Our boy Nizam caught up with Roach Killa who are both from T Dot O. Reppin' Canada to the fullest lets find out what he's all about.

Nizam: First off, for those who don't know who you are, just tell us a little bit about who Roach Killa is, and how you came up in the music scene?

Roach Killa: "Roach Killa" is not a new name on the scene. I have been in the game since the age of, pushing my music to a level where the world can appreciate what I have to offer. I started off by memorizing songs from such artists like Michael Jackson, Supercat and Apache Indian, and performing them at public places to get exposure until one day, one of my friends was like, "why don't you write your own stuff?" From that moment, my life changed. I locked myself in my room for the next little while and came up with 3 tracks. After that, I was in search for someone to produce the songs, and by chance, I came across Earl Fernandez who was a major name on the scene. We got together and after realizing the talent we both had, we decided to pursue the project. From there we never looked back.

Nizam: Coming from Toronto, which is such a hard place to make it because of lack of market and distribution, did you endure many struggles and hardships to come up in this industry? Roach Killa: Growing up in Toronto was a great experience for me. Learning about the music business and the struggles that came with it, made it very hard. At the same time, it gave me that extra drive to achieve what I wanted. Sure there weren't any urban radio stations catering to just hip-hop / reggae music constantly, but we did what we had to do to get out there. We put in all the leg work ourselves, going to clubs, parties, promoting, marketing, distributing - everything was done independently. Nizam: You're track "Talkin" is absolutely heavy, and was signed to 2point9, how did you end up linking up with him and his camp?	Roach Killa
Roach Killa: Thank you for the compliment, it is always great when people appreciate your work. I guess how I hooked up with them was through hard work and desire. I was in England promoting my music and came across 2point9 records and their roster. The way I work is that, I love to work with only the best, and at that time, they appeared to be the group on top of the game. So, I contacted their management, composed the track "Talkin", and sent it to them. They actually heard the song before I sent it to them on the BBC Asian Network and had already inquired about it. There was a lot of positive feedback so we took it from there, signed a deal for that track, and it has been blazing the airwaves since. "Talkin" is currently on the new Emi/Virgin Reggae compilation: "Dancehall Selecta", alongside platinum recording artists such as Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Elephant Man. It is also on the new Bobby Friction and Nihal presents album and 2point9 Mixtape by the "Mentor Kolektiv."

Nizam: Can we expect any future releases, of your material through 2point9?

Roach Killa: Currently, I am working with BMG/Sony releasing the track "Bomp" on their new Christmas hip-hop compilation and a single with a video to follow up shortly, so I am just very tied up. Maybe in the near future you might see a collaboration of some type.

Nizam: You are about to go on a European Tour can you tell us a little bit about that?

Roach Killa: I just came back from a European tour and let me tell you what an experience that was. I flew from Toronto to London, UK. I was there for 4 days doing interviews, meeting labels, industry personal, etc and then I flew to Milan, Italy, to do 3 shows for BMG/Sony. The crowd turn out was incredible as I left them with only one thought on their mind: "Roach Killa". BMG/Sony was really impressed with the performance so we went in the studio and laid down the track called "Bomp", which I mentioned earlier, is on the new BMG/Sony Christmas Hip Hop Compilation. We inked a deal and now there ain't anything stopping me.

Roach Killa

Nizam: Is there anyone in the mainstream that you would love to collaborate with? Roach Killa: I respect all artists that have excelled in their art, but at this time I am just concentrating on myself and establishing myself as a respectable artist. I am just working with the people that are part of my camp at East2West Group, but in the future, ya, you will definitely see some crazy collaborations (I promise lol). Nizam: Which MC's do you rate highly in the Asian music industry, and what's your overall opinion on having Mc'ing in genres of music such as Bhangra? Roach Killa: I used to be heavy in the Asian scene when I was 14. From there, I stepped up the game to another level - to the point where we are ready to take the mainstream by storm. Those I rate in the Asian scene are probably the same people that

everyone rates, because their name is the most common amongst the community. The movement began with people like Bally Sagoo & Apache Indian, but currently Rishi Rich projects is probably the most talked about group, so I would have to say, Rishi keep doing your thing.

Nizam: You're style and flow is quite unique, you seem to have a diverse skill of blending hip-hop and dancehall into your music, how did you develop this unique style?

Roach Killa: I love reggae music. I was born and raised in Africa until the age of 10 and then migrated to Toronto, Canada. Trying to learn English was a hard process for a newcomer and the area that I lived in was heavily populated by the Jamaican community. So being African and all, and growing up around them, I easily blended into the scene - learning patois and perfecting the reggae sound. From there, I took it one step further and got into the hip-hop scene. Living on the streets for most of my teenage years also allowed me to encounter it first hand. Having been given the talent by God and having the desire that I have, allowed me to formulate 2 styles into one, and that's how "Roach Killa" was born. Reggae Hip Hop is what I bring to the industry, which is very original and unique, giving me an edge over your everyday rapper or reggae DJ.

Nizam: As a fairly new artist in the music industry, what do you find as some of the biggest challenges as an Asian artist?

Roach Killa: Challenges are applicable to all genders and races. If everything were easy then we wouldn't respect the value of it. Being Asian, I don't really feel is an obstacle, but a person might have to work harder to impress the industry, crossing over to another genre other than yours. The same thing as a black artist trying to sing Punjabi and do Bhangra music. They wouldn't have that much credibility until they prove themselves and if they really wanted it bad enough, they would give it their all. The same goes for me; I am giving it 1000% because of how badly I want it.

Nizam: What advice can you give to any up and coming musician? Roach Killa: My advice to every artist out there is to, first of all, ask yourself who you are. How far are you willin' to take this? How badly do you want it? Then follow all the steps needed to get to the level you want to be at. Just like every thing in life, time and hard work pays off. There is no such thing as an overnight celebrity. Sure, you might wake up one day and the artist is all over the news and media, but to get to that level, they must have put in at least 10 years or more, before that. Nizam: What's next for Roach Killa and when can we expect an album release? Roach Killa: The next step for Roach is to release the single, "Bomp" which will be out early next year with a video, so watch out for it. Also, I'll just keep pushing

Roach Killa

my music to provide people the new sound of this era. Roach Killa: Check out the website www.east2westgroup.com for more info on upcoming Roach Killa projects.

Nizam: Is there anything you would like to tell all the desitunes4u readers out there?

Roach Killa: To all the desitune4u readers, I appreciate the time you have taken to find out more about roach killa and his camp east2west group I hope you like what you hear coming from our side of the world. Also, look out for my boy "Skelitor." He is featured on my song "overdose", produced by Trailblazers, which is currently on the play list of BBC Radio One on the Bobby Friction and Nihal show, and on the BBC Asian network. Peace and love, may Allah bless us all.

I would like to thank Roach Killa for taking his time out to talk to us, look out for his track "Talkin" which is currently on the compilation " Dancehall Selecta" under Virgin/EMI records, and is available at all your mainstream music shops, be sure to go and cop it! Also make sure you check out his site at www.roachkilla.com now!