What’s up everyone! Earlier last month, I got to sit down with one of my favourite artists at one of the coolest bars in town, Flint. Samurai Champs (Previously known as DGS Samurai Champs) are Saskatchewan based artists that are apart of the YQR-YXE Artist chain, Trifecta. They are a R&B/Hiphop Duo with two amazing artists, Jeah and Merv xx Gotti. I met these two talented artists around last summer at one of the Trifecta events in YXE and I have to say after this interview with them, i’ve gained even more respect for the two of them and I personally cannot wait to see what they have planned for 2018. They are currently working on one of their biggest events of this year, SXSW in Austin, TX so make sure if you are in the TX area make sure you check out their performance! With that being said, scroll down to check out my interview with them.
Q : How did you two meet?
That’s a big question! We both went to high school together, Jeah was a few grades higher than Merv xx Gotti. Back in high school, there was coffee houses in the library and some of the older kids were apart of the event however when the older grades graduated, Merv wanted to continue the tradition by showing off his skills. Jeah did mainly hiphop while Merv did hardcore punk, they never played a show together however they’d see each other perform and have the same friend group and eventually got to the point where they felt that they were the same artist however different genres. Around 2013, they started to continue do collaboration projects however send each other their solo projects to listen to each other’s vibe. They did not become Samurai Champs until around 2014 as they dropped 3 mixtapes then lead up to their 1st debut, Crayons in 2016.
Q : What has been the best experience so far for you guys as artists?
Jeah asked me the question of “When you first saw Trifecta, what was your perspective on it?” and I replied as one big whole family and that’s what they want to hear. Jeah then went on about saying they want to make it feel like as it’s a big community that comes together as a big family.
Q : Since 2017 was a big year for music, what album or which artist stood out to you guys?
Jeah’s favourite was fisherman dating site, when he dropped blkswn, he wanted to pursue that sound since it’s very mixed. His favourite song by Smino was rebirth christian store boundaries in dating since it was lowkey hype however very smooth. It’s like having your morning coffee and then all of a sudden you are wide awake. Jeah also mentioned Big Sean’s I Decided album was very impressive too since he does alot of hard hiphop and this album had a very different vibe but also had the old Big Sean feeling towards the album. Merv’s favourite was Cigarettes After Sex. He mentioned how they had alot of singles prior to their album (like Smino) and it was compared as a full piece work, it was a album created from a concept with heavy use of guitars, sad vocals, etc.
Q : Who is your influences in music?
Ourselves, we inspire each other to do what we do!
Q : If you give any advice to any artist, what would it be?
The bigger part, the biggest question is people don’t know what to do, at the end we have to think like if you are about to die, what are you going to say on your deathbed? For example like “I wish I travelled more often” or “I wish I didn’t say no to that opportunity” and that’s how you should figure out what to do. The second part is figuring out what to do, trust your feelings but don’t trust your feelings. Sometimes your feelings will say this sounds good but then it’ll also say this sounds bad, however it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Say for example you play a bad show, doesn’t mean you should stop. You see why you feel that way and continue with that and possibly can lead onto better things. Listening to your heart and be in tune.
Q : Is there something you both want to achieve as artists?
Perform at a Soulection festival. Soulection is one of their inspirations for them since of their creative culture even though they are a smaller community, it’s not as big as the community for Coachella, Rolling Loud, etc. all of those events they would love to perform at but Soulection is their biggest goal.
Q : Since we are a streetwear brand, what are your favourite brands?
Merv’s favourite was Acronym since Errolson Hugh is one of his inspirations for fashion because he has both a equal emphasis of both design and engineering, he’s not a guy who draws something pretty and throws it to someone and says go make that, he’s a guy who figures out how to make it, he makes it and tests it on himself and so if it doesn’t fit the way he likes it then he does it all over again and that’s why Merv likes Acronym. Jeah’s favourite on the other hand is Off White since he loves the creativeness behind it as well as the designs that Virgil Abloh makes. In Jeah’s eyes, he based his art towards how Virgil look’s at his art, it’s not over the top like some of the stuff that they make but it’s also how he designs his products. Brands that are underrated however, they both said ELEVEN03 and L.S.O.T.R which are both YXE brands which made me laugh, shoutout to Ron one time. The hype behind some brands gets overwhelming however for the both of them it really does depend on the people behind on the brand.
I want to personally thank Samurai Champs for taking the time to have this interview with me for SWC, make sure you follow their social media down below as well as check out their upcoming events happening in Saskatoon. Also want to thank @athirdtime for taking the photos displayed in this article! On behalf of SWC, I want to congratulate to them making it to SXSW, we cannot wait to see the performances in Austin, TX! Putting YXE on the map!! What did you guys think about Samurai Champs? Let us know on Instagram @streetwearchick or in the comments below!
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Upcoming Event (prizes include my upcoming brand, MIDNIGHT12) Make sure you go out and support the events! More information below as well as on this Facebook Event :
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