Urban Vault Caught up with Netherlands-based emcee McGyver to ask him some questions about his latest release ’89, produced by the icon Pete Rock & more…

International Hip Hop history is written as the all-time icon Pete Rock teams up with the rapper McGyver (Netherlands/Canada) for a never been done bilingual track & video called ‘89. Referring to McGyver’s birthday and year (22nd April 1989), the song shows his lyrical craftsmanship in two mother tongues over a timeless signature Pete Rock production.

What’s your name?

McGyver, but non-industry people call me Kymer.

Where are you from?

Born Canadian, raised in Gilze (The Netherlands)

What is the Hip Hop scene like in the Netherlands these days?

It is relatively small; you get familiar with most of the hardcore in no time. New names popping up every week, but that’s the usual drill.

The amount of creativity & level of professionalism is consistently increased every year so it is a fairly productive scene.

How long have you been making music?

Since my early teens, 2001/2002.

Give us some details on ’89, your recent trackproduced by the legendary Pete Rock.

It is a bilingual never been done collab with the top5 dead or alive producer and definitely for me a dream come true. The production gave me the feeling of an athletic champion walking on stage, being born ready for overcoming hurdles and sacrifice. I translated that feeling into bar-heavy lyrics that are referencing classics like Mecca & The Soul Brother, The World is Yours and A Tribe Called Quest, but also linking to my birth year 1989. A good year for classic Hip Hop.

You teamed up with NoisyPanda World for a limited batch of NFTs, introducing the music industry to the world’s first virtual Hip Hop 12inch single. What’s the idea behind that and how does that NFT thing work?

The idea was to take the feeling of collecting rare vinyl gems into the realm of NFTs as it is not yet a very established field of the music industry, it was a new challenge for us to create a parallel project from, aside from the ‘usual’ single release.

The track shows your lyrical craftsmanship in two mother tongues, English and Dutch. Is that your signature style and how did you come up with the idea of rapping in a combination of two different languages?

I wanted to do more with my background being a Canadian-born and Netherlands-raised bilingual artist. It felt like I had not really explored all my lyrical abilities until 2017. So after that, I decided to use both at the same time, having them interconnect in a semantic & sonic way. In my opinion, if you understand both languages, you’ll appreciate the fact that there’s a third layer to it all.

You announced an album release with the upcoming ‘Camillionizm’ LP. What can listeners expect from that project?

A time capsule of true school, boom-bap, and hardcore Hip Hop from 1988-2022. Drum and bass infused drum break beats, to classic 1993 style KDEF production. From Chinese rap to Fredro Starr taking you back to ONYX vibes. Everything is there! A great listen from 0:00 to finish.

What and who inspires you when making music?

Anything, everything. I just need energy and time to zone out. I am involved in multiple genres like dubstep & hardbass besides hip hop. So I try to keep my eyes and ears open and wide for any influence that really inspires me to get into an honest zone. Not riding a wave. That never inspired me to create and never will.

Your favorite track at the moment?

3 back to back…

Glimlip, Yasper a.o. – Green Heart (non-rap)

Bassnectar & Peekaboo – Illusion (dubstep)

RJ Payne, Conway & Benny – Dirty Harry

What do you do when you don´t make music?

Raise my son, train strength 5 days per week, and just work!

Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter?

Instagram is the most effective and fun

In a few words sum up your thoughts about Urban Vault UK and what we’re trying to do?

You’re ensuring the underground with a global platform regardless of the country where the artist is based. Globalization/multi-nationalization in Hip Hop is still our biggest step in the future. Keep it up!

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music…

McGyver – ’89 via iTunes/Spotify

https://en.mc-gyver.com
www.facebook.com/thisismcgyver
https://twitter.com/kymermcgyver1
https://instagram.com/kymermcgyver