St. Catharines recording artist Sayzee first captured my attention with his EP, Perfect Cell x The Cell Saga, back in 2016.
His Chef Byer-produced track “Super Kamehameha” was a go-to – I appreciated his flow, witty lyricism, and of course his Dragon Ball Z references.
Sayzee in the “Holy Smoke / Blind” video
For those that aren’t familiar with the series, the Kamehameha Wave is the first energy attack shown in the Dragon Ball series and the most popular finishing attack. This reference is kind of symbolic because his first DBZ-inspired EP could symbolize his first “attack” at the game.
Since then, Sayzee has dropped a steady flow of music and he recently dropped visuals for “Holy Smoke / Blind”, tracks from his latest body of work, Holy Smoke, which he released in collaboration with producer Kevin Rolly.
The RodZilla-directed video opens with Sayzee rapping “Holy Smoke” in a Catholic church, helping draw a visual connection to his verses wherein he drops a few biblical references – “Judas, I can’t really eat a meal wit you.”
The scene then shifts to a dark abandoned wooden structure as the track changes to “Blind” – moving from light and holy to dark and raw.
The last time we checked in with the rapper was earlier this year so we got in touch with him to discuss his latest video and Dragon Ball Z.
Q&A: Sayzee / Holy Smoke
HipHopCanada: I have to ask, what’s the story behind you and Dragon Ball Z? Would you say that your music is in any way influenced by it?
Sayzee: Not really influenced all the time, but I would say when I’m making these themed albums I watch a lot of Dragon Ball. (Laughs) I be watching for punchlines and ideas.
HipHopCanada: What’s “Holy Smoke / Blind” about?
Sayzee: “Holy Smoke” was just about telling rappers to repent and get flushed with that holy water. It was kind of a metaphor of being Rap God. “Blind” is just some hard-as-nails shit!
Sayzee in the “Holy Smoke / Blind” video
HipHopCanada: In the video, you transition from a Catholic church to a rawness of a barnyard-like structure. What was the inspiration behind that?
Sayzee: We kinda just came across the locations and RodZilla (director) brought it to life. It’s a cool transition from clean to dirty and the music goes well with the visuals.
HipHopCanada: Canada’s hip-hop scene is definitely on a wave right now and the market is extremely competitive. How do you set yourself apart from other rappers/hip-hop artists? What do you think makes your art and sounds unique?
Sayzee: I feel like I just do left-field shit and get lucky, and do shit before other people think about it so it adds fuel to the fire… my fans thinking everybody steals my ideas. It’s funny to watch unfold.
You can find Sayzee and Kevin Rolly’s Holy Smoke EP on Spotify and other digital streaming outlets.
You can follow @Sayzee_NewAge on Instagram.
