CATSKILL (July 2008) | Interview By: Jonathan Hay

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Interview was done in July 2008

Questions Asked By: Jonathan Hay
 

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Related Media:
Catskill - News (The Dubcnn Song)
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West Coast Bound: The Journey Begins…
Unsigned Hype: The Exclusive Catskill Interview
By Jonathan Hay
www.myspace.com/jonathanhay
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Dubcnn: What separates Catskill from everybody else is in hip-hop?

I am the ghost in the machine; I turn any beat into a magic carpet ride. I am consistent. My worst joint is better than a lot of rappers best joints. I’m bringing change to hip-hop like Barack is to politics. It’s time for change and I approve this message.


Dubcnn: Why did you choose the name Catskill?

Well, my real name is Ryan Funk. As a kid my friends called me ‘Ryan the lion’, it stuck and as a teenager I was battling some dude and I said like, ‘I'm the lion…don’t ya know cats kill?' That was the nature of the beast right there, so I just took it. You know, cat’s kill, cat skill, cat’s ill. Plus, that’s where Mike Tyson was from. It made sense.


Dubcnn: What is your frame of mind right now?

My mind is enjoying this moment at this time. I believe you have to be in the moment. A wise rat once said, ‘yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, enjoy this moment for it is a gift…that’s why it’s the present!’

I'm focused on giving the world some style they have never heard of before. I'm hungry right now; I'm also at peace because I know you can’t go against destiny.


Dubcnn: You are in Winnipeg right now…

Yeah, I am, but I’ve been talking to some different people, got some things in the works and I’ve decided to relocate to Los Angeles.


Dubcnn: Tell us about the Canadian hip-hop scene?

It’s very closed in to me; there are about three or four rappers from Canada that I like, other than that, it’s a barren wasteland of wack rappers. So, I'm here to put a dent in the Canadian hip-hop scene. (Laughing) Me and Mr. Kardinal Offishall are gonna make a lot of noise. I’m glad I’m headed out West…


Dubcnn: What is the craziest thing you would do to get a record deal? Like, how far would you go to be signed…? How bad do you want it, homie?

I would put an amputee in a figure-four leg-lock and tell him or her to call me ‘uncle Catskill, then I’d give the amputee a new leg from the signing bonus -- you see, I’m really a very giving person. I would go as far as listening to a Soulja Boy album -- and I mean for like multiple minutes, I mean like seven or eight minutes! I'm siding with Ice-T. (Laughing)

Dubcnn: How do you think you will adjust to success?

You know I have been without money for so long that this is going to be how it’s supposed to happen. I’m not worried. I made my reality, now it’s time to lay in my king-size bed with models letting me do coke off their titties. I mean, I am very humble to be in this situation.


Dubcnn: The more well known you become, the more people will compare you with Eminem. How will you handle this and what would you say to someone making this comparison?

Well, I can understand people saying that I am kinda like Em ‘cause of the whole think-outside-the-box strategy -- and my life is like the Jerry Springer show as well -- but [Eminem] is a legend and I take it as an honor. So, if they say I sound like Slim Shady or I remind them of him -- I want to make millions scream my name, I want millions of fans to know my hardships so they realize anything is possible, I want to make you laugh, I want to make you cry.


Dubcnn: Tell us about the song you recorded with Bizarre of D12?

Well, that joint I did has a real ‘West Coast’ feel to it, so to be interviewed on DubCnn – that’s real! Yeah, I wanted to make a joint that would make you feel what I'm about; I wanted to get Bizarre on that joint because I needed that ‘Bizarre sound’! I got my man Paul Katsnelson to mix and master it. It has a style that is almost unheard of – swag -- with real uniqueness all over that beat. ‘Fe fi fo fum, Cat’s kill fo fun'; I wanted to sound like a giant on the chorus. It turned out to be epic!


Dubcnn: What is your relationship with Clinton Sparks?

I have just been talking to him for a couple months and, you know, just choppin’ it up, seeing how we could possibly do some James Bond type shit. I’ll let ya know when Catskill does the Akon/Kardinal joint. He is a real dude, I have all the respect in the world to all the DJ's that spin my shit...Clinton Sparks is the first DJ -- like a ‘big’ DJ -- to request my music. He liked ''Sugar Town'' and ''Die'', so we should put out something in the near future.


Dubcnn: Do you already have a name in mind for your major release debut album?

Yes I do -- Heir To The Throne. I named it that because I plan on taking that spot.


Dubcnn: So what can we expect from the Heir to the Throne album?

