Who: Derek Mackenzie of Canadian hick-hop group, Hip Club Groove.
Where: Over the phone from the Murderecords office.
When: Spring ’95

Boognish: What is the hip hop scene like on the east coast?

Mackenzie: Well, back a couple years ago it was really rockin’ for a while, when I first showed up on the scene. It’s like, there was always lots of hip hop shows and stuff going on. Just kinda like self-contained, you know what I mean, like the scene. Everyone was doing it; we were just doing it for ourselves. And then it kinda died out. And after the smoke cleared it was really us, Stinkin’ Rich and Universal Soul. We were the only ones left on the scene. But now it’s starting to come back. This Friday we’re having an all-hip hop show like we used to have.

Boognish: So, are there clubs or anything that play a lot of hip hop there?

Mackenzie: I don’t think there’s really any clubs that are strictly hip hop, you know what I mean. You know, they play hip hop, but it’s just mostly clubs that play hip hop here are mostly like the mainstream hip hop, you know, like the Beastie Boys and Tribe Called Quest and whatever.

Boognish: The hip hop scene has been around for a few years?

Mackenzie: The hip hop scene here has been around for a long time, actually. A bad example of this is MC J & Cool G who came out of Halifax. And you’ve heard of Plains of Fascination? They’re originally from Halifax. They used to be called Product AVA. And yeah, it’s been around for a long time. There’s people down here who have been doing this shit for ten, fifteen years.

Boognish: I guess now, with the scene the way it is, you guys are at the forefront of the east coast scene?

Mackenzie: Well, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know, I don’t see it that way. There’s talk now, like people dissing us and shit cuz we’re signed to Murderecords and whatever, you know. I don’t give a fuck. They’re just fucking punks. If they had a chance to get their shit out, they’d do it, too.

Boognish: You say the scene has existed for fifteen years. How long have the members of HCG been into hip hop?

Mackenzie: We’ve been into hip hop a long time. Even before we knew each other we were into it, like on our own doing our own thing. But, we didn’t come together until ’89, like as a group that we actually came together and started writing and, you know, trying to put the shit together. Since ’89 as a group, you know what I mean?

Boognish: How did you guys meet? School or…

Mackenzie: Yeah, basically. That kinda shit. Me and Cory [Cheklove] met through skateboarding a long time ago, and then we just got into it.

Boognish: After you guys met, how did you hook up with Murderecords?

Mackenzie: We had recorded our own record ourselves before Murderecords even knew about us, probably. Well, they probably knew about us, but I mean, we just did if for ourselves basically. And, I don’t know, we were just doing a lot of shows. Like, we did every show we possibly could, you know, about a year straight. I don’t know, I guess we got our name out somehow in Halifax. They approached us, you know what I mean?

Boognish: Yeah, yeah… It’s just, I don’t think a lot of people expected Murderecords to be a home for hip hop acts.

Mackenzie: I think that’s the good thing about Murder because it’s not just one thing. I mean, they just put out bands that they like, [that] they think deserve it.

Boognish: Which I think is the best way for a record label to work.

Mackenzie: Yeah, has nothing to do with their shit going phat. They go with whatever they think is cool.

Boognish: What music most influences HCG?

Mackenzie: Oh, hip hop. Old school. But I can’t limit it to that, but you know, most and foremost would be, like, hip hop of all types. But, you know, I went through a bunch of phases back in the day, you know. I was a big punk rocker and fucking all that shit, man. Like we’re pretty open. I mean, me and Cory, we used to be in musicals and shit like that, too.

Boognish: So, what groups are you currently listening to right now?

Mackenzie: Tha Alkaholiks’ new album rocks. I listen to a lot of old school shit. I just picked up the old Breakdance record with “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock, and I picked up the Skinny Boys. I don’t know. I usually just listen to beats that Brian [Moves] makes, right? So that’s where I spend most of my time; I just listen to the beat and I’m writing rhymes. But, just whatever. I mean, I got lots of mix tapes I can’t even think right now, I just listen to them. There’s one song off Tha Alkaholiks, man, that almost made me cry the first time I heard it. It’s called “2014.” It’s so sweet.

[Mackenzie mentions he is coming to Toronto…]

Boognish: Are you guys going to be doing a show?

Mackenzie: No, it’s just me. You know a band called Len?

Boognish: Len? Yeah.

Mackenzie: Yeah, I’ll be staying with them.

Boognish: You guys are close friends?

Mackenzie: Yeah, yeah.

Boognish: You guys played with them, didn’t you?

Mackenzie: We might be hooking up our next tour with Len.

Boognish: That would be great.

Mackenzie: Yeah. If it works it will be us, Len and Stinkin’ Rich, I think. Which will be so much fucking cooler than all the other tours we’ve been on.

Boognish: Since you’ve mentioned you might be coming up here, I’ve heard rumours that you might be relocating here. Is that gonna happen?

Mackenzie: Really? You heard that shit?

Boognish: Yeah, just a rumour, I guess.

