Snak The Ripper
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Snak The Ripper

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"Brass Tackz"

Brass Tackz may be a rag-tag team of hip-hop misfits, but something about it seems to be working: with over 10,000 downloads of their free EP "The Outfit" within the first week of release, Young Sin, Snak the Ripper and Evil Ebenezer are spreading their dirty sound from Vancouver to the rest of the world. The trio combined on Camobear Records in 2009 and the smooth sounds of Sin, raspy ramblings of Snak and dark tones of Evil have drawn attention: the boys have over 2 million Youtube hits, 280 street teamer’s worldwide and have played over 300 shows in the past year and a half.

This summer Brass Tackz are hitting the road to support the release of veteran group member Evil Ebenezer’s third solo album “Evil Eye” being released in July. Ebenezer is an original in a genre of lemmings, no entourage, no fancy jewelry, just a weathered student of hip hop staying true to his sound. Evil’s haunting, melancholic ballads are certainly not without their silver lining. The glimmers of hope in the face of despair and the hunger to persevere are evident in Evil’s song writing and his raw, energetic shows keep audiences coming back for more.

Snak The Ripper began creating hip hop in early 2007 and has been kicking up dust all over the world since. Along with his fellow group members, Snak has been littering the internet with his grimy delivery, reality based lyrics, hard hitting beats and pure ability to tell it like it is. In the short time Snak has been around, he has collected well over one million views on Youtube, and generated thousands of plays a day on Myspace, gaining him international attention.

Young Sin has always had a strong passion for music - born to a DJ mother and a father in a funk band, the Toronto native was initially inspired by groups like Earth, Wind and Fire, Sam & Dave and Parliament. As he got older, Sin's wandering attention span was held by NWA, the Rascalz and anything Dr. Dre touched; it wasn't until the late nineties that his family moved to Vancouver and he started to turn his passion into reality. Young Sin spent a few years focused on the administrative side of the rap game, sharpening his skill set and garnering industry wisdom. He returned slicker then ever, ready to hold down the business end of the mic while spitting into the other.

Fresh off a month long tour of Spain Brass Tackz will be playing select dates on the Warped Tour this summer and are tasked with representing for hip hop as the only urban act on the line-up. - Industry Mag


"Live Review – The Beatnuts W/ Emotionz, Brass Tackz, & DJ Seko"

Live Review – The Beatnuts W/ Emotionz, Brass Tackz, & DJ Seko
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, B.C.

Something was shakin’ Monday night at Fortune Sound Club and it wasn’t just the martinis. With a full set of fog machines and freaky lasers plus a stack of enormous, futuristic speakers and a stage setup that resembled the command centre of the Turbo Megazord, the folks at Fortune were prepared to have their floorboards rattled and that’s exactly what they got. The night started out with DJ Seko on the lap-tizzie, pumping out a steady stream of mash-ups, remixes, and straight-up hip-hop classics that had the still-sober crowd nodding their heads in approval, a few pockets of dancing even breaking out. Brass Tackz was up next and they instantly upped the tempo and intensity of the show.

A local Vancouver trio consisting of Young Sin, Evil Ebeneezer, and hometown hero Snak the Ripper, Brass Tackz immediately and surgically set about assaulting the crowd with their smooth, flowing raps and high-energy stage presence. Their on-stage chemistry wildly evident, the boys from Brass Tackz hammered the crowd with rhymes until gracefully exiting stage right. Third on the bill was another local act, Emotionz, who came out with a pretty tough act to top and did just that. Starting off slow, the crowd apathetic, Emotionz slowly brought them around with his quick lyricism and precise rhyming, benefitting immensely from the terrific sound system as did every other act on the card.

Once the crowd was sufficiently warmed up, Emotionz hit them with a seriously kick-ass beat-box freestyle, sending them over the top as they hooted and danced while the man’s mouth rattled off beats like a spitfire does bullets. As he took his leave to a roar of approval, he surely knew he’d done his mama proud. With that the opening acts had had their time and the big boys came out to play.