You can expect a classic. Quality music, unique flows, unique production, unheard of storytelling ability. Expect to learn all of Catskills lyrics ‘cause you will be addicted -- I want to stir your soul a bit. You’ll hear ‘‘Die’’; I wrote that in forty-five minutes; it’s a Stephen King-like story involving my daughter’s mother. I was going though some emotions when I wrote that. You can expect to be shot with adrenaline when you peep “Kill 'Em”. Expect to hear a new kind of style, expect metaphors like ‘a dime in the right light is a minus six/ therefore I met a four, makeup does tricks/ so do dogs, fifty percent of them are bitch.’

Dubcnn: On your song “Sugar Town”, you seem to be talking about a handicapped woman. Many people will find that offensive. What is your take on that?

What? How dare you! (Laughing) What’s offensive about me going to the store for milk and sugar then seeing a mentally retarded girl on the corner who needs some attention [and] I fall in love with her and end up doing the sensible thing by training her for the Olympics. I guess there will always be haters. Millie’s mine! I just smoked a lot that night [and] when I heard the beat I went in for something taboo -- I'm a write it because I can do that, If people think I am a bad person look at yourself in the mirror…have you ever loved a handicapped girl? I thought so. (Laughing) Sometimes I get retarded with the pen.


Dubcnn: What would you say to the people who complain that hip-hop is too violent or sexist content is damaging to children?

I would tell them to listen to my song “Daddy Loves You” on repeat. Then I would say, ‘Don’t let the babies play with poison, I could be hazardous for you health!’


Dubcnn: What about the songs that are perceived as misogynous?

I love woman -- I just hate bitches. I’m a cat, I’m not supposed to be around dogs.
Listen to my music -- that makes you respect me. Skip what touches your judgment bone!


Dubcnn: Your producer, Paul Katsnelson, is brilliant, to say the least. How did that connection come about?

I was working with a lot of low caliber production from two [specific] producers...I won’t mention names. I had to get my files from them and make them hotter. I met Paul Katsnelson and he told me he could convert them to Pro Tools…he did. I wanted to see how he would record my type of music. Before he worked with me, he just did like dance music or techno-country, not hip hop. He mixed a song I did “Good To Go” and since then I knew he was unique. He redid all my beats and remixed everything; we have been making hot joints for like a year now.


I want to go beneath the surface and into your conscious mind… let’s do deep, so people can get a deeper understanding of your persona.


Dubcnn: You are a ninth grade drop-out but you have highly complex, witty and intelligent lyrics. You are obviously very smart. So where did your knowledge come from?

I spent a lot of my childhood by myself, I was never intrigued by school, nothing grabbed my attention, I wasn’t interested. I followed my instincts to find a calling [and] I know how to feel the human emotion and put it into words. I like to know the facts, not the bull shit they feed you…I studied life.


Dubcnn: What about drugs…do you use, or have you ever struggled with addiction?

I smoke my weed. It gives me a timeout. I dabbled in other drugs. I am kind of weak when it comes to addiction…but I am human. I like the snow in California, wink, wink.


Dubcnn: Do you ever feel like the walls are closing in?

I have felt that way. My daughter was taken from me and lives with her mom. I have been spending all my cash on recording and promo and you get sucked into a world of not knowing. But now I accept the not knowing, it makes everything worth living.


Dubcnn: Have you ever battled with thoughts of suicide?

Sure, when I spent two thousand dollars to fly to New Jersey for an industry showcase. It was presented by DJ Envy; I performed ''Kill 'Em''. I gave such a dope performance and I didn’t get chosen -- I thought it was fixed, for real. I believe in my skill so much that if you disagree [that] I'm different I know your lying. So I was in my hotel room kinda at the end of my rope. You see, I had been trying to get attention for a year and I was drinking heavy and just kinda out of it, but then I flew back home and got even more hungry, picked myself up from wasting to grand.


Dubcnn: Would you consider yourself a manic-depressive?

No, I'm a person that knows how life works -- I make my reality, my reality doesn’t make me.


Dubcnn: Are you religious?

You could say I believe in God and I believe in Him a hundred.


Dubcnn: Is there a song you have written or recorded that was particularly hard to do because of the memories or emotions it touches on?

Yeah, I wrote “Daddy Loves You” for my girl’s second birthday; her mom and I split and I was seeing less of her. It was tearing me up but I wanted her to know that nothing will keep us apart. I really had tears flowing from that song…but it was also the easiest joint I ever spit.


Dubcnn: Anything else Dubcnn and the world should know about Catskill?

Yes, there is: get ready to be surprised! I am just getting warmed up! See ya out West!
Hit me up on MySpace at, http://www.myspace.com/catskillmc