Mackenzie: No. I hadn’t even thought of it. I’m just thinking of going up there just cuz I’m fucking bored down here. There’s a girl up there. It’s like, I don’t know, I like Toronto. I mean, it makes sense for me ‘cuz I’m not doing anything now, right. Plus, we’re going to be up there for North By North East, so I figured I’d go early.

Boognish: I hear a lot of different rap groups talk about how they write a song. How do you guys go about writing a song?

Mackenzie: We don’t have a format, you know what I mean? It’s just that, say, Cory could be at home and he could write a verse; just like shit a verse out, right? It’s like, alright, call me on the phone and tell me about it.

Boognish: Is there someone who lays more of the beats than the others?

Mackenzie: Oh yeah. Brian. DJ Moves. He does, like, all the beats, pretty well. And then me and Cory write our own verses. It just all seems to come together in the last minute, you know what I mean? Like a couple of days before going to the studio, we’re like, “Aw shit!”

Boognish: Yeah, but it seems to work.

Mackenzie: Yeah, this is the most disorganized group in the world.

Boognish: It comes out well, though.

Mackenzie: Yeah, well, we’re putting out a 10″ with this label called Funtrip Records. It’s Len’s label; they’re starting it. I guess we have something to do with it, too.

Boognish: Is that coming out soon?

Mackenzie: Yeah, it should be out around the time we go on tour. Thinking it should be out like the middle of July.

Boognish: I guess it will be a lot of new material?

Mackenzie: Yeah, oh yeah, it’s new. It’s like, it’s us and a friend called Gordski. He’s going to be on the other side. He’s like so big it graces us. He’s like this guy we hang out with. He just makes the wickedest beats and he’s never been able to put anything out so we wanna put him out.

Boognish: Considering the majority of HCG is white, do you ever have the fear that you might not be taken seriously in the hip hop community? You know, the Vanilla Ice Syndrome…

Mackenzie: I used to worry about it. I mean, I don’t anymore. I mean, I used to be insecure about that kinda shit, right, but now I’m secure with my skills and I’m secure with who I am and I’m secure that I’m not fronting trying to be anything else than who I am, right. So, it makes no difference to me. You know, I expect that to come at some point, right. So it’s not like I’m totally naïve and, like, you know, I’m not gonna get dissed or whatever, but I don’t care because I just don’t. Because, I mean, people don’t understand me. I’m not frontin’ to be anything that I’m not. And I’m not anything that people have seen before, you know what I mean?

Boognish: I think it makes it easier with groups like Beastie Boys and House of Pain who have really got a lot of flack for being white, but they’ve proved what they can do.

Mackenzie: See, that’s what it’s about. I mean, the thing I’ve been noticing lately is that if you don’t front than people don’t eat you up. I just see all these fucking groups [in a hard voice], “You know what I’m sayin’.” You know, it’s just fucking bullshit. But people eat that shit up, man. But that’s not the people I wanna go for, you know. It’s just all about the music to me. I mean, I don’t really give a shit about the clothes and the attitude, you know what I mean? This is the music I love and shit so I ain’t fuckin’ about bullshit.

Boognish: Another change that has happened in hip hop is the absence of DJs. I noticed that Moves plays a pretty prominent role on Trailer Park Hip Hop. You can hear him scratching and shit like that.

Mackenzie: We have to, man; that’s what it’s all about. I mean, DJs broke breakbeats from back in the day. That’s what it’s about. And we try to incorporate all of that shit in our live show, too. Get the beatboxes and the freestyles and shit. I mean, you see groups like The Roots that have no DJ whatsoever and they use no samples. I mean, they’re a good group, but how true are they to what they’re doing, you know what I mean?

Boognish: I have a feeling that something’s being lost.

Mackenzie: Yeah, it’ll never be lost on our side of things. It’s always been with us from day one.

Boognish: I like to see groups that are coming out with the old school ideals.

Mackenzie: Yeah, I think our next album will be a lot different from this one. I mean, for me, if you listen to that album I find it really immature. Just because a lot of it is so old. It’s so dry to me now. I’ve just been doing so many better things, and I just can’t wait to get back in the studio.

Boognish: So, what’s in the future for HCG?

Mackenzie: We just filmed a video, like a couple of weeks ago. And that’s in the process of being edited and whatnot. And it’s going to be pretty funny. Have you seen the other one, the shitty one? But, we filmed a good one this time.

Boognish: For which song?

Mackenzie: We remixed “Shooting the Gift.” And we, like at the end, we put more scratching in and shit. We’re thinking about recording another album, probably end of summer.

Boognish: Are you planning to stay with Murderecords?

Mackenzie: Yea, ‘cuz we signed for two, right. I want out after that.

Boognish: I’m hoping to hear more coming from the east coast.

Mackenzie: Have you heard Stinkin’ Rich’s new album? Since it’s been out I don’t think it’s been out of my tape deck. Rough. He’s a big influence.

Boognish: Well, alright. Thanks for talking to me.

Mackenzie: Hey, thanks for wanting to talk to me.