Strutting the stage with supreme confidence The Beatnuts, who were celebrating their 20th Anniversary of pounding out the east coast hardcore the fiends from Queens, did not disappoint as they swaggered back and forth, slowly bouncing around the stage like rap asteroids. The duo banged out tracks like “Watch Out Now ” from their highly successful Musical Massacre album and “Off the Books” from 1997's Stone Crazy. Words like “nice” damn” and “sweet” were on the tips of everyone’s tongues as Juju and Psycho Les rocked out with their proverbial(and metaphorical) cocks out, their silky-smooth rhymes and jazzy beats making the crowd go bump bump until the white lights came on and the crowd reluctantly staggered on their way.

By A.W. Reid
- Abort Mag


"Snak The Ripper"

Vancouver, B.C. – Snak the Ripper has only been recording since 2007, but his gritty rhymes are spreading fast like a contagious disease. While some rappers push albums and mixtapes with the format of a drug hustle, Snak pushes his albums and music videos with a graffiti hustle. In 2 years, Snak has created a widespread, multi-faceted on-line presence, in addition to a thick fan-base. I met-up with Snak to discuss his new albums, and how he has translated a 15-year relationship with graffiti into rap music.

HipHopCanada: Although your career is young, you’ve freestyled for years. Is that right?

Snak the Ripper: Yeah. I’ve freestyled since I was 13 or 14. It was just something to do when I was drunk with friends. I didn’t take it too serious. But, a couple years ago when I was wasting my life and doing drugs, I had a lot of people tell me that I should pursue rap, so I decided to make an album.

HipHopCanada: You’ve done graffiti forever. How does your love of graffiti translate into rap?

Snak the Ripper:There are similarities for sure. I utilize my graffiti skills and put them into rap. One example is how I promote myself. Getting fans is like doing tags. The more tags you have, the more strength you have as a writer. Fans increase your strength as a rapper. The only difference between rap and graffiti is that there’s no money in graffiti.

HipHopCanada: Do you think that having a presence on-line through multiple mediums has played a major role in building your career?

Snak the Ripper:For sure, the Internet is my prime tool. Without YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, it’s like the caveman era. A lot of rappers these days aren’t even up on their Internet game. They don’t know. These days, more people spend time on the Internet and watching YouTube than they spend watching TV. I think the Internet is a good look. It allows me to connect to fans all over the world. Most of my fans aren’t even in Vancouver.

HipHopCanada: You were raised in the suburbs. How has that influenced your music?

Snak the Ripper:I never really felt like I fit-in, in the suburbs. If you put me in with other people out there, I stick out like a sore thumb. As soon as I was able to come out to the city I was a lot happier. I didn’t like the suburbs and I hated high school.

HipHopCanada: In addition to your regular fan-base, you have tons of teenaged fans. Do you think that your experiences of the suburbs and hating high school created an authentic dissonant quality in your music that kids can relate to?

Snak the Ripper:Yeah. When you’re anywhere from 12-20, that’s when everything is the hardest. I write a lot about when I was younger. That was the realest time in my life. Now I’m just lazy with my emotions. I’m like an old man these days.

HipHopCanada: You talk a lot about yucky stuff in your lyrics. What’s up with that?

Snak the Ripper:I’m a yucky guy. My family’s like that. My mom’s like that. I like to talk about dirty shit, but I’m realistic. I’m not going to talk about sawing off your head, because I’m not like that . . . I’ll pee on your head while you’re sleeping on the coach, but that’s about it. I’m not going to write about carrying guns ‘cause I don’t have any. If rappers carry guns and rap about guns . . . then all the power to them. But I’m honestly just a fat, regular guy [Snak belches].

HipHopCanada: I heard you say before that rap saved your life. Is that true?

Snak the Ripper:Yeah. When I started rapping, I was doing a lot of drugs. It was a rough time. I couldn’t see it at the time. But now that I’ve had the time to get better, I can look back and see that I was dying. I was literally on the verge of death. When I started recording, I started staying home more and just writing lyrics.

HipHopCanada: So rap and graffiti are outlets for you that help you stay off hard drugs?

Snak the Ripper:Yeah. I get out aggression through music and when I do graffiti it takes my mind off everything. I’ve seen graffiti function like that for people like my friend OAPH, who went out and did the craziest shit when he had just broken up with his fiancé. Rap and graffiti are good ways to distract your mind from stress.

HipHopCanada: If you had the chance to go mainstream and have radio songs with R&B hooks, would you do it?

