On Monday night, Vancouver’s swaggering funk-rap group Panther and the Supafly will be playing live instrumental versions of hip-hop classics while karaoke hopefuls get live on the mic. If you’ve never been to Fortune Sound Club’s Hip-Hop Karaoke, widely considered to be Vancouver’s best Monday night out, this is an excellent opportunity to check it out. And if you’re already a Hip-Hop Karaoke fan, you shouldn’t miss the chance to see the night go unplugged like Jay-Z and the Roots on MTV. Panther and the Supafly will also be rocking tracks from their debut EP “Nikazi.”
Sad Mag’s exploration of the complex motivations of Hip-Hop Karaoke performers continues here:
Tim Mortensen
Shmuel Marmostein: What got you into Hip-Hop Karaoke?
Tim Mortensen: I was at a Nice ‘n Smooth show here wearing a Gang Starr t-shirt, and they pulled me on stage.It was right after Guru died and they were pouring out orange juice on stage, it was crazy! A friend of mine who knew about HHK saw that and suggested we perform DWYCK, the song Nice n’ Smooth were doing.
SM: What was your favorite song that you performed?
TM: Halftime by Nas, on Halloween. It was one of the hardest songs I’ve ever done. It was fun because I was dressed as b-boy priest in gold chains.
SM: What about by another performer?
TM: A Busta Rhymes song by local MC Kaboom Atomic, he did it perfectly.
SM: That’s hard! How much do you usually practice?
TM: It depends on the song. For some of them I’ve already liked the song for a while, so it’s easier. I usually practice the song 15-20 times. I always rap over the vocal, and then I switch to the instrumental, which is a lot harder! For the Nas one, I did it 30 times or more.
SM: What do you love about performing here?
TM: The good vibe, and the fun I always have at the night itself. It’s a privilege to perform. You do it once or twice and you get addicted. It’s great experience if you want to be a performer because you have the spotlight on you. And I love hip-hop, so I get to do what I love.
Chad Iverson, event organizer and co-founder
Shmuel Marmostein: What made you start the Hip-Hop Karaoke night?
Chad Iverson: Paul [Gibson-Tigh, the other founder and organizer] told me about the HHK night in Toronto, and said we should do it here. It was just a drunken conversation on Third Beach, and I though hhk sounded like the illest idea.
SM: What was your favorite song that you performed?
CI: Earl by Earl Sweatshirt, or the one I just did, Tried by 12 by East Flatbush Project. I love that song and I’ve been wanting to do it forever. It’s an underground classic.
SM: It was awesome, you killed it! What about by someone else?
CI: That’s a really hard question…maybe Kyprios doing Passin’ me by at the one-year anniversary show?
SM: How much do you usually practice before performing?
CI: Way too much. If you take a look at my lastfm site, all my top songs listened to are ones I’ve performed!
SM: What do you love about performing here?
CI: The ego boost. It feels good! It’s a rush being on stage. I’m also paying homage to a genre of music and a culture I love. I never thought I would be running a hip hop night in Vancouver, that’s for sure.
SM: How has putting on this night changed your life?
CI: Well, this night has made Fortune a second home. I do promotion here and I’ve learned a lot about, I don’t want to use the term, the “clubbing scene.” It’s a potential career changer. The changes have all been positive, definitely.
Hip-Hop Karaoke: Panther and the Supafly
Fortune Sound Club (147 E Pender St)
$4 cover before 10:30PM, $8 after