DZ (New Brunswick, Canada) – Q&A Interview

1-Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?

My name is DZ, I’m 20 years old and I was born in Houston, Texas. When I was very young I was adopted and I came to Canada. I do love Houston and I love going back to see my family but I don’t consider myself from there. I’m from Fredericton, New Brunswick. I’ve been freestyling and messing around over beats since 9 years old, but I really started to take it seriously at the age of 13. I started producing at the age of 15 using FL Studio and that is still what I use to date.                                                        

2-What influences you in making Hip Hop?

That’s a tough one. There are so many different influences behind my music. My music reflects things that I do every day, real life experiences. Whether it’s a new relationship with a female, a crazy night with my squad or the death of a loved one, all of these things influence my sound. Honestly, it just depends on the day. 

3-Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?

My music is a mix of Hip-Hop and R&B. I like to take unconventional sounds and mold them into something new, something that I’ve never heard before. The most important thing to me is the 3 P’s, patience, persistence and perseverance. I feel that’s what sets me apart from a other artists. It takes a lot of time, commitment and passion to make the music you really love and I’m willing to do just about anything to see success.

4-Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?

 I’ve kept it pretty close knit in regards to who I’ve worked with. I’ve been working with my brother Kyle Varga since the start. We may not be blood but he’s definitely fam. Other than that I’ve worked with an up and coming artist named T-Bear who is making some noise in Nova Scotia as well as out in Calgary. I would like to get a chance to work with Party Next Door. The fact that he is the same age as me and also from Canada gives me motivation to work hard and soon be sitting beside him in the studio. Oh, and I would give an arm and a leg to work with 40, that guy is a genius. 

5-Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

I think that “Underground Hip Hop” has found a way of becoming mainstream hip hop. Not in the sense that you would hear it on the radio, but with the internet, a lot of these underground artists and producers are getting the exposure they deserve. “Underground Hip Hop” is like that diamond in the rough, you’ll find it if you know where to look because there are still and always will be starving artists that do this because they’re passionate about the music and not about the money. 

6-Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production?

I have a couple different producers I look up to. I think that Lex Luger, Young Chop and Mike Will Made It have the best drums. As far as sounds go I’m really feeling Tha Bizness as well as Hit-Boy. I do all my own production and I often find myself watching videos of these guys in the studio, trying to learn from them and pick up their little tricks. A producer i would really like to work with is Sarah J, I feel like I could learn a lot from her. 

7-Any current or future projects you are promoting?

Lately it seems like things have been non-stop. We’ve been doing a lot of shows and we are currently setting up The Beach Tour so we’re definitely looking forward to that. I just finished working on a record for Kyle Varga called “Falsetto” and we’re also working on a mixtape right now, you can expect that sometime this summer. 

8-Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of THE BEACH LP? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover.

The Beach is a compilation of my life from ages 16-20. I started the production about 2 1/2 years ago and looking back on it I had no idea what it would turn into. People call my city “Freddy Beach” so that’s where the title of the album came from. The Beach represents my town but it also represents that place you go to in your mind every time you envision success. Once I found the title things just started falling into place and the whole theme of the album became real. The title sparked the idea for the album cover, it is a simple cover but a very meaningful piece of artwork and I like that. Sometimes less is more. 

9-Where can we find your music and info?

10-Any shout outs?

I would like to shout out my boys Saeed, Kyle, DNA, Luke, DJ Bailey Bail and of course my Mom and Dad. Thanks for all the love and support.