“Overall, I just wanna leave my mark as somebody who was a great representation of Canada.”- Deezuz

Calgary, AB- Falling in love with hip-hop from an early age, Deezuz knows that being a recording artist is his destiny. He not only appreciates the culture but lives and grows with hip-hop as it evolves.  A constant hustle has allowed him to become widely recognized in the West coast, releasing mixtapes and performing in over 200 shows. Deezuz has opened for, toured and collaborated with various big names in the industry, and has proved that he knows how to rock a crowd.

But Deezuz is more than just a rapper. With beliefs that Canadians should support one another and be provided with outlets for their talents, he created Maintain One Voice Entertainment. Learning to produce his own beats, Deezuz, along with Adollaz and Lyric1, were able to bring other artists in Calgary onto their label. Promoting unity and making music that matters, Maintain One Voice Entertainment has seen success in their first major album, leading them to produce a second, Deezuz’s official album debut, Souldenera.

With his debut album receiving great public response, Deezuz plans to continue making music for the masses. Deezuz put his heart and soul into Souldenera, working hard to make it as perfect as possible. He is determined to get himself heard all over Canada and have a positive impact on the country. Possessing an admirable and resolute personality, Deezuz is in the beginning stages of what will be a triumphant career.

HipHopCanada: First of all, thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Deezuz: And thank you as well for taking your time.

HipHopCanada: Just to get started, what is Deezuz up to right now?

Deezuz: Currently, I’m in the process of getting my debut album, Souldenera, out to the masses and out to the public. It’s been officially out since March so I’ve been on the grind trying to get it heard in as many places as possible. I just came off tour with DL Incognito in April a couple [of] weeks ago. So hitting a bunch of different cities and grinding and performing, like I said, just trying to get the album heard.

HipHopCanada: Were the tours you were just on for promotion for Souldenera?

Deezuz: Yes. The headline was obviously DL Incognito for promoting his album, The Captured Moment in Time, and so mine was sort of in coordination with his promotions. That certainly was my aim on the tour, to promote the album and because of the affiliation we were able to get the album out to different crowds and different people.

HipHopCanada: How long had you been working on the album before its release?

Deezuz: Actually it’d been a long time in the making. I started recording for the album in 2005. So I would say about two and a half years of recording. I’ve been on and off with it; I’ve always had it sort of on the back burner. And [I] did a bunch of mixtapes and other projects affiliated artists and associates and partners and homies, [I] worked with them. But basically the album was about two and a half years of recording.

HipHopCanada: Speaking of you working on other projects, you released a mixtape Back to the Basics, right before Souldenera. Why did you decide to do that?

Deezuz: Well, that was more so a promotional tape to get people who maybe weren’t familiar with my music, especially in the East – cats in Toronto, Montreal, all over the East coast – that kind of was more for them. They haven’t really had a chance to hear me without a video to that point or without having done any shows out East. I had to try to make a push into the East coast audience so that was the aim with that. Also, to familiarize or let people know what my sound is like. It was a collection of tracks that I had done that obviously weren’t on the album so I didn’t want to waste them so I put them out for free release.

HipHopCanada: So how did the name Souldenera come about?

Deezuz: It was just a slick word. I was working with the theme of soul, I wanted to have soul in the name of the album…I didn’t just wanna call it soul, obviously. I wanted to do something that was a bit more clever. A lot of people were telling me it was reminiscent of golden era rap or comparable to that kind of style. I had heard golden a lot so I thought – soulful and we had more of an old school vibe – I just threw them together and tried to make a slick word with it and it’s something that was different. I wanted to have something fresh and [with] an original title and that’s what came to mind.

HipHopCanada: Definitely. Your album has some big collaborations, for example, with Kool G Rap, Sean Price and Moka Only. Why did you decide to feature them on the album?

Deezuz: I targeted a lot of different artists and obviously worked with a bunch of different artists and that was sort of my aim. First and foremost, I wanted to make songs and work with artists that have always inspired me and that I’ve always wanted to work with. That was one of my aims and obviously one of my dreams was to work with people that I grew up listening to. So, obviously, cats like G Rap and Buckshot and Sean Price, Moka etcetera, those are all people that I grew up listening to and they inspired me to do what I do. I targeted obviously some American artists and that was based on a love for those artists. As far as the Canadian collaborations with Moka, Fatty Down and Jeff Spec, those are all people that are my friends and close homies.

HipHopCanada: So can you tell us more Maintain One Voice Entertainment (M.O.V.E.)?

Deezuz: Well, M.O.V.E is the acronym for Maintain One Voice Entertainment, that’s our label. Myself, Lyric1, who is another local artist here in Calgary, Adollaz, who is also a local artist, we started the label in 2005 basically as an outlet to have our music heard. We decided to try to promote shows and we promoted some local shows of our own and for the label to help get an identity. And so we’ve pulled our resources and kept it independent and have consciously kept it independent. As M.O.V.E, our label, we pressed our own album and obtained all [of] our own collabos and beats and things like that. These are things that we all covered as a label – videos and things like that…This is actually our second album, it’s my first album, but it’s our second album as a label – our second major album. We’re looking forward to releasing more artists. We’re working currently with a couple of different artists that we’re going try to develop a little bit further. As well, as I mentioned, we’re looking to get into the promotion side of things and start promoting bigger concerts in Calgary and in western Canada and beyond.

