[New Interview] Phranchyze

Where did you get the name Phranchyze from?

I came up with the name after a long-list of names that didn't really work out. Aflow, Mr. Sixxx, Zero, and Chameleon were also names that I was tossing around... obviously I discovered Screw shortly thereafter and realized those names were taken. I was on the phone with NIP and just said, "You know what? I'm gonna go with Franchise." Shane Douglas and Steve Francis were popular at the time so it sounded cool.

A lot of hip-hop heads know you from your time on the national battle rap scene. What was one of the craziest moments at some of those battles that you were a part of? 

The craziest moment was at MOB in Oakland. I guess whoever was in charge didn't do a great job of planning so they forced everybody out of the venue and into the street before the event was over. There were like 500 people walking up the street in Oakland in the middle of the night with the police surrounding us. I seriously thought there was gonna be a riot.

I got to ask because your new tape is called Anime TV: What are some of your favorite animes and also what are your favorite Japanese video games?

Anime: Dragon Ball Z (of course. You're basically a snitch if you don't like DBZ) Berserk, Mobile suit Gundam, Xamd, Inuyasha. As far as games, Guilty Gear, Blaz Blue are cool. All the Neo-Geo stuff. Jade Caccoon is a cool RPG from Japan, Onimusha is another one. Shit like that. Fighting games are my shit though. Always have been.

Over the years, you've released a steady stream of projects to build up your Austin following. This year's release seems to be the first time you had a non-Austin artist (Chingo Bling) on your tape. Is that something you're looking to do more of in the future or was it something that just sort of happened to work out?

A little bit of both. It's something that just worked out. However, it's definitely something we're trying to do more of. Every rapper in Austin should be trying to do it too. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

You're definitely knowledgeable when it comes to sports, and now you're an emcee for UT Basketball games. What do you think Smart will do that Rick Barnes couldn't?

Shaka Smart has a system, plain and simple. Barnes was a great coach but you need something to rely on when stuff breaks down. You have to be able to lean on something. Smart's "Havoc" system should be fun to watch, especially with a program that has emphasized defense over the last 15+ years.

Western Conference playoffs: Who do you think is going to make it out vs who do you want to make it? I know you're a Niners fan: when you think about Kaepernick vs Smith... Should yall have just given Peyton Manning a blank check?

NEVER sleep on the Spurs. Obviously, the Warriors are the best team and I'd like them to come out but the Spurs will probably fuck around and win the West. If they can beat the Clip show, the path is pretty easy in my opinion. About the Niners, I was actually at the game where Kap came in for Alex Smith. Kap's got the tools. As far as Manning, I'm sure that's another reason that Harbaugh was fired. They felt they could have had Peyton if Jim wasn't there. But Manning is good for 13 wins and a playoff loss. Shit, we were already doing that!

Do you think the Eastern Conference in the NBA is so trash that they should realign the NBA conferences?

Haha, naw. It won't be like this forever. In 20 years they'll be talking about folding the West.

You've done a lot of big things in Austin, but what's a crazy huge show you did out of town that most Austinites never got a chance to see?

Common in Chicago was FUCKIN CRAZY. Technically it was in Hammond, but it was pretty awesome. All the cops were just watching the show. I was like "Aren't you guys supposed to be securing the perimeter?" It was a packed house. Awesome energy. We played with Snoop (in El Paso of all places) and it was a fucking madhouse, sold out. I jumped in the crowd and I did an encore. The craziest thing about it: It was just Snoop and I. They asked me like 3 hours before the set to play for an hour. So we did it.

You can follow Phranchyze at twitter.com/phranchyze and instagram.com/phranchyze