Slow Jam Sundays (SJS) made a memorable Hollywood Theatre debut on Saturday, March 29 as part of this year’s JUNOfest, bringing smooth vibes and community energy to the heart of Vancouver. This special edition doubled as a birthday celebration for Canadian hip-hop icon Maestro Fresh Wes, and featured major contributions from local DJ legends Jay Swing and Flipout.
Known for their deep roots in the Vancouver music scene and their work with a long list of artists, the duo helped elevate the event into a full-circle celebration of Canadian music history and modern-day culture.
We caught up with both Flipout and Jay Swing to talk about their perspectives on the JUNOs, their contributions to the new Young Kazh mixtape, and the evolution of hip-hop in Vancouver.
Flipout
Interview: DJ Flipout
HipHopCanada: Being one of Vancouver’s premier DJs what does it mean to have the JUNOs hosted in your city?
Flipout: The JUNOs is always a good time in Vancity. All the homies from out East come out and it’s great to have that energy in the city because the Toronto music vibe has been so influential to Vancouver since the 90s.
HipHopCanada: Since the beginning of your career in the 90s to now, what can you say has kept that spark and inspiration?
F: I always remind myself that I what attracted me to hip-hop and music in general was always discovering something new. Either a new group or artist or even a whole new genre through samples… to me, a DJ is a music historian, not just a person who plays music that is popular.
I love the technical side of DJing too and the evolution of technology has been incredible! It’s easy to keep that spark if your passion is real and it’s not just a “job” or some way to get clout [Laughing].
HipHopCanada: As one of the hosts on Young Kazh’s new mixtape, Neva Walk Away, which record resonates with you the most?
F: “Pain Push” is special. And also “Picture Me Rolling” is hard as fuck too. “Rain Falling” is another highlight. Kazh is gifted at expressing real emotion through his music.
HipHopCanada: What can we expect from the Flipout brand in 2025?
F: DJing!
Jay Swing
Interview: Jay Swing
HipHopCanada: With your participation in Hosting Young Kazh’s new mixtape, Neva Walk Away, what word can you say describes this project?
J Swing: Inevitable. This album was going to happen, it was just a matter of when. Kazh has been elite since I first met him, and soon after jumped on the “99 Problems” beat on one of my mixtapes with Checks and Concise, and shined. When he dropped “Real P.I,” we played that record every chance we got on The Beat in Vancouver.
That song is one of my favourite records from these parts ever. Up there with EQ, Rascalz, Swollen, Checkmate and Concise, SonReal, Worthy and a few others. Flip and I didn’t touch his actual album though. That was all Kazh, just how it should be. But we did do the Neva Walk Away promo mix! We chose our favourite records off the album and put a promo mix together. I hope we did the album justice – the FlipNJay promo mix is hard as hell!
HipHopCanada: If you have a favourite record which one is it and why?
JS: If you are talking a song with just Kazh then my personal fav is “Horses.” But my favourite record on the whole album? That is “Neva Walk Away” with Checkmate, produced by Kemo. That record is a smash.
Not many rappers can hang with Checks… Concise can, Red can, a few others can, but Kazh and Checks sound so tight together. And on a Kemo beat?! The four of them should be a group – Red1, Checkmate, Concise, and Young Kazh. Produced by Kemo and whoever else he feels should be down. That would be a dope project.
Young Kazh and Maestro Fresh Wes
HipHopCanada: We have seen you from the biggest live stages to commercial radio, what can you say about the growth & development of Hip-Hop In Vancouver since you began to now in 2025?
JS: Since I began? Oh man, when I began hip-hop in Vancouver was limited to underground spots like 52 Powell St, the Sound Wars at CiTR once a year, a couple radio shows, and parties like Honey Dips at a Skate spot. Nobody really let us in the clubs downtown until G-Man broke that door down because he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So, fast forward to today, and a lot of shit happened in between, but in 2025 every club plays rap. It’s everywhere and probably oversaturated. A lot of the same shit everywhere. But that isn’t the worst thing, because somewhere in there will be a gem. A night that is super poppin’ and happening for the right reason without a sparkler or a bottle service chick (that is on duty) in sight. It’s just like rap music these days — a lot of trash, but also a lot of great music if you know where to look for it.
HipHopCanada: Apart from being one of Vancouver’s premier DJs, what else can we expect from Jay Swing this year?
JS: You can expect more concerts coming to town, you can expect myself and Flip to play 45s every Wednesday at Bagheera, and you can expect FlipNJay Records to release more classics, more (Flipout) edits, and we even have a few more surprises up our sleeves. So, expect a bunch of dope shit!
