Chazzy Boo on Vancouver’s Creative Future, the SoundCloud Era, and Building VIBE SERIES

An Exclusive Interview With Limitless Magazine

From music production and DJing to visual direction, fashion, and event curation, Chazzy Boo is building a multidisciplinary creative career while helping strengthen Vancouver’s growing entertainment community. In this exclusive conversation with Limitless Magazine, he discusses his journey from Edmonton to Vancouver, the influence of the SoundCloud era, the Western Canadian music scene, the importance of local infrastructure, and what comes next for VIBE SERIES.

1. For readers who may be discovering Chazzy Boo for the first time, how would you describe yourself, your music, and your artistic identity?

A Multidisciplinary Artist, a creative that works actively in the Music Industry, Fashion Industry & Visual Field jumping into multiple roles when the opportunities present themselves. Covering Music Production, Visual Direction, DJing & Organizing Event Platforms like VIBE Series.

I originally moved to Vancouver, British Columbia from Edmonton, Alberta in February 2021 to further pursue & extend my imprint in the Music Industry then found myself diving into the Fashion Industry as well since it was available, I originally never realized the reality of the living conditions out here like Cost Of Living so I learned how to turn my other hobbies and interests into Side Hustles which eventually evolved into my Full Time Career.

I first started in East Vancouver just outside of Downtown & fell in love with the Glitz & Glamour Downtown Vancouver had to offer then once I made enough connections and slowly made a name for myself I had the opportunity to relocate Downtown Vancouver working Part Time in the Freelance Field out of Compound Recording Studio which was notable for helping High Profile Artists like Tory Lanez, Houdini, Pressa Armani, Killy, Riff Raff, Northside Benji & Pressa, then after working in Operations with Canada Goose and building a Reputatable Visual Portfolio I was able to turn it into a Full-Time Career

2. What inspired you to pursue music, and what experiences have played the biggest role in shaping you as an artist?

The SoundCloud Era was my biggest inspiration, there were so many groundbreaking, boundary pushing, bar setting influences that came from that time & Era, growing up alongside the Music was mesmerizing & you genuinely felt like you were apart of every breakthrough if you were tapped into it deep enough, it’s interesting how much the Industry has changed and evolved since then but there was so much Raw Talent and Success through it that you could witness even til today. I definitely wish that there will be another emergence similar to what that Era had to offer. You could feel every emotion no matter how much joy, struggle, pain, love or happiness the artist was trying to express in that moment in time. Don’t get me wrong though, artists are still doing very well in this current time but things just don’t feel exactly how they used to feel.

3. What do you think Vancouver and the broader Western Canadian music scene are doing particularly well right now?

We have endless amounts of Talent throughout all the Industries like Music, Fashion & Film & everybody is eagerly pushing themselves no matter if they make Music or Design Clothing or want to become part of the process and communities. It’s genuinely great and amazing! We need a quite a bit more infrastructure throughout all the Industries and more Platforms available however as soon as more begin to develop I genuinely believe Vancouver has the potential to become one of North America’s major creative hubs. That’s a Future Projection I’m comfortable sharing, I’ve been chatting with a lot of Industry Professionals outside of Vancouver like Los Angeles, Miami & Toronto and everybody is mentioning how they have their eyes on Vancouver so it’s exciting being in the Heart and Pulse of it all.

4. Do you feel Western Canadian artists receive enough recognition nationally, or are there still barriers that make it harder for artists from this region to break through?

Not yet but it definitely seems like it’s right around the corner! It’s shocking that there hasn’t been many Global Breakthroughs from Vancouver quite yet, with that said there’s been names like Michael Bublé, bbno$, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Merkules, Snak The Ripper but I’m talking like BIG Breakthrough like The Weeknd or Drake type of hype, the type of hype that you could bring up to anybody and they know everything about it. It is a tough city though, Vancouver is deemed one of the most expensive Cities in the world and the most expensive Nationally so it’s a constant revolving door of people moving in and away from that you start to notice when you’re a few years deep into it, it can be hard for newcomers to make friends and unless you have the right circle around you it can be very unforgiving & competitive, fortunately I’ve found my place in a new Professional Studio & Label, Foreign Familia Records that’s been around since 2017 and they upgraded into a new space in Gastown next to Seth Rogan’s old residence and we’ve all been working together to help build up the Infrastructure for Vancouvers Creative & Entertainment Industry’s, we offer 5,500 Square Feet Multi Studio Facility with an infinity wall and immersive Visual Arts area creating sets and helping Artists achieve what they need to elevate their brand.

5. How important are local venues, independent promoters, DJs, producers, and other artists in helping Vancouver’s music community grow?

It’s very important! Those are all the moving parts and backbones in what this industry needs to survive! After the Pandemic hit Local Venues have been taking a huge dip in terms of sales and revenue that they’ve constantly been battling since, thankfully they’ve been getting creative with their approach to the changing market, demographics & industry. & thankfully theirs a surge of interest particularly towards DJing & becoming a Musical Artist or Producer so they’ve been learning how to work with the newly developed Market & thankfully there’s a lot of new Tools and Technology easily accessible for everybody to start learning and carving their mark within the industry. There’s been a lot of new Promoters recently this year too which is great! But we always need more hands on deck to be able to stretch our reach within the scene. Retention is the biggest battle of them all these recent years but as long as you have the right team, the right eye popping brand & remain authentic, the people recognize that in this day and age so they tend to gravitate towards that from what I’ve noticed. Stay true to yourself and stay true to your impact!

That’s part of the reason I created VIBE SERIES in the first place

6. What is next for Chazzy Boo, and what should fans and new listeners be watching for?

There’s a lot happening at once.

There’s new music coming, more performances, more artists and creatives I’m working with, and further development of VIBE SERIES. I’m also continuing to grow alongside Foreign Familia and developing the visual, production, and creative side of what we’re building.

We’ve been working on this vision for a long time, and I think people are going to start seeing more of the pieces come together.

For me, growth is essential. I don’t want to stay in the same place creatively, and I don’t want the people around me to stay in the same place either.

I’m interested in helping develop artists whether they’re behind a camera, behind the decks, on a stage, or inside a recording studio. I want to be part of creating opportunities for people who have something to contribute.

At the end of the day, I genuinely believe that if one of us pops, we all pop together.

That’s the mentality I want to carry forward.

I’m not just trying to build a career for myself. I’m trying to build something that other people can grow inside of too.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

Follow Chazzy Boo on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chazzy.boo