Hiphopcanada.com Interview [Oct, 2004]
written by Sarah Power

Vancouver, B.C. - Most of you know about the west coast road trip I've taken profiling a variety of different artists doing it now on the west coast, namely California. It's time for me to do something different, take a different road; Interstate 5 straight NORTH to be exact. This takes me directly across the Canadian border into southern British Columbia, a few hundred kilometers south-east of my next road stop, Vancouver. On this stop, I'm reminded of artists reppin' this area such as The Rasclaz, DJ Kemo and Concise. Now, I'm going to introduce you to a young newcomer, some of you know, some don't know the name Emcee Prizm.

Prizm has been hustling. I'm mean seriously, doing his thing, writing and producing, collaborating, pressing and releasing as much music as he can. This multi-talented young artist has the hunger and the passion for this hip-hop game that is refreshing and rarely seen. Pair that with honest, real, well written lyrics and tight flow, you have a strong package. Starting off as a writer, Prizm decided to expand his craft into rapping, another form of expression he soon realized he had a talent for. At 16 years old, he wrote song after song leading to a 23 track LP entitled "This is Now", released in December 2003. Ever since he's released three other projects with another one to be released in January, and he won't stop…

HHC: Most people sit on tracks for a while; you went and released a full 23 song album. What was the rationale?
Prizm: I was very self-confident and 16. (laughs) I felt I had a lot to say and a lot to share with the world, so I went ahead and did it. The album was pretty raw (not in a good way, either) but I think it showed a lot of the promise I knew I had. While in retrospect I wonder if I should have CD-R'd that release instead of professionally manufacturing that, "This is Now" definitely jumpstarted things for me and gave me a lot of confidence to really become serious with the music.

HHC: It hasn't been a year since your first release and you are still making and releasing music, what is your motivation?
I feel it's a privilege to have the chance to be heard and reach listeners that might NEED the message you're trying to speak on, so I've always been hungry. I also love doing what I do; making music feels right for me, and as long as enough people are feeling the music that I make I'll always be making it.

HHC: What was the hardest thing about releasing that album on your own?
Just getting it out there to a broad audience I think. First album was a learning experience on how to market myself and get my name out. At shows, selling CDs wasn't hard because my LPs were both manufactured and very well-presented. Those albums were only released locally so it wasn't too hard to get them into moms and pops stores.

HHC: You are still very young in this game, how are you using this to your advantage?
I think it makes me hungrier than a lot of older artists who've been around longer who have lost a lot of their passion. Knowing that I'm still young keeps me focused on improving every day and motivates me to make my mark in a scene dominated by older cats. Being young also allows me to watch the generations before me and learn from their mistakes.

HHC: Where are you trying to take this music thing?
As far as I can take it, all the way to the top if it's meant to be. I don't really concern myself with that at this stage; I just focus on improving every time I spit and seeing where my music takes me. Ultimately though, I want to be heard by more than the local indie scene. I have things I want to say to the whole world.

HHC: Who do you hope to work with in the future?
In terms of Toronto artists, I'm hoping to work with Anonymous Twist in the coming months; I spoke with him a while back and built a bit. Also going to be working with Chunksahoy really soon, possibly for his own solo LP but definitely on my next album. In terms of Vancouver artists, I'm hoping to work with Kia Kadiri and Josh Martinez someday when I'm good enough to. (laughs) On an international level, I'd love to work with the Alchemist, Nas, Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera and, most of all, Premo.

HHC: Who's doing it on the west in Vancouver right now?
I've said it for a while now, but I love Kia Kadiri, a dope recording artist and a very nice, naturally-energetic live performer. She's a very complete emcee/vocalist with a lot of creativity/style; I'd love to work with her one day when I'm ready to. Equally impressive to me is Josh Martinez, who's been doing his thing for a while now. He even had a brief stint with Anticon a few years back. Another extremely creative writer with impeccable style and one cat who I hope to meet and rock a stage with someday in the future. I'd have to say those two are my two favourite rappers right now. There are a lot of talented producers in Vancouver too; most notably I'd have to say DJs Moves and Sichuan are really putting it down with their respective artists.

HHC: If there is one thing you want people to know about you, what is it?
I take my music very seriously; what you hear on a Prizm record will be straight from my heart as the culmination of the things that I've seen and the music that I'm inspired by. Also, my next LP, "Soliloquy" will be released with nation-wide distribution in early 2005. More information will come later.

Although reppin' Van City, don't be surprised if you see Emcee Prizm on the concrete streets of downtown T Dot. He's currently in his first year on a scholarship at the University of Toronto studying Philosophy and English. Not only is it a chance to expand his knowledge, but Prizm hopes to conquer the Toronto hip-hop scene, introducing his music to those unaware and rocking as many shows as possible. It shouldn't be difficult though. Emcee Prizm started off making and releasing critically acclaimed music and selling units. His discography includes two official albums and two unofficial mixtapes and he's still young in the game. Check out http://www.prizmmusic.com for more info. Look out for his third LP to be released early 2005 and check him out on local Toronto stages. You can count on this cat being around for a while.

WRITTEN BY SARAH POWER
(Article online here.)