Sup juggalos and juggalettes and cannibals alike. It’s your cult leader, Lord, and master BeZerk here to cast my judgements upon your mind. This time juggalos, I got some shit that I know ya’ll will like, because, let’s face it. I am your Lord and master, and I do see everything (quit touching yourself).

Bursting out of San Jose (where weed is FUCKIN LEGAL UP TO A HALF AN OUNCE, AND YOU CAN BUY IT FROM DISPENSARIES!!! Just making sure you all knew. Sounds like a good idea if you got the money), Savzilla has been bumping and kicking San Joseans in their face with a whole shit ton of flavor. Not only putting out dope music himself, but working with all sorts of local shit.

So juggalos and juggalettes, I got all sorts of other shit to do. I got like 50 other fuckin interviews in the process. Everybody keeps hitting me up. Must be starting some kind of buzz. I’ll find some way to put em out more efficiently, but as of right now, just keep enjoying and bumping this shit. Share the links on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. You know how the depression shit works. Without further ado juggalos, here’s Savzilla. . .

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGzRqClMhIQ[/youtube]

Interview for: Savzilla
Real Name: The BEAST
From: San Jose, California
Rolls With: Rare Breed Laboratories

 

Faygoluvers: Savzilla is a quite unique name. How did you come up with it?

Savzilla: When I was first startin’ to do music, I was in a thrash metal band called STUK, and my nickname at the time was “Big Lurch,” but when the band split up, we all dropped our respective nicknames, and I started to focus fully on rap. I hooked up with a label called D.U.G.O.U.T. Records, and my boy Playa Rae (Now owner & webmaster of 408INC.com) gave me the handle “Sav-E” aka Savage E, because of my gritty rock influenced style of rap. That eventually evolved into Savzilla, because I got tired of hearing “Oh my boy goes by Savage this and Savage that.” So, I figured Savzilla pretty much boldly stated that I was the biggest and the baddest, physically and lyrically. I still stand by that to this day.

Faygoluvers: Who do you consider as an influence?

Savzilla: All the Underground artists who started this wicked shit, and the ones who continue to do it. They’re really are too many to name. I’m a 6’3″, 300lb, half white/half mexican dude that can spit raps, and I come from a place that is open minded, but is still questioning of white rappers in general. So to go against the grain is putting it lightly. All these underground icons who have influenced me came from very similar situations so that gives me the motivation and strength to do this everyday.

Faygoluvers: What’s your favorite Faygo flavor?

Savzilla: Moon Mist all day.

Faygoluvers: Your first album officially came out in 2007, but you had been doing shit for years earlier. How long have you been doing music, and what was it like when you first started compared to now?

Savzilla: I started freestyle rapping and battle rapping when I was around 15-16 years old, did that thru high school then hooked up with a thrash metal band for a while. After the band experience, up until my first album release, I did a lot of growing, getting my doubles down, learning different styles, spending a ton of time in homemade studios to try and perfect my craft. Back then a rap career seemed like a dream that was always going to be out of reach, because of a lack of appreciation for my certain darker style. That wasn’t really something people did in the Bay Area. It was usually gangster, hyphy, backpack or just bling music that talked about jewelery, cars and clothes. I knew early on that I didn’t fit that mold and it wasn’t my style so I had to just go off on my own and stay true to myself. After my first album was released something happened, I think it was the fact that I got a good amount of hometown support and when people dug the sound it was something I didn’t expect. One of those very pleasant surprises that helped me build a lot of confidence which started coming across in my music, both in the studio and on stage. Over these past 10 years, I have definitely found who I am artistically, and I know exactly where my lane is. Now it’s like there is a Beast inside of me that knows when to turn up the heat and unleash the madness in a semi controlled manner. The Beast was there all along. I just didn’t know how to control it or tap into it when it was necessary. Now it’s a whole different ball game, and my dream doesn’t seem unattainable anymore, it is lived out every day I work on this project and will continue to grow bigger after the release.

Faygoluvers: You have worked with juggalo fan favorite Kung Fu Vampire, and you have helped out so many local area artists around the Bay Area. Who have you worked with?

Savzilla: From my hometown turf I have worked with KS1 (Best producer in San Jose), Detour(My East Coast beat wizard), Xpensive(Ill Producer) Robert Daluz (dope singer), Lainey Leone (Vocalist on my first video “Siren”) Bubba Thug, Massive, Mars, The Fuss…these are just the cats on my album, as far as shows and songs there are literally way too many to put down on here. A lot of unknown names that are talented as fuck and I hope to be able to eventually expose them to the world throughout my upcoming projects.

I also had the privilege to tour or do shows with Twiztid, Potluck (1 Ton and cousin UnderRated), Mars, Esham, Mastamind, JRZ, Bizarre, King Gordy, Liquid Assassin, ABK, Critical Bill, Daniel Jordan along with countless opening acts in every city we touched that were dope and killed the crowd so we could hit the stage to an already pumped venue.

Faygoluvers: Who would you like to work with in the future?