Snak the Ripper:I already do R&B hooks. I do my own R&B hooks, you know? [Laughing] I would sign to a major label if I was allowed to do what I want creatively but I doubt that would happen. If I could keep creative freedom, they could dress me in glitter, give me Botox or whatever . . . I don’t care . . . I could use some lypo on my hips [Laughing]. But, I don’t even care about getting a record deal, because I currently have more freedom and I can keep a larger percentage of my profits without a big record label taking a massive chunk. I would rather just build my fans. Being rich and famous would be nice, but I just want to hit this at a level where I can tour and do music as a job.

HipHopCanada: How important do you think it is that you have a strong girl at your back?

Snak the Ripper:It’s so important. You know how they say that behind every successful man is a strong woman – it’s like that. During that time when I was all messed up, I met my girl and she pushed me to get my life together. It’s good to have her. She doesn’t necessarily like all of my music, but I don’t expect her to. Girls do like my music though, which is weird. I have a lot of girl fans that are into the whole bad boy/ dirty guy thing, but those girls are not the type of girls that I’m into . . . ‘cause those girls are crazy, [Laughing] . . . they can come to the show and buy my album . . . I’ll sign their booby. My girl is important for me staying productive. Without her, I’d probably party too much, eat too much Macdonald’s and have dirty clothes.

HipHopCanada: If you could be in a cipher with anyone, who would it be?

Snak the Ripper:Anyone from Tupac to Vinnie Paz, mainly people who have already died. I’d like to rap with Kurt Cobain.

HipHopCanada: What are your major music influences?

Snak the Ripper:Kurt Cobain. I grew up on Nirvana and I never get sick of it. In terms of Rap, I try to listen to everything, from the mainstream to underground. Sometimes I’ll listen to Neil Young for an entire month. I don’t base my source of influence on any one artist. I like listening to everything.

HipHopCanada: What are your new albums coming out?

Snak the Ripper:I have a solo-project coming out. It’s called Sex-Machine. It was originally going to be a mixtape, but it turned into an album. I’m giving it to my Facebook group for free and everyone else has to buy it . . . um, yeah. I have another album coming out called Boom Goonz. It’s with my favorite Vancouver/ West Coast rappers; Lesk One from California, Fatt Matt, Young Sin and myself. We have D-Rec and Engineer on the beats. Everyone has a unique style and sound on the album, so it’s dope.

HipHopCanada: Any shout-outs?

Snak the Ripper: Shouts out to HipHopCanada.com, EephinApparel.com . . . Ephin Apparel, my boy Vision at Ephin Apparel, Young Sin, D-Rec, the Low Pressure family, Boom Goonz, my girl and my family, Evil Ebeneazer, Stewy Ray. Shouts out to everybody out there with fake gold chains and fake gold teeth . . . everybody out there trying to be hard . . . shouts out to those guys! Keep trying.

Written by Christabel Shaler for HipHopCanada - HipHopCanada.com


"Snak The Ripper"

Vancouver’s Snak the Ripper sounds like a few of these bratty kids at the Mac’s store I used to want to slap when I was growing up. With these impressions aside, Snak is undeniably a unique voice in the Canadian rap race and definitely worth listening to. I admit that the first time I heard of Snak the Ripper was just last summer with the video “Beer Day (Situations)” from the Fatt Snak album. That was a year ago. Currently, Snak has his album Sex Machine set to drop in June and a Western Canadian tour planned for the spring. Peep the interview!
Introduce yourself, your crew, affiliations etc…

I’m Snak The Ripper a.k.a. the Vanilla Gorilla, I’m reppin’ the West Coast fully. Low Pressure, Boom Goonz, ETC gang, East Van, go ask ya mutha.

You recently started to rap, how did you decide to start rapping in your 20s?

A few years back I was living pretty ruff, doing lots of drugs and what not. I was at the lowest I’ve ever been, and that pretty much birthed my career. I didn’t start actually writing lyrics until 2007, but I freestyled drunk with homies and shit all the time for as long as I can remember. I just don’t think I was focused on anything in life, and I needed something to channel all my bullshit in to. Although people have tried to use that aspect of my past against me, I don’t regret anything. Everything I’ve done and seen has made me the ripper I am today. This rap shit is perfect for me.

Do you think there is a direct connection between rap and graffiti?

