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Wordburglar
08 January 2010 15:33:31
Whether you love or hate hip hop, you can’t deny how important it is to those who live for it. Respect is always due to those who continue to evolve and push the boundaries. One particular artist that has infused hip hop with his own distinct technique is Wordburglar. Hailing from Canada, SJ Volpe aka Wordburglar is a craftsman of lyrics and a wizard of words, best known across the globe for his unique, intelligent and outlandish rhymes. Alongside writing and releasing his own music, he’s also a member of the Backburner crew, a collaboration of Canadian MCs, producers, DJs & artists; including More Or Les, Beatmason, Fresh Kils, Toolshed, Ghettosocks, Jesse Dangerously, Uncle Fes, Thesis Sahib and more. They are currently working on an album together and Wordburglar is due to release a cd of b-sides, rarities and remixes titled Burgie’s Basement, the follow up to his 2006 LP, Burglaritis.
Pulse: When did you start writing lyrics and performing your songs? Wordburglar: In grade  six some friends and I snuck into a classroom at lunchtime and borrowed one of those old school all in one tape deck-recorders. I remember we brought it into another room that had a stereo in it and put on some old rap tapes (either Maestro Fresh Wes or one of the Rap Trax compilations) and recorded ourselves kicking some really bad raps. After that, it was over. I was hooked... Grade 8 was probably the first time I ever actually rapped in front of an audience. It was at a school coffee house night and I dropped some rhymes about going on a shitty school trip with a few of my friends. We called ourselves the Dregs of Society and it was fairly ridiculous. I’m pretty sure no one had any idea what I was doing [laughs].
Do you have influences from other styles of music or has it always been hip-hop for you?
My parents used to play a lot of Motown & the Beatles, and my cousin introduced me to Zeppelin, The Doors and other bands that I guess you should know but my main love was always rap. Any rap I could get my ears on, from Schooly D to the guy who rapped for C&C Music Factory – if there was rhyming on a beat I had to check for it. Now of course I check out anything, and I love all kinds of seventies music & old jazz, but Rap is and always will be my number 1.
Is there any method behind writing your tracks or is your head just filled with lyrics waiting to come out? Jerry Seinfeld once said that he was just a vehicle for jokes. He has no idea where they come from; they just use him as a vessel and pass through. Sometimes I feel that way about rhymes, stuff just pops into my head from who knows where and I have to immediately just spit them out. This of course is also a good excuse for any shitty rhymes I ever kick ‘cause, y’know, it’s not really my fault. You’ve enjoyed much success with your album Burglaritis, how long did it take you to write it and what was your experience like working on it?
All said and done it was probably an accumulation of about 2-3 years worth of work from start to finish, which seems like a long time but I went through a lot of personal shit in between the start and finish of that album and looking back I’m kind of amazed I got it out at all. It was an amazing experience though and I’m proud of it, and it never would have happened without my Backburner homies, so much love to them. The album has some wicked guest artists like Pigeon John and some guys from the Backburner crew; what was it like recording with them?Pigeon John is one of the realest, friendliest and most talented guys in the biz hands down. The fact that he isn’t a household name yet is testament to how fucked up the rap game is. Recording and writing with him and all the cats on the album was great, I love working with other artists and feeding off each other’s creativity and bouncing ideas back and forth.  For the track “8 Rappers and the Mason”, eight of us literally spent the night in Beatmason’s basement fleshing out ideas and rhymes and somehow we all managed to get on the same page – that track still blows my mind when I listen to it because when we settled on the concept we each pulled a number out of a hat and that was our place on the track and what we had to rap about.
Each MC on there takes it to a new level and comes with their own style and over that insane Beatmason beat it just came together so well…also, Fun Is #1 and Spit Fresh were great to work on. I love collaborations.
I read you have plans for another solo album, have you started working on it yet? Do you have any guest artists in mind?
Oh yeah, that thing [Laughs]…. Seriously, yes, there is a new solo album in the works and I’m very excited about it and there will be some awesome guests and producers and you should hopefully be hearing lots more about it in the not too distant future... Basically I’ve been tied up in an 12-way major label bidding war and once that clears up, 3rdburglar will arrive to blow your ears into your brain [laughs].
Can you tell us about the Backburner album you guys are working on?
It’s sounding pretty good at the moment. It’s got just about everybody in the crew and everyone is bringing their A-game. It’s something we’ve been talking about for years and I’m really psyched to see it finally coming together. Basically, if you love rap like we love rap there's a pretty decent chance you're gonna love this thing.
What music / artists are you getting into at the moment?
Lately, the More or Les & Fresh Kils EP, Raekwon’s Cuban Linx 2, Bike for Three, Buckshot & KRS One’s Survival Skills, Selfhelp’s Old Friends is really good, so is everything that Modulok has been putting out…Esoteric’s Saving Seamus Ryan is a dope concept album, Funkdoobiest, Ghostdini, Wale…all good stuff
Who do you want to collaborate with that you haven’t already?
Kurtis Blow, Kool Keith & Lord Finesse. And probably about a 1000 others...
Where do you see Wordburglar going in the next few years?
Hopefully Australia... hint hint
Your music is descri bed as unique with an emphasis on wordplay and humour. I think it is a pretty good description, how would you describe your music? Like having Kool Herc, Don Rickles, Happy Gilmore, Indiana Jones, Comic Book Guy & Al Waxman at a dinner party DJayed by Mr. T and catered by Bea Arthur’s ghost.
In your opinion, how could we make the world a better place?
We need to stop fighting each other and prepare for the aliens and/or draculas.
If you could turn yourself into a super hero (we all wish we could right?) what would your super powers be and what would your outfit look like? I’d have the ability to transform into an invisible animal that could sneak around and spy on other animals and or naked ladies and get lots of free food and not have to pay for amusement park rides. In human mode I would wear a vest made out of reflective glass like Zartan and in animal mode I’d wear a collar with my name on it and instructions on how to revert to human/visible form just in case I ever lost my memory and was stuck as an invisible animal.
There are countless lines in your songs that I think are just brilliant, do you have some favourite lines and do you still laugh when you hear your music?
Aww thanks, I’m glad you dig ‘em. My rhymes are like my children, I could never pick just one.
Are there plans for a world tour? Have you had enough interest for shows outside of Canada and America?
No set plans at the moment, but there's been some talk. Stay tuned. Burgie's Basement drops internationally on iTunes, January 19th. Wordburglar MYSPACE Casey van Reyk
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