. You know how they say that behind every successful man is a strong woman – it’s like that. During that time when I was all messed up, I met my girl and she pushed me to get my life together. It’s good to have her. She doesn’t necessarily like all of my music, but I don’t expect her to. Girls do like my music though, which is weird. I have a lot of girl fans that are into the whole bad boy/ dirty guy thing, but those girls are not the type of girls that I’m into . . . ‘cause those girls are crazy, [Laughing] . . . they can come to the show and buy my album . . . I’ll sign their booby. My girl is important for me staying productive. Without her, I’d probably party too much, eat too much Macdonald’s and have dirty clothes.

HipHopCanada: If you could be in a cipher with anyone, who would it be? Snak the Ripper:Anyone from Tupac to Vinnie Paz, mainly people who have already died. I’d like to rap with Kurt Cobain.

HipHopCanada: What are your major music influences? Snak the Ripper:Kurt Cobain. I grew up on Nirvana and I never get sick of it. In terms of Rap, I try to listen to everything, from the mainstream to underground. Sometimes I’ll listen to Neil Young for an entire month. I don’t base my source of influence on any one artist. I like listening to everything.

HipHopCanada: What are your new albums coming out? Snak the Ripper:I have a solo-project coming out. It’s called Sex-Machine. It was originally going to be a mixtape, but it turned into an album. I’m giving it to my Facebook group for free and everyone else has to buy it . . . um, yeah. I have another album coming out called Boom Goonz. It’s with my favorite Vancouver/ West Coast rappers; Lesk One from California, Fatt Matt, Young Sin and myself. We have D-Rec and Engineer on the beats. Everyone has a unique style and sound on the album, so it’s dope.

HipHopCanada: Any shout-outs? Snak the Ripper: Shouts out to HipHopCanada.com, EephinApparel.com . . . Ephin Apparel, my boy Vision at Ephin Apparel, Young Sin, D-Rec, the Low Pressure family, Boom Goonz, my girl and my family, Evil Ebeneazer, Stewy Ray. Shouts out to everybody out there with fake gold chains and fake gold teeth . . . everybody out there trying to be hard . . . shouts out to those guys! Keep trying.

Written by Christabel Shaler for HipHopCanada