I’m definitely not one of those ”hip hop culture” cats. I mean, I got respect for the old school and shit, but I just don’t consider myself a ‘”b-boy” or some corny shit like that. I just like rapping and writing my name all over public property. I think rapping and graffiti are very similar in ways though. In both aspects, the main objective is to be known, and get up your name as much as possible. I’m good at self-promoting my stuff cause I’m a bomber. Ever since I was like fourteen, I’ve had this uncontrollable urge to be known. I think its working out pretty well.

Do you think that living in Vancouver influenced your decision in rapping? Would it be different if you lived in Saskatoon, Edmonton or Calgary?

Vancouver molded me. I didn’t actually grow up in the city though. I grew up in the shitty tit suburbs. Owning a nice car, and wearing “Tap Out” gear just never seemed right for me. I definitely think that moving to the city when I did influenced me a lot. It also had a large part in me moving to other cities like Montreal and Toronto. I traveled around tons when I was younger, just getting my name up, couch hopping. I wouldn’t pin it to just one spot. I think life and experiences has been my major influence above everything else.

“The album has nothing do to with being sexy, it’s just a fancy name to catch
your eye.”

What projects are you working on?

June 1st 2009 I’ll be releasing my second solo joint called Sex Machine. I’m not signed to any label so I’ll be releasing it on iTunes and sites like that at a later date. But June 1st is when the shit is available at certain retail spots in Canada. I’ll also be on tour at that time, so if you catch a show, stop by the merch table and hook up a album..

What should we expect from your new album?

Sex Machine is by far my best shit yet. The album is like twenty tracks, all bangers from some serious Canadian and American producers, and featuring tracks with Fatt Matt, Young Sin, Lesk One, and R.A. The Rugged Man. The album has nothing do to with being sexy, it’s just a fancy name to catch your eye. My boy D-rec kills it with the scratching too.

Talk about your tour plans…

We are still working on locking down some dates, but it will be something like: Saskatoon to Victoria with about seven show in between. If you want to check my tour dates, check out my Facebook group. Everything should be posted there shortly.

Have people tried to play down your accomplishments – even if you’ve only been rapping seriously for a short time?

Nah, not really. There is the occasional hip hop geek though, talking up the smack online. I think most people are scared to share their opinion with me. Like I might react weird or some shit. I’m pretty confrontational, so that scares rappers. Most people that know me personally, know my achievements, cause they seen me before all this. I have only been at this shit a short amount of time, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and don’t plan on quitting this shit any time soon. I’m sure people talk shit, I just don’t ever hear it.

You sound like a bit of a bratty kid on the mic, is that a decision or do your words just come out that way? Has it contributed to your growing notoriety?

What do you mean bratty? Like, lippy or some shit? I just say what I want, when I want. I guess I do probably come off as a bit of a wild animal. I can’t really control the way I rap. I never could. I just write the shit and when it comes out that’s what it is. My homie, Kaboom says I sound like a dying Pterodactyl.

How have your drug/alcohol experiences fueled your rapping?

Although I don’t use as many drugs as I used to, I still get high on a daily basis. Marijuana is my best friend. Everything I do, I abuse. I smoke more cigarettes than anyone I know. Sometimes I write songs when I’m super hung-over, or after a night of eating ecstasy when my brain is all fucked up and twisted. Some of my most popular tracks were written while under the influence of cocaine. But I don’t do that shit anymore it makes my nose feel like Michael X10. I think everything happens for a reason. If I happen to find some drugs its on!

If you could be any drug in the world, what would you be?

I would be Exlax. Breaking down solids into liquids making suckers shit their pants. Or MDMA ‘cause it makes you feel really good. I’d be the E-pill with the happy face on it.

Has there been definitive increase in the amount of women paying attention to you since you started rapping professionally?

I think so. I mean, I’ve never really been much of a ”ladies man” but lately there’s been bitches getting at me on that Facebook. It’s cool whatever. I’m too busy to care about that shit. I got a sexy girlfriend who feeds me and tickles my back. She was with me before I was a rapper, when I was just an ugly cracker with dirty clothes, so it would be hard to replace that shit. If any of these girls actually knew me, they wouldn’t like me at all. I’m an asshole.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of the year?

