Comme le public, les critiques, plus qu'enthousiastes, saluent le talent du rappeur et l'originalité de l'œuvre. À Québec, sa ville, comme à Montréal, Koriass retient l'attention.
Q. Can you remember the first time that you picked up a mic?
A. The first time I picked up a mic...it was about 6 months after I started rapping, I was 14-15 years old. I was awful. We organized a gig ourselves in the suburban area where I lived then. I rapped generic monosyllabic verses about the government on a Beatnuts instrumental. Can't get more cliché than that.
Q. How hard was if for you to make the transition from battle rapper to emcee?
A. I never made a transition, I always did both. I actually started as an mc, I always had a stronger interest in doing songs and touching people on a human level. I started battle rapping for fun on the internet, and I really got into it quickly.
I did a couple of freestyle battles at local events where I lived back then, but my main thing is pre-written battles. I'm not a very good freestyler. Battle rap is amazing. I love the challenge that it brings, the original angles you have to find to insult someone, the complexity of the structure of a battle verse...but my true love is songwriting and communicating something meaningful to people.
Q. Who were some of the artists that you looked up to growing up?
A. Lyrically, Slug of Atmosphere is one of my main influences. He's really the mc who inspired me to be myself in what I do and to be proud of where I'm from, despite what people think or say.
I'd say Eminem is also a major influence, on many levels. Nas, Jay-Z, Slum Village, Copywrite, Krs One, Pun, John Lennon, Jedi Mind Tricks, Supertramp, Sans Pression, IAM, Rocca, Muzion, I could go on for hours.
Q. What are your feelings on the state of hip hop in Quebec?
A. It's adolescent, immature, lacks humor and structure, but it's well-intentioned and promising.
Q. Do you feel like the media is doing enough to support local artists?
A. No. I don't really care though. I let my label handle the business politics, and I think they are giving me the best exposure I can get with the type of music that I do. I'm a french-Canadian rapper, not a pop A-lister.
I know the limits of what I can sell and the fanbase I can have. I'm doing pretty good and I am satisfied with my situation. Like anybody else I would like to sell 10 million records and make lots of cash. Even if my shit plays 24/7 on the radio or TV it ain't going to happen. At the end of the day, with the InTeRwEbZ you can now easily promote yourself if you do it efficiently.
Q. What has changed for you since you've joined "7ième Ciel"?
A. Everything! All I have to do is create, and they do the rest. I have the best deal. Best hiphop independant label in Québec. I love my team and they are doing an excellent job. You won't ever see me with nobody else.
Q. Are you surprised at the response that your video "ENFANT DE L'ASPHALTE" has received?
A. Actually I am very surprised. When I started sharing the video on Facebook, it was crazy. On the same day in my news feed, I could read that 200 people shared the video. A week later, 5000 people. A month later, 13 000 people shared the video.
Now the video has 125 000 views on youtube in 2 months, and I'm very proud of the response. It's not a popularity contest, I am genuinely happy that people are touched by the song. I receive messages of people telling me that they relate to what I'm saying. That's exactly why I do what I do.
Q. What's next for, what is the next step in your career?
A. This is going to sound cliché as fuck, but I would like to act. I always was into acting in school. I dropped out in my last high school year like the retarded idiot I was (am), but I wanted to study theater in Cegep. I'd like to go back to that old love of mine. STAY IN SCHOOL YOU STUPID FOOLS.
Q. Morburn would like to thank Koriass for chatting with us for a bit. Koriass; do you have any final words for the massive?
A. OmG lolll bUy mY rEcOrD !!11!!! I LoVe yOuS xXxXxXxXxxXxxXx
