VixStarr is back in action -MahaYuga-

1st,How long u been in this rap industry ?

I have been in the rap industry for about 8 years now. I started off in 1999 with the One Mean Teddy Crew (with Shazzy, Don Paco and Shadow). In 2000 Shazzy left to pursue other things and Shadow left to further his studies. So it was down to Don and I, and that is when we formed NorthSyde. The name NorthSyde was something which was not supposed to stick because it was just something we came up for a show when Don and I did not have a name for the group. But after the first show we did with the name NorthSyde, it just seemed to stick. People recognized us as NorthSyde. It is somewhere during this time when RushDarn joined NorthSyde.

2nd,How does it feels to work with Agniputra again ?

It feels great to be working with my southern counterparts once more. I do indeed feel honoured to be welcomed to do another number for Agniputra as they are the pioneer Tamil rap outfit to come out of JBC and in the beginning featured a lot of multi-talented individuals who may not have been discovered if not for Ben and Ash’s hard work. When I first met the cats from Agniputra/JBC, I felt proud that some of them actually knew the lyrics of my underground tracks which even I at that time did not remember. This immediately prompted me to come out and help these individuals as they respect you as an artist and that they deserve the same amount of respect, and as we know it, respect should not be one that is forced, but is one to be earned.

3rd,Who is ur favou act,local and international ?

Well there are a number actually locally in the English rap industry, it would be Poetic Ammo, Naughtius Maximus, Da Joint, Too Phat and many more. I am very much into some local rock groups as well such as Gerhana Ska Cinta (which is ska actually, not really rock), dragon red and many more. As for the local Tamil Rap scene, it would have to be Chakra Sonic, Natchathira, Agniputra (most definitely) and the 5 Elementz Family.
Internationally I am very much into the likes of Bone Thugs N Harmony, TQ, 3 6 Mafia, Crucial Conflict, Jurassic 5, Ugly Ducklings and any of Iraj’s or Krishan of Sri Lanka’s productions. I like anything that is new and unique. Asian rap music would be something I like in particular because most of them rap in their mother tongues and it just makes the track have this whole different but nice feel to it, it kicks in more originality to the track.

4th,What do u think bout current state of Malaysian Hiphop Scene ?

Wow, this is a very touchy issue but I am going to voice my opinion anyway. Nowadays everyone thinks they can rap, everyone dresses up like a rapper, everyone is ghetto, kids think that they are “gangsta”, so much so that this is what hip hop is recognized here as, and it has become pop culture. Kids these days think that hip hop is all about being gangsta and ghetto and to dress up in oversized clothes. Now you tell me in which 4 pillars of hip hop is it stated that you should be gangsta/ghetto or you should call women bitches and hos. The answer is none of it. The media is glorifying the lifestyle of rappers who grew up on the street who were in fact gangsters and that’s it what they preach in their songs. But what about the real deal rappers who follow the hip hop culture closely and preach about the good things in life? They have all faded into the background labeled uncool because they don’t talk about gats, bats and hos. This is what is happening in the Malaysian Hip Hop scene. I am not worried about the old cats in the game. They are all cool and have the experience to distinguish between right and wrong. People here still argue that Hip Hop in Malaysia is at an infant stage, but for how long? My opinion is that Hip Hop in Malaysia is a still born; it was born dead as it was conceived with all the wrong notions. My advice to the all the young ones is to go out there and listen to more decent rap groups and not just gangster rap, it’s not wrong to listen to gangster rap, but come on, have some common sense to segregate the good from the bad; if they say smoking weed is all good don’t go out and do it, fortunately it is not legal and it may lead to many other complications (by the way smoking cigarettes isn’t all cool as well) take it from a smoker, it is a hard habit to kick.

5th,Wat we can expect from Vixstarr in the future ?

Well so far there haven’t been any major projects after the RTM project for the sitcom Kampung Pening Lalat with Shazzy and Ming. The project has yet to debut and I am not certain of a tentative date either. Other than that I might be doing a song for a 5 Elementz project. So I would say just look out for featuring acts because that is what I am good at. No plans of a full album at the moment as I am busy with my day job. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Big Ben and Agniputra for this interview and their support for me all these years. Also I would like to advise the youngsters, who are the future of Malaysian Hip Hop to stay in school, get that paper qualification, get a job and don’t depend on Hip Hop to feed you in Malaysia, because it won’t help in the long run as it is a very small industry. Always have something to fall back on. Peace.