Savzilla: This is a seriously hard question to answer mainly because I don’t see boundaries in music…and I’m a little nutty. Off top, anybody on Strange Music (Prozak especially) whether he’s on Strange or not, Twiztid, ICP, Blaze, Potluck, La Coka Nostra, HED PE, Cypress Hill, Slaughterhouse (in no particular order), Trick Trick, D12, Hopsin, King Gordy, Jonathan Davis, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and anyone that wants to work with me. I feel it’s a huge compliment when they ask me to feature on their track because I know for me at least, my music is very important to me, and I only ask for features I’m feeling and that would add to the song…not just simply to say I had them on the record.

Faygoluvers: What do you think makes you unique from other artists or groups?

Savzilla: My Persona…or lack thereof. I see a lot of people step into a persona or act when they do music. I don’t feel that I do that. You will see the same Sav, whether I am grocery shopping or playing a huge show. Yeah I amp it up and tap into that adrenaline and Beast to feed the crowd and keep it electrifying, but I don’t change my personality to protect myself or please others. I constantly fuck around and tell jokes, but will quickly put hands on someone who is being disrespectful…this means at all times. I think when you let your guard down, you give people a real look at who you are. Trying to keep up two different beings would make me go bananas, so props to the cats who can do it but I can only give you me.

Faygoluvers: You were Kung Fu Vampires’ hypeman for The Slaughterhouse Tour. What was that like?

Savzilla: Shit was dope, probably one of the best and most exciting times of my music life. Kung Fu and I had both done music in San Jose for quite some time. He usually had his band, and I was doing the solo act thing, playing, promoting and throwing shows. I took a break in 2008 to get married and after about a year of downtime, Kung Fu hit me up and asked where I had been (musically speaking), and wanted to collabo with big ideas in mind for the future. Within a couple weeks we had laced the track “Savage” together, and I started rehearsing with his band to head out on the “Helluva Night Tour” with Esham, Mastamind, Daniel Jordan, and Mars. From then on out, I was basically part of the band/Hypeman with the idea that eventually I would start working on my 2nd album. When the Slaughterhouse Tour came around the full band wasn’t ready, but it was an opportunity that Kung Fu couldn’t pass up so we put together a rap set and hit the road. It went very well (obviously haha), with about a week’s worth of shows with the full Kung Fu Vampire Band and the rest of them him and I murdered the stage to make sure people would never forget the name KFV. We had to bring it every night because we were opening for Potluck and Twiztid, and if you’ve ever seen them live you know what I mean. We got a shitload of love from the fans everywhere we went. We both made a lot of fans and had a lot of fun. When the tour was over we both had different views on certain things, so we thought it best to part ways and both focus on our own projects, mine being my album (The Beast Within) and his being touring and the band. There isn’t bad blood, I wish him the best of luck, and I’ve heard he does the same. Sometimes people are only in each others lives for a short period of time to provide something, and then they part ways. We both did a lot for each other, and I wouldn’t take back the experience for the world. I’m sure we will both be around for a long time, if the Fam will have us haha.

Faygoluvers: What do you have coming out? Any CDs, mixtapes, music videos, merch, etc coming out?

Savzilla: 3 Words…”THE BEAST WITHIN”. This is my Sophomore album. The best way I can explain it is it is my best work to date, I put my all into it every step of the way. It would be the equivalent to holding a double barreled 12 Gauge Shotgun at point blank range to a propane tank and pulling the trigger. That’s how you will feel once you’ve heard this album. It’s gonna give you a real sense of my struggles, not only with the music industry but with my personal life and inner demons. My producer, KS1, helped me pull out that inner Beast I’ve been battling, and put a sound to it. You’re gonna hear some real dark personal shit, some amped up show stoppers, and of course some inner rage. Can’t wait for people to hear this shit. If you can’t tell I am very proud of this album as it has been a long time coming and a lot of hard work. I touch on a lot of different styles throughout the album, because I have an appreciation for them. I wanted to show my versatility while still bringing that animal nature that the fans have come to love.

I also just released my first Official Music Video “Siren” on 5/23/11. It’s one of the more laid back tracks on the album, but still incredibly intense with much symbolism.

I am currently in pre-production for my next music video “Stand Down,” one of my personal favorites off the album.

As far as merch, I’ve got some great things in the works. I have several clothing items being developed, and they will be ready to go at the same time of the album release, July 26th, 2011. I plan to expand the Beast Store throughout the year. All merch will be available at www.savzilla.com and of course all shows.

Faygoluvers: When and where are your next few shows?

Savzilla: I am planning a local Album Release Party TBD probably within the same week as the album release and I hope to be on tour within the next few months.

Faygoluvers: Shout outs?

Savzilla: First off, huge fucking thank you to everyone at Faygoluvers for showing so much love and support for The Beast.

Huge shout out to my dude, and Right Hand Man, Massive. He’s my fam, my partner on the stage and a hell of a mic killer. You’ll be hearing more from him. Raydan “KS1” for turning this album into a full length feature film. Don Budd, thanks for helping me capture the Beast at Tone Freq Studios. Lastly I want to thank Phil Emerson for creating the images, photos and design to show exactly the madness that lies inside my head

 

Websites:
Savzilla.com
Facebook.com/SavzillaMusic
Myspace.com/SavzillaMusic
Youtube.com/SavzillaTheBeast
Twitter @SavzillaMusic