I think 2009 will be a good year for me. We got a lot of shit planned out, but actions speak louder than words. I just want to keep progressing; keep recording and touring as much as possible this year. I’m also hoping that by the end of the year I will be able to walk without a cane.

Shouts?

Ephin, Ales, Young Sin, Vision, Fatt Matt, Low Pressure, Moves, Boom Goonz, DRec, Caspian, Lesk One, Capital Q and the rest of the Stompdown posse, Evil, Stuey, all the producers that send me beats, Touch and Nato, Stylust, Weed, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Number seven light regular, and all the people that bump my shit. Show my music to your friends!
- UGSMag.com


Discography

Solo Albums:

Snak The Ripper (Self Titled)
Camobear Records 2008
Debut solo LP

Snak The Ripper - ''Sex Machine''
Camobear Records 2009
Second solo LP

Mixtapes:

Snak The Ripper & Fatt Matt Collaboration Party Album ''Fatt Snak''
Camobear Records 2008

Snak The Ripper, Evil Ebenezer & Young Sin Collaboration Mixtape ''Brass Tackz"
Camobear Records 2010

Snak The Ripper - ''Fear Of A Snak Planet'' Mixtape
Camobear Records 2011

Singles:

2011-

"Can't U See" feat. Brass Tackz- Sept. 2011
White Dynamite, 2012, Camobear Records

"Crush Brews" feat. Evil Ebenezer- Sept. 2011
White Dynamite, 2012, Camobear Records

"F*ck Yer Label" feat. Evil Ebenezer- Mar. 2011
Fear of A Snak Planet, Camobear Records

"Sin City Remix" feat. Evil Ebenezer & Angerville- Jan. 2011
Angerville, Camobear Records

"Onyx & 100 Mad present Snak The Ripper"- Nov. 2010
Fear of A Snak Planet, Camobear Records

"Bang Ya Head" feat. Young Sin & Baja Minimos- June 2010
Fear of A Snak Planet, Camobear Records

"Done" feat. Young Sin & Juho- May 2010
Fear of A Snak Planet, Camobear Records

"Rap Biz" feat. Young Sin- Dec. 2008
Snak The Ripper, Camobear Records

"What's Street" Feb. 2008
Snak The Ripper, Camobear Records

Photos

Bio

Snak The Ripper raps with a voice as raw and honest as his material. In just three years, Snak has gone from rock-bottom anonymous, to internet superhero. Snak has garnered millions of YouTube views, solo tours across Canada and Europe as well as support slots with the likes of Yelawolf, Onyx, Tech N9ne, The Beatnuts, Raekwon, RA The Rugged Man, Ill Bill, Sean Price, Camp Lo and Swollen Members to name a few. He spent over six months at #1 on Myspace’s Canadian Hip Hop charts and has built a loyal following of over 18,000 Facebook fans and counting.

The Ripper is the newest member of the 100 MAD rap crew, founded by Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz of legendary New York rap group, Onyx. In addition he’s a flagship artist of street wear brand Ephin Apparel and the spokesperson for the Stompdown Killaz graffiti movement which has over 50,000 YouTube subscribers; recently featured in legendary street artist Banksy’s Oscar nominated documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” His live show has been described as a “shocking real life nightmare” (Exclaim) and “an unforgettable trip into darkness and debauchery.” (VICE) He’s already infamous in North America and Europe and he’s just getting started. Snak's group Brass Tackz (with Evil Ebenezer & Young Sin), were the only rap group invited on the Van's Warped Tour 2010, where they performed for crowds of up to 20,000 people each day. Brass Tackz debut EP was a Camobear Records top seller and one of HipHopCanada.com’s most downloaded albums of 2010. On Dec. 31st 2010 Snak released his free mixtape, Fear of a Snak Planet, which garnered over 50,000 downloads within a month of release. Snak’s relentless 2011 touring schedule is accelerating into 2012 with dates scheduled across Europe, Canada and the U.S.A.

Snak has begun crafting his third solo album, cleverly titled, White Dynamite, due for an early 2012 release. Determined to show his fans and the music industry he has earned his spot as an international underground rap phenomena; his sights are set on remaining authentic while conquering the mainstream. Flexing his unapologetic rugged vocals over polished production, White Dynamite finds Snak at his most dangerous. His voice is his weapon of choice and your ears are his target.