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 that’s 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 I’m a combination of what I grew up listening to and what I think is missing in hip hop, whether its never been there and I’m trying to create something that’s 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 isn’t 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 it’s even worse. Occasionally somebody makes it and that’s really dope, but for the most part they don’t. It’s such an independent struggle that people aren’t 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: That’s exactly what I was saying like 10 minutes ago, you sack of shit!

Katchphraze: [Laughs] No it wasn’t! You said something about it, I agreed, and now I’m saying it better. [Laughs]

MVRemix: So as we discussed before, there are so many frustrations in hip hop that it’s easy to become burnt out by it all. What is it that motivates you to keep doing what you’re doing?

Katchphraze: Just the fact that there’s so much bullshit burning people out in hip hop is what motivates me. I’m just trying to not do what burns them out so they’ll keep listening to me. [Laughs]

MVRemix: In a relationship, do you feel it’s important for the female to be into hip hop?

Katchphraze: No. I feel it’s important for her to be into music in general because otherwise she’d 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 I’d 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: She’s that fat chick with the pretty face that wears the skin-tight clothes in the club that you’re like, “Daaamn, she could be hot but she needs to lose some weight.” But right now, I think she’s on a treadmill. She’s getting a bit better. She’s got a ways to go though. I’m 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 you’re feelin’ right now?

Katchphraze: I like 50 Cent. I like Dilated [Peoples]. Wasn’t a huge fan of their new album but I still like them a lot. I love the new Bubba Sparxx. I’ve 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 don’t know about Katchphraze.

Katchphraze: I’m not really “new to the scene.” I’ve been doing this for like ten years now and it’s 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 it’s green pisses me off! And sushi pisses me off!

MVRemix: [Laughs] What makes you happy?

Katchphraze: When the things that piss me off aren’t around me. No, what makes me happy… I like sitting down and writing music. That’s my escape. Just sitting down, having a thought in my head, and writing it out.

MVRemix: What’s the best compliment you’ve 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 “I’ll kill you” shit!
[Laughs] But yeah, they just told me that my music really influenced them and that meant a lot to me. I’ve 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: I’d be somewhere where everyone dug Katchphraze and they bought his CDs. Or New Zealand.
[Laughs]
You like that, don’t you?

MVRemix: Not really. [Laughs] So what projects are you working on right now?

Katchphraze: I’m working on the new album, called Eye Can See Now. It’s about two years worth of writing. A lot of stuff was scrapped, a lot was kept and re-vamped. I’m really picky with writing so after a couple weeks I may look back and scrap it. So far it’s about three quarters done and I’m real proud of it.

MVRemix: When can we expect that to be coming out?

Katchphraze: It’ll 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 there’s 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, they’re going to follow you wherever you are. I like “Walk On” because I’m 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! That’s it. [Laughs] No, music is so important. In the last couple years people have started listening to everything and now you don’t just have hip hop fans, you have music fans. Radio stations and fans in general aren’t 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 Motoe’s new joint Detinator. It’s dope!