fenaxiz

Introspective. Sincere. Diverse. Lyrical. Analytical. All these and more embody what the citizens of Toronto have come to expect when they hear the name of Filipino rapper “FenaxiZ” (aka “Fen”).
Growing up in the city’s East end, Fen began an early love affair with Hip-Hop as he was entrenched in the culture through friends and his surroundings. He states, “I was fascinated by graffiti along the RT train route and the b-boys at parties. During recess we’d trade tapes with Wu-Tang, Boot Camp, and Biggie and as we got older we’d start drinking and smoking in some of the grimiest spots just learning how to rap.”
Before long, Fen made the transition from staircase to stage as he began refining his skills at open mics and small hole-in-the-wall gigs. At the same time, he was laying the groundwork for his first project, The Audiobiography -a 9-track EP independently produced, written, recorded, engineered, and performed by FenaxiZ himself. The Audiobiography was definitely heard in the Canadian urban music industry as its single “Chain City” received rotation on several college radio stations such as 88.1 FM, 89.5 FM, and 105.5 FM. “One thing that made me stand out when I was on the grind,” Fen recalls, “was that the CD itself was packaged and shrink-wrapped exactly like a record you could find in an actual store while all these other demos were just burned off home computers. I impressed the right people with how I presented myself professionally and that led to some amazing opportunities.”
What followed was a string of radio and online interviews, compilation appearances, and bigger performances. Doors were opened as FenaxiZ started rapping infront of larger audiences at events such as Canadian Music Week and venues like Revival, Dundas Square, and The Opera House.
Unfortunately, the momentum came to a halt.
FenaxiZ enrolled at the University of Toronto to pursue a double-major degree in New Media and English. He confesses, “To this day, I don’t regret the decision, but I had to put the whole music thing to the side for awhile.”
Of course, you can always take the player out the game, but you can never take the game out the player. Still writing and recording songs from time to time, FenaxiZ realized he had enough material to release another record just to keep his name out in the streets while he was on hiatus. Thus, The Strongest Link mixtape was conceived. While The Audiobiography featured Fen going for solo, this second project involved him collaborating with many of the peers he had networked with and met along the way. The lead single, The Strongest Link (remix) featuring Alex Dimez, Kendo, and Tre Nice, was widely received on the airwaves and led to magazine mentions and movie cameos (it played in the background of the independent film “From Wimp To Pimp”). The mixtape also included the second single, In The Flesh (remix), which was made into a video by Write Just Films.
After graduating, Fen intended to return to his true love of Hip-Hop, but something happened: he was politicized. “I was starting to write songs again,” Fen explains, “but one day a friend brought me to a local Filipino community centre. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I spent my entire life disconnected from my own culture. I was introduced to certain people who slowly eased me into learning about my roots and I embarked on a journey of personal growth. I studied our history, took Tagalog language courses, helped organize conferences, participated in community events, rallied and protested as an activist, and basically attained a part of myself that I had always been denied. Also, I became deep-rooted and formed great partnerships and relations within the Filipino youth in Toronto.”
Armed with this newfound knowledge of self, FenaxiZ is on the verge of releasing his first full-length LP, Vintage. 15-tracks deep, Vintage covers a wide array of topics. For example, The Real Toronto questions the local Hip-Hop community’s tendency to portray its hometown as a crime-filled ghetto. Also, the history of the struggle Filipinos have endured worldwide as a consequence of colonialism and globalization is explored in White Man’s Burden. Tracks like Golden Age and Full Circle invoke FenaxiZ’s earliest memories as a child in the big city while Queen featuring August Rigo takes a moment to appreciate women and Dear Life presents a vulnerable FenaxiZ as he attempts to make peace with the concept of death. He adds, “one track I’m very proud of is Empty Bottle, where I vent my frustrations on everything as I get intoxicated. Ultimately though, there’s a positive message at the end of the song.”
Looking forward to the future, FenaxiZ has set his sights on a life fully involved with music. He has formed a company in partnership with local singer and fellow activist UGN Son. The two plan to integrate their passion for music with their political goals in order to create a platform for talented Filipino youth to be seen and heard.