DORIAN GEIGER
Arts Writer

It has been a hectic year for Regina hip-hop artist Danny Fernandez a.k.a. Def 3, who is preparing to return from a lengthy European tour in time to play an end-of-semester show with Kay the Aquanaut at Louis’ Pub April 29.

Def 3, likely the biggest name on Saskatchewan’s hip-hop roster, has been around for close to a decade but recently made waves in 2008 when he recorded the Dog River album with former Swollen Members artist Moka Only. Dog River took the number one spot for 14 weeks on college radio stations throughout Canada. And shortly after, in late 2009, Def 3’s newest work, Drumbo, a collaborative LP he put together with Saskatoon’s DJ Factor, also rose to nationwide acclaim.

Hitting Sweden, France, the Netherlands and pretty much any European country he could get into on his recent tour, Def 3 has been on tour since the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he headlined Saskatchewan’s Olympic Pavilion.

And you can bet it’s not the first time Def 3 will be going European — he plans to build an international empire around his 306 vibes and would optimally like to tour Europe once or twice each year following the success of his current tour.

Praised for his independent approach to hip-hop, a genre that has been severely watered down by commercialization, glamour, violence and empty messages, Def 3’s music provides a glimpse into prairie culture — something that hits close to home for Fernandez.

Though Saskatchewan boasts an abundance of great underground hip hop artists, Def 3 takes the cake not only due to his lyrical abilities but also because of his vast musical depth and eagerness to collaborate with other prairie artists.

“In my opinion, Saskatoon has one of the best and most supportive hip hop scenes in Canada!” said Fernandez via telephone from Marseille, France.

Aside from regularly working with Moka Only, Kay the Aquanaut and handfuls of other Canadian artists, Def 3’s side project OYE!, a band inspired by his father, is a musical experience untouched in Saskatchewan.

Fernandez, 28, originally started OYE! with his father as a fun way to express their Latin cultural heritage.”¯OYE!’s MySpace description categorizes their sound as “a cultural blanket of styles and age, combining hip-hop, salsa, cumbia, folk, jazz, rock and funk.”

On top of OYE!, Fernandez has two solo projects in the works and a follow-up album with Moka Only, all slated to be ready later this year.

The hip hop network Def 3 has created over the course of his career stretches across North America and the Saskatchewan emcee has worked with hip hop artists from all over the world. In January of 2009, Def 3 had the surreal opportunity of hanging out with Factor at west coast legend Xzibit’s house in California where they recorded some music.

“Factor woke me up one day and he was like ”˜Hey we’re going to Xzbibit’s house,’ ” said Fernandez.

“You know how most people have a family photo above the fireplace? He has a photo of him (Xzibit), Eminem, Snoop and Dr. Dre. We basically just smoked blunts and drank Hennessey ’til early in the morning,” said Fernandez of his recording experience with the host of Pimp My Ride.

Def 3 plays Louis’ Pub April 29

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photo: Andrew Stuart