1. What inspired you to start Maximum Potency?

Safa1 - We all met at a Beatmaking event called sampler cafe, I wanted to collab on some music with people and that’s how it all started.

OBSKRR - We realized we're all emcees and make beats, bringin our styles together felt natural

Ramesys - I had been working on music for years and wanted to release stuff, but I was constantly overthinking the quality of my beats, raps, etc. Then I met Safa1 and OBSKRR at Sampler Cafe, a producer meetup. Safa1 invited me to his place, then we linked with OBSKRR the next session. The rest is history!

2. How would you describe the rap scene in Edmonton right now?

Safa1 - I don’t follow the rap scene too much although from listening to the general artists there is a heavy boom bap and underground sound that is made in Edmonton mostly.

OBSKRR - It is what it is, theres emcees who been in the game for long time and theirs emcees who starting out, but its all a community

Ramesys - I think it's in a good place, there's a ton of talented rappers and producers working in their own niches. Guys like OBSKRR, Dangerous Goods, and Vintage $oul are out there with more traditional Boombap styles, and then you have guys like Safa1, Deez Waxx, and Illiam who delve more into trap and EDM-adjacent sounds. They also delve into other genres, so it's not fair to affix those titles onto them. 

3. What do you look for in an artist when deciding collaborate with them?

Safa1 - I try to see how open they are in collaborating on different styles or sounds and not sticking strictly to a set style, experimentation but with a certain vibe.

OBSKRR - If they are focused and serious about their music, right on

Ramesys - I like working with people who are confident in their abilities and willing to work with other sounds. For example, I love working with Safa1 and OBSKRR because they're always coming prepared with material and are down to experiment in the studio. I think our workflow has gotten a lot better, allowing us to record efficiently and bounce new ideas off each other.

4. What has been your biggest challenge in building a rap‑focused platform in Edmonton?

Safa1 - The city is a bit small I feel, not like Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, although there seems to be a lot of artists, the reach isn’t as big as other cities usually are in my opinion, which makes it difficult to build a platform for this type of music especially for recording artists.

OBSKRR - Def putting on shows can be difficult. Sometimes you gotta pay or sell tickets to put on a show. Wack. Shout out to real ones

Ramesys - Until recently, I was really bad about posting about shows and stuff we've been up to musically. I'm trying to get better at promoting because we're up to a lot of dope stuff and I want the world to know! Like Tyler, the Creator said in that one interview, "How are you gonna spend six months on your music and post about it one time?" At the same time, we aren't in it for fame, we want to make dope stuff together.

5. Do you think you help local artists grow their audience and get more visibility?

Safa1 - The events that have been put on is a big help, also generally recording and collaborating and working on music videos for example is also a good way to help grow visibility, working together is generally always helpful when possible!

OBSKRR - Absoutely whether we are opening for a local emcee or event, or whether we are reaching out to artists to record with we dig growing with others.

Ramesys - If we collaborate on a track together, we'll promote it! If we think your stuff is dope, we'll make sure to point our listeners in your direction. If I hear about a show coming up with local artist friends, I'll try to spread the word. There are tons of great artists out there, I think the main issue is that it can be hard to know what's going on in the local scene outside of your own group.

6. What makes Edmonton’s hip‑hop community unique compared to other cities?

Safa1 - I think that’s the underground scene here is probably more unique because of the location and weather impact, a lot of people will have more time to spend indoors working on things generally speaking in the winter and during the summer there’s a lot of events that artists like to be apart of which makes it very inclusive for the community.

OBSKRR - Everybody wants to wear cowboy boots and hats and break out in the cadillac ranch

Ramesys - I feel like Edmonton's scene embodies the word "community" and is a lot more welcoming to newcomers. I first started rapping in person by going to Beautiful Beast's (and the Jung Kings') cyphers at Black Dog (still happening the last Saturday of every month), and they helped me grow in confidence with freestyling and just using a microphone in general! While I haven't experienced it myself, I have heard from some other folks that other cities' scenes can feel more competitive in comparison and you won't find those kinds of spaces. Additionally, you'll get a similar experience if you ever want to try rapping at River City Revival House's rap night (usually every other Thursday). In my opinion, it's amazing that we have at least a couple spaces in the city where artists can develop like that!

7. What’s one moment or event that made you feel proud of what Maximum Potency is doing?

Safa1 - Doing the north country fair festival was a great time and seeing the crew do it this year was nice too (sorry I couldn’t come out) it’s all good tho!

OBSKRR - Potent Goods Jams at Naked Cyber Cafe each month. For a experinced human like Bob to open his doors to us makes us beyond grateful. Potent Goods Jams is just bubbling at the moment, but it has all the ingredients to be a dope event to build and explore with other hip hop heads and musicians. Stone Cold Solid

Ramesys - Last month, we hosted an Album drop party for YEG 2 LAX, our newest release! It was awesome to not only platform our music but we also got Ivan Ready, Illiam, the Jung Kings, and Russecetta4Real to take the stage and also showcase their talents. It meant a lot to see everyone who came out and vibed, and it's shown me that we can make a positive impact on our community!

8. What are your goals for the next year as you continue to build the platform?

Safa1 - My goals are to record more and collab on projects where possible, I can see potential for a lot of artists who are dedicated especially for recording songs and creating singles, EPs or albums as well.

OBSKRR - Def to perform under the ocean to all the sea creatures for a billion dollars, so Ivan Ready can cross that off his Anytime We Step list.

Ramesys - Make more music, collaborate with more people, do more shows, maybe make tshirts?