Sayzee has always moved on his own timing. Whether it was his long-running YFRWN (Your Favourite Rapper’s Worst Nightmare) series or the steady run of independent releases over the years, the St. Catharines-raised artist has built his catalogue by staying consistent and keeping things in motion.
Right now, that’s showing up through I Hate Mondays, a weekly series where he’s been dropping a new record every Monday. No big rollout attached to it, just new music landing at the start of the week. Each release has its own tone, but the pace never really lets up. With I Hate Mondays, Sayzee is running a format that rewards discipline over perfection and removes the space for any second-guessing.
Seven weeks in, the series has already covered a wide range of ground. There’s the raw urgency of early entries like “Ringworm,” the more direct and uncomfortable subject matter on “Alex Was Right,” and the way different producers continue to shape the sound, including Sayzee himself.
I Hate Mondays (Weeks 1 to 6)
The most recent stretch, “Personal Space” and “Insomnia,” highlights that range clearly. Week 6’s “Personal Space,” produced by Sibbs Roc, leans into a colder, more controlled energy, while Week 7’s “Insomnia,” produced by Simon Hampton, moves in a more restless, late-night direction without losing focus.
We’ve spoken with Sayzee several times over the years, so it’s been interesting watching his career evolve, and his skills sharpen. With I Hate Mondays, he feels locked in. The releases are consistent, but nothing about them feels repetitive. As a listener, it’s been fun not knowing exactly what each week is going to bring, just knowing something new is coming.
In this conversation, Sayzee breaks down the thinking behind the series, how the weekly format is shaping his creativity, and what comes next as the run moves toward a full-length project. He also reflects on “Alex Was Right,” the balance between expression and commentary, and how his perspective on independence has shifted over time.
Check out our full Q&A with Sayzee, below.
Sayzee Interview
HipHopCanada: You’ve been dropping a new record every Monday with the I Hate Mondays series. What pushed you to structure it that way instead of doing a traditional rollout?
Sayzee: Honestly, Mondays already suck, so I figured I might as well give people something new to listen to while they’re pretending to work. The weekly format keeps me sharp and removes all the overthinking that usually comes with a “big rollout.” Instead of waiting months to drop music, I just make it and release it.
HipHopCanada: We’re a few weeks into the series now. Has anything about the process surprised you so far, whether creatively or just in terms of how people are responding to it?
S: What surprised me most is how quickly people started tuning in every week, like it’s an episode of a show. Creatively it’s been fun too, because there’s no time to sit around second-guessing a record. You make it, you live with it, and Monday comes whether you’re ready or not.
HipHopCanada: One thing that stands out is how hands-on you are with these records. You’re producing a lot of them yourself and controlling the pace of the releases. Is that independence something that became more important to you over time?
S: Yeah, independence became a lot more important over time. When you produce your own records and control the schedule, nobody can really slow you down or tell you to wait for the “right moment.” If I want something out Monday, it’s out Monday.
HipHopCanada: Each drop has had its own tone. Some feel raw and aggressive, others lean more melodic. Are you thinking about the series as one big project that’s unfolding week by week, or are you treating each song like its own moment?
S: It’s kind of both. Each song stands on its own, but if you follow the whole series week by week you start hearing the bigger picture. Different moods, different sounds, but it all lives in the same world.
Photo: Supplied
HipHopCanada: “Alex Was Right” definitely sparked some conversation. It’s a track that touches on bigger issues and some uncomfortable realities. When you wrote that one, were you thinking about the reaction it might get, or were you just saying what felt honest in the moment?
S: When I wrote that one I wasn’t really thinking about reactions. It was more about saying something that felt real in the moment. If a record starts conversations, that’s cool, but the honesty comes first.
HipHopCanada: That record raises an interesting question about artists using their platform to address things happening in the world. Do you see that as something you want to explore more going forward, or do you prefer letting the music speak when it naturally goes there?
S: I don’t force that kind of thing. If something happening in the world naturally shows up in the music, I’ll talk about it. But I’m not trying to turn every song into a speech either.
HipHopCanada: You’ve been doing this long enough to see how the industry shifts. When you look at the landscape now, especially for independent artists, what feels different compared to when you first started?
S: The biggest difference now is how direct everything is. Back when I started, there were a lot more gatekeepers between the artist and the listener. Now you can just create something and put it out immediately if you want.
HipHopCanada: The series has also been pulling in different collaborators along the way. When you’re choosing who to work with, what are you looking for at this stage of your career?
S: At this stage it’s mostly about energy and authenticity. I’m not really chasing names, I’m looking for people who bring something real to the record. If the chemistry’s there, it works.
HipHopCanada: A lot of artists talk about momentum, but releasing music every single week is a different level of discipline. What keeps you locked in creatively when the schedule moves that fast?
S: The schedule actually helps. When you know a new song has to exist by Monday, you stop waiting for inspiration and just start creating. Discipline becomes part of the creative process.
Photo: Supplied
HipHopCanada: At the end of the run, I Hate Mondays is expected to become an album as well. How do you see that final project coming together once the weekly drops are complete?
S: When it’s all done, the album will feel like the full season of the series. People who followed every Monday already know the story, but hearing it all together will give it a different weight. I’m also gonna add a bunch of new / unheard music before it drops.
HipHopCanada: When you zoom out a bit and look at everything you’ve built so far, what do you think people misunderstand the most about your approach to music?
S: I think people sometimes assume everything is random or chaotic because of how often I release music. In reality there’s a lot of intention behind it. I just prefer working fast instead of dragging things out.
HipHopCanada: Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, what are you focused on beyond this series? Is the goal to keep expanding the sound, or are there other projects you’ve been waiting for the right moment to release?
S: For the rest of 2026, the focus is still creating and expanding the sound. There are definitely other projects in the vault that I’ve been sitting on, me and fludust (aka Flu), a producer from Australia, have a album dropping called BLOOD ON THE MOON, you’ll probably start seeing some of those come out too.
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Interview conducted by Jesse Plunkett for HipHopCanada
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