Homiez Productions

Halifax female rapper Asia knocked the socks off spectators at the Urban Vibes showcase this past winter at the 2003 East Coast Music Awards. Her single, ‘Independent’ was even nominated for an award at the event. HHC caught up with Asia to get the scoop on when to expect her follow-up album.

Asia Interview:

Troy: How long have you been rapping?
Asia: I been spittin rap since the age of 13 and singing since 6 years of age.

Troy: Have your roots always lived in Halifax? If so, then how important has Halifax been as an influence in your rap roots?
Asia: My roots have always been in North Preston and Lucasville N.S., my hometown. North Preston has been very influential in my rap roots because of the experiences I've witnessed, and been through personally. Also the closeness of the people in the communities in and around Halifax keeps me grounded spiritually.

Troy: In your eyes, what does Asia represent?
Asia: I represent an era of strong independent people trying to cope and maintain with what life has to offer and trying to make the best of it as my part of the plan.

Troy: How did you get hooked up with Homiez Productions?
Asia: I was approached by P-Nice of Homiez Productions back in 1999 at a concert which featured artists out of the T dot O dot - Diamond X, K.P & Al Sham, The God Bodies. I performed a song from way back I wrote and I guess P and HP wer digging my style because I am here today doin my thang.

Troy: How important has the Homiez crew been in helping you expand the horizons of your rapping career?
Asia: Without Homiez Productions and the crew I probably wouldn't have the opportunities that I have now. They gave me and other artists a chance to be heard on the release of their "Str8 Up North" compilation album, which highlights a lot of the great talented artists like R&B singer Shane C, underground hip-hop rappers Syco, KV, Gage, and beat boxer Kaleb Simmonds, Papa Grand to name a few. I give mad props to Homiez Productions (H.P.) and their staff... and most definitely the support from other artist that work with H.P.

Troy: Besides your appearances on the 'Str8 Up North' compilation, have you put out any other music?
Asia: Since hook'n up with H.P. I've been in the lab working on lots of new stuff, sharpening up on my skills for new releases that we are brewing up now.

Troy: Your song 'Independent' got you nominated for an East Coast Music Award. Were you surprised at the nomination?
Asia: I wouldn't say surprised, but I will say honored to have been nominated because we worked very hard on the track and it's a rewarding feeling just to be recognized.

Troy: You were also selected to be part of the illustrious Urban Vibes showcase at the East Coast Music Awards. Your performance was stunning to say the least, and rumour in the crowd was that several A&R's had expressed interest. Is this true? And is there anything in the works for you with a major label?
Asia: Thanks for the compliment and yes it was great to be apart of this particular stage. There has been some A & R reps looking at me, but at this point and time in my career I am trying to grow as an artist and create lots of material and come correct if you know what I mean.

Troy: Are you working on a full album right now? If so, when can we expect to see it released?
Asia: Yes we are right now. We are currently expecting the release of my album in the summer of 2004 but my single release should be dropping in early spring 2004.

Troy: Will it be entirely produced by P Nice of Homiez Productions?
Asia: P-Nice will be producing on it of course no doubt, but not entirely by himself. Homiez Productions will be working with other producers on the album, and there will be new music from me collabin with other artists, which is really cool.

Troy: What can we expect from it?
Asia: Expect this album to be a mixer of stuff from dance tracks, to conscious rap, some R&B featuring a lot of artists like Kaleb Simmonds, my group the SKO-SHUN TIEZ that consists of rappers Syco, KV, and new member Glock D who also collabs with R&B singer Shane C.

Troy: What have you got in the works right now, and what can we expect from you in the near future?
Asia: I have a lot of written and recorded material so basically we will be getting it out there to the public. There's talks of a video so we're just trying to represent down here in the Atlantic region, and wherever there's listeners to check us out

Troy: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Asia: Yes, of course, I just want to let fans and others potential listeners be aware that it's our time to raise the bar with hip-hop in Canada, especially our Nova Scotia local fans keep supporting your Canadian artists because we grow as you grow, now without further ado go and pickup the album "STR8 UP NORTH" at Music World retailers throughout the Atlantic region, or order a copy at homiezproduction@yahoo.ca and keep it on the real.

Troy: Thanks for the interview.
Asia: Thank you

For more information on Asia, check out www.homiezproduction.com or email homiezproduction@yahoo.ca .