Brampton up-and-comer Nēgu$ (of the LSC collective) just released a brand new single titled “Friend Switch” (produced by Emil. A).
“Friend Switch” is a record about the natural progression of the “friends” who phase out of your life. And more importantly, it shows that when you feel secure in yourself and your work, you don’t need all those people surrounding you and bringing you bad vibes.
Nēgu$ hasn’t been in the rap game for a long time, but he’s already starting to figure things out. He’s less concerned about what people think of him, and more focused on releasing music that speaks to him.
He’s still got his day-ones by his side. But he’s realized that the rest of the “friends” who’ve come and gone along the way were never even friends to begin with. Check out “Friend Switch,” and scope our incredibly in-depth Q&A with young Nēgu$ below.
Q&A: Nēgu$
HipHopCanada: Start off by telling me what this song means to you on a personal level.
Nēgu$: This song – like many of the stuff I do – represents a special moment and time in my life. This song represents me and my current state of mind, and how I feel about certain vibes and people who surround me. Personally this song represents me completely coming into myself with full comfort. I started putting music out last year and I was a lot more strayed by many opinions and how I was viewed. After learning a great deal, I can personally say I’ve come into my own, and no longer care to gain anyone’s love or respect. I know if I make good music, it will be heard.
HipHopCanada: This is a really heavy song. And it sounds like you’re at a bit of a breaking point with your circle of friends.
Nēgu$: Honestly this song means how it feels. I’m not beating around the bush. What I said is what I mean. And how this songs feels is how I feel. I am not at breaking point with my friends or my circle. We are closer than we’ve ever been. However this song is more about people who have chosen to purposely push me out of their life without any real reason. Those people were never really friends to begin with.
HipHopCanada: I feel like there’s this underlying commentary on this track about the competitive nature of rap; especially Canadian rap. There’s this every-man-for-himself mentality. So instead of trying to build a scene, a lot of guys spend their time just shitting on their peers.
Nēgu$: A very touchy topic. However my thoughts about this are very stern. We all should face the fact that rap and hip-hop is still fairly new in Canada. However, at this point Canadian hip-hop cannot lose. There are many talented Canadian artists who outdo American artists. It’s simply evident. I see the hate, and the jealously of the upcoming Canadian hip-hop generation all as a part of the creation of the Canadian rap scene. Currently only a handful of Canadian rappers have become big on a global scale. Everyone rapping is trying to obviously be the next big thing or the “one”. This is justified by the way most of the rappers behave. I feel this mentality comes from the fact that there are not many opportunities for Canadian artist to get their music heard, and it sucks. So when someone works hard for something little, it’s not in their mind to give anyone a handout. Regardless, I have never been about the hate. I give credit where it’s due, and I am not afraid to show love. But [I] refuse to show love to those who would not show love towards me. And that is just the way it is. I personally see the most hate and jealously from rappers on Twitter. And I have no time [for] rappers who discredit others [and] act like they’re real while they are constantly scheming… or [those] who are constantly putting down others. But when their time comes to put music out, they don’t have much to say or speak about things that are completely irrelevant. Either way, I have my team and I’ve known them my whole life. They are family and I don’t really care to work with anyone else, except for two or three other artists I’ve met in person and have that connection or bond with.
HipHopCanada: How did the collaboration with Emil.A come about for this one?
Nēgu$: I had a beat by Emil.A from a while back some time last year. And I recorded a demo and sent it to him. He loved it and was excited to work, so I added some more lyrics to the demo I already recorded. However, it still didn’t feel right so I asked Emil. A to edit the beat to cater more to what I was trying to do. After he did that I recorded two more versions, before coming to the final version.
HipHopCanada: What’s the difference between the friends who phase out, and the friends who stick around forever? What does ideal friendship look like?
Nēgu$: I don’t have any problem with people who phase out of my life because I know I have done the same in other peoples’ lives. That is not something necessarily in one’s control. People have different interests and goals and life can change drastically. However, if you are truly friends I guess you would both make the effort to not let phasing out happen… Friendship should be an equal relationship where you reach out to a friend, just as much as they reach out to you; where you care for a friend just as much they care for you. People throw away friendships because of a moment in time. For example, your friend does you wrong once, and it may not be that serious… some people forget everything they have been through with that person just because of that one moment in time. Which is lame… and in my personal opinion not true friendship.
HipHopCanada: You wrap the song with a line: “So is it all worth it/ They told me I’m worthless.” Talk to me about that.
Nēgu$: I constantly question why all rappers are fighting for, because I’ve heard from a few names who have what we are fighting for, that it’s not as great as it seems once you get there. So that question is just always in my head. However, I personally want to do music, but I also have a vision to create something greater. The worthless line comes from the fact that I feel like no matter what I do, I will always have to prove myself to the “average” person. I say average person because, the average person doesn’t mess with a kid who wears crystals. The average person doesn’t listen to SoundCloud rappers. The average person probably thinks Brampton is wack. [These are] all things I am related to. So in other words the average person probably doesn’t mess with me at first glance. They’d rather bob their heads to someone who pretends to be getting it, or someone who talks constantly but got nothing to show. Those are the people the average person considers to be worth their time. Regardless, I don’t make or do what I do for people who want to stay average. To go more in depth and be more specific about the worthless part, I’ve just had that feeling of being worthless for such a long time in [the] past and it’s something we all face. Even though many people may tell you that you are talented, you’ll never really achieve the full potential of your talent, until you realize it and act upon it and not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Interview conducted by Sarah Jay for HipHopCanada