HipHopCanada: I was reading your bio and it says that you fell in love with hip-hop and the whole culture at a very young age. What was it exactly that drew you into hip-hop?

Deezuz: I think the thing I love most about hip-hop is that, for me, it’s always been fresh and it’s been something that younger people and youth can relate to… I was always drawn into the sort of cockiness and the creative side and the competitive side of things and being able to express yourself basically however you want to. I always liked the fact that it’s pretty much a universal culture and I’ve always been inspired by so many different elements that all make up the hip-hop culture. It’s just something that sounded good as well.

HipHopCanada: With that said, what is your take on the hip-hop scene in Canada right now?

Deezuz: I think the hip-hop scene in Canada… I mean obviously you’ve heard it a million times before, I think it’s really lacking support. I think that even just individual communities need to support their own, and not saying that they don’t, I think that they just need to continue to do so and embrace the artists that we have coming out and instead of taking the time hating on each other or starting beef with each other we need to be building and making music. There’s no question that Canada has tons of talent… I think that one of the major things as well is just resources. We need to try to maximize our resources to the best of our abilities and just [do] whatever we can do to try to get heard however we can… I think that we just need to connect.

HipHopCanada: Being an artist in Calgary, what are the pros and cons?

Deezuz: Well, I like the fact that Calgary’s a booming city. It has tons of people coming here from all over Canada and all parts of the world so it’s developing. It’s a hungry city and it’s a thriving city. As far as opportunity goes, it’s a fantastic city to live in. But, with that said, its artistic side isn’t as strong as other cities in Canada. It’s not as liberal, you could say, or it’s not as culturally oriented. Calgary’s more of a conservative city so they’re supportive of things that are proven. Calgary is basically the type of city that likes to see you prove yourself in other markets and prove yourself a winner elsewhere before they sort of take you on their back. Of course, when that does happen, Calgary is one of the most die-hard cities. So, it’s just a matter of showing them you can do it and every [person] in Calgary wants to see you prove yourself outside of the city. But it’s a fresh market; it’s untapped. So the best part about it is there’s plenty of opportunity.

HipHopCanada: Speaking of proving yourself, how do you differentiate yourself from other artists?

Deezuz: That’s a good question. I think that I maybe am not different from other artists in the fact that I just like to make 100 percent genuine, real music. Not to say that other people don’t, but that’s probably one of the things that has given me my own identity… constantly doing that and I’ve carved out my own sound. I think that one of the best differences with myself is just constant work ethic and a constant grind. I’ve been constantly trying to overcome odds and trying to overcome naysayers and non-believers and I’ve had to do that my whole life. This is what I do, this is me and anybody that knows me will tell you that this music is all real.

HipHopCanada: So then how do you determine when something is ready to be put out. When do you know that "this is Deezuz"?

Deezuz: That’s also a really good question. I think that when I put my music out it basically just comes down to what I like to listen to. And I make music that, and release music that, I enjoy listening to and would like to hear elsewhere. I would like to hear these beats on someone else’s album, I’m happy they’re on mine but that’s sort of what my aim is – to make music that I like to listen to. And I feel that my judgement with the music is good enough that if I like it then someone else will like to listen to it as well.

HipHopCanada: Do you plan on touring for Souldenera?

Deezuz: Yeah, I’m actually working on one now. I’m hoping to get into the East as soon as possible. I’m working on a tour right now with a couple of different artists that I have in mind but [I’m] definitely in the works of planning a cross-country tour for the album.

HipHopCanada: Do you have any last words before we wrap this up?

Deezuz: Well, big ups and thank you very much to HipHopCanada for giving me your time and much appreciated, most definitely to yourself. Big ups to Lyric1, Adollaz, M.O.V.E, Calgary, Toronto, Canada, Craig Mcmillian, DL… and cop that album!

Editor's note: For more information check out http://www.myspace.com/deezuz.

DEEZUZ AUDIO
Deezuz ft. Sean Price - Cover My Tracks (Prod. by Blunt) [stream] Deezuz ft. Jeff Spec - Gamble (Prod. by Engineer) [stream]
Purchase Deezuz — Souldenera: http://www.maintainonevoice.com		Download Deezuz — Back To The Basics (Street Album): http://www.sendspace.com/file/3tqqza

  

Chantle Beeso Although only 16 years old, Chantle has had a passion for writing ever since she can remember. Currently at Oakwood Collegiate and a part of the Remix Project, she is working diligently toward a career in journalism. Whether hard at work or just having fun, she is known for her enthusiasm and wit which have carried her through life. Chantle is looking to leave her mark in the industry and knows that starting young will do her no wrong. Her versatile interest in music, fashion, sports and entertainment allow her to do work in many different fields. Chantle is now a part of the HipHopCanada writing team.