On a warm and sunny afternoon in Vancouver, Phayde sits down with Toronto emcee Katchphraze at a busy beach for a light-hearted and playful interview. Katchphraze, whos performed with the likes of other Canadian talent such as Swollen Members and Sweatshop Union, will be releasing his debut album Eye Can See Now in the fall of 2003. The interview took place on August 7th, 2003.
MVRemix: Being relatively new to the scene, what do you feel you have to contribute to hip hop? Katchphraze:
New to the scene, eh? Well thats a shame. [Laughs] What do I have to contribute?
MVRemix: Is there an echo? Katchphraze:
A cheap fuel-efficient car going down the street? [Laughs] Seriously though, hopefully Im a combination of what I grew up listening to and what I think is missing in hip hop, whether its never been there and Im trying to create something thats not there, or its been lost in the sauce.
MVRemix: How would you describe your style to those who have never heard you? Katchphraze:
Just good hip hop. Good music. There isnt that much good music out there anymore.
MVRemix: So what are your thoughts on the current Canadian scene? Katchphraze:
Compared to the states, it sucks. Compare it to Europe and its even worse. Occasionally somebody makes it and thats really dope, but for the most part they dont. Its such an independent struggle that people arent really contributing to the scene as a whole, and when they do, they see the up n comers as competition so the vibe is all bass akwards and negative.
MVRemix: Thats exactly what I was saying like 10 minutes ago, you sack of shit! Katchphraze:
[Laughs] No it wasnt! You said something about it, I agreed, and now Im saying it better. [Laughs]
MVRemix: So as we discussed before, there are so many frustrations in hip hop that its easy to become burnt out by it all. What is it that motivates you to keep doing what youre doing? Katchphraze:
Just the fact that theres so much bullshit burning people out in hip hop is what motivates me. Im just trying to not do what burns them out so theyll keep listening to me. [Laughs]
MVRemix: In a relationship, do you feel its important for the female to be into hip hop? Katchphraze:
No. I feel its important for her to be into music in general because otherwise shed probably be missing out on a lot of shizznit, but she can listen to whatever kind of music she wants. Except for country. And Shawn Desman. And R&B. And Metallica. And heavy metal, especially Marilyn Manson. And Id say a lot of hip hop on the radio, and punk, and oldies. Also classical, and ska, and funk, and techno. Any trance, anything you dance to. Just playing, she can listen to any of these except Shawn Desman.
MVRemix: [Laughs] If hip hop was a woman, what would she look like? Katchphraze:
Shes that fat chick with the pretty face that wears the skin-tight clothes in the club that youre like, Daaamn, she could be hot but she needs to lose some weight. But right now, I think shes on a treadmill. Shes getting a bit better. Shes got a ways to go though. Im just trying to be a personal trainer.
MVRemix: Who would win in a fight to the death: Bruce Lee or Spiderman? Katchphraze:
Roy Jones. My man Roy Jones in a Spiderman costume.
MVRemix: Who are some artists that youre feelin right now? Katchphraze:
I like 50 Cent. I like Dilated [Peoples]. Wasnt a huge fan of their new album but I still like them a lot. I love the new Bubba Sparxx. Ive been listening to that for a while now. I like the new Defari. I love the new Louis Logic. And uh, Jimmy Eat World.
MVRemix: Who would you rather sleep with: Sandra Bullock or Tom Arnold? Katchphraze:
Sandra Bullock. You implying something? [Laughs]
MVRemix: Tell me something I dont know about Katchphraze. Katchphraze:
Im not really new to the scene. Ive been doing this for like ten years now and its only recently that the grind has started to pay off.
MVRemix: What pisses you off? Katchphraze:
Shitty music pisses me off. How people can like it pisses me off. And obnoxious people piss me off. [Looking around] And fat people that walk without shirts by the beach piss me off! And crack dealers on the corner of a beautiful park piss me off. Blue water when its green pisses me off! And sushi pisses me off!
MVRemix: [Laughs] What makes you happy? Katchphraze:
When the things that piss me off arent around me. No, what makes me happy I like sitting down and writing music. Thats my escape. Just sitting down, having a thought in my head, and writing it out.
MVRemix: Whats the best compliment youve ever received? Katchphraze:
I did a show on Vancouver Island and a couple guys came up to me after and they told me that my music totally influenced them-
[Giant fly nosedives into Phayde] JESUS CHRIST!!!
[Laughs]
What the fuck! That was on some fighter jet Ill kill you shit!
[Laughs] But yeah, they just told me that my music really influenced them and that meant a lot to me. Ive had other compliments since, but that one really stood out for whatever reason.
MVRemix: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? Katchphraze:
Id be somewhere where everyone dug Katchphraze and they bought his CDs. Or New Zealand.
[Laughs]
You like that, dont you?
MVRemix: Not really. [Laughs] So what projects are you working on right now? Katchphraze:
Im working on the new album, called Eye Can See Now. Its about two years worth of writing. A lot of stuff was scrapped, a lot was kept and re-vamped. Im really picky with writing so after a couple weeks I may look back and scrap it. So far its about three quarters done and Im real proud of it.
MVRemix: When can we expect that to be coming out? Katchphraze:
Itll probably be done this coming fall. I have about 20 songs or so recorded so I just want to put em all together, play around with them, and play them for people and find out which ones they like the best, then cut the list down from there.
MVRemix: What are a few of your favorite Katchphraze tracks and why? Katchphraze:
I really like [the title track] Eye Can See Now because theres a story behind it. I wrote it when I first came out from Ontario to Vancouver and I realized that some of the things I came to escape, theyre going to follow you wherever you are. I like Walk On because Im proud of that story. I like that song a lot. I think those two songs stand out from everything else as probably my two best songs, in my opinion.
MVRemix: Last thing: Anything you want to say to current or prospective fans? Katchphraze:
Shawn Desman is wack! Thats it. [Laughs] No, music is so important. In the last couple years people have started listening to everything and now you dont just have hip hop fans, you have music fans. Radio stations and fans in general arent just caught up on some Top 40s thing anymore. I like that. I want everybody to listen to Katchphraze because I listen to everything and I feel that inspiration comes from everything. Keep rockin in a free world! [Laughs]
MVRemix: Anything else?
Katchphraze:
Phayde is the greatest girl in the world.
MVRemix: True.
Katchphraze:
Go cop Motoes new joint Detinator. Its dope!
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