How one Saskatchewan hip-hop group is creating big changes
Saskatchewan has a growing hip-hop music scene thanks in part to the group DGS Samurai Champs
There is a growing hip-hop scene in Saskatchewan and the DGS Samurai Champs have played a major role in it.
"When we first started our band, DGS, I didn't really feel like Regina had a very nurturing or healthy creative culture for hip hop," Marvin Chan said.
Chan wanted to create something that would give his hip-hop group creative energy to thrive off of.
"When you start a family, you try to live in a good neighbourhood so they have a good place to grow up. I thought, I want my band to grow up in a nice and nurturing creative culture.
Trifecta Music Festival
So DGS Samurai Champs tried to consolidate all the different music scenes in the province by hosting a music festival.
The band, along with festival co-founders Reid Edwards and Casey Dela Cruz, brought something new to Saskatchewan.
The Trifecta Music Festival showcases musical talents from a wide range of genres and brings them together under one festival in Regina.
Organizing the festival led to valuable connections when it came to taking the next step, and releasing a music video.
The video for Crayons by Jeah and Merv xx Gotti from DGS Samurai Champs was released earlier this week and it was all filmed in Regina. Everyone that is featured in the music video, and who helped in it's production, is tied to Trifecta either as an artist, volunteer or a sponsor of the festival.
The music video for Crayons is a reflection of the diversity that DGS Samurai Champs and the Trifecta crew want to bring to music in the province.
"That's kind of our whole thing with Trifecta, we want to be able to almost be like the model UN [of music] for Regina and eventually all of Saskatchewan," Chan said.