This weeks topics include peoples obsession with Lil B and weed legalization. Two topics very near and dear to the heart of people who aren’t me.
As usual, send me more question either in this comment section or to my email (Phatfriendbog.com). The weirder the better.

Now on with the program.

If you would have to get a roommate and you could only choose between A) a heroin junkie and B) a clown* which one would you choose? And why?
*I’m talking a real clown here, not just a person who has an opinion of a clown cause he’s a silly idiot. Fake nose, make up, bizarre clothes, all kinds of gags etc, that’s what I’m talking about. A person who makes his living as a clown.

I would definitely choose the clown. Sure, the junkie may be a slightly cooler person but at least the clown has a job, won’t steal from me and there’s very little chance I’d ever come home to his rotting corpse. I’d probably just get out the house when he was practicing his bullshit. Not to mention, the amount of hot girls there would be around the house would be a bonus. Cause, as we all know, Clowns get the MOST pussy.

What is your view on marijuana legalization?

Because I don’t smoke weed, I could really care less. I was out in Humboldt county around the time the California vote to legalize weed was happening. I asked a bunch of people if they were excited at the idea of it being legalized and they responded with a resounding “No”. It shocked me, considering these were some of the highest people alive. But , it turns out, these are a group people who’s existence basic relies on growing, picking and selling weed (“illegally”). If all that got dipped into by the government or regulated, they’d be screwed. They were actively hitting the voting booths to shoot it down.I found that interesting. Definitely not something the average weed smoker thinks about when considering the ramifications of legalizing pot.
On another hand, I know what being high is like. Personally, I’m worthless to society. My job is one that is , to many, aided by weed smoking and that shit only makes me nervous and tone deaf. I’m not 100% sure if being stoned is the best idea for people who actually have things to accomplish during a day. But I suppose it would be approached like drinking. An “after work”activity or something people do on weekends. The last thing I want is my doctor or accountant high as shit.
It’s one of those things that, if it got legalized, cool. If not, no sweat off my back.

Alright…reformatting the movie aspect. What’s one movie that made a lasting impact on you? I watched Requiem For A Dream one time, and ever since then, I’ve had no desire to ever see it just because of the whole concept of the film.

I kinda hate that movie but I think that’s the point…anyway, a movie with lasting impact…Strangely , “Kids” had a lasting impact. Not cause it was great or cause it taught me to not give AIDS to virgins but cause it took place where I grew up and had some people in it I kinda knew. As over the top as it got at points, it definitely resonated with me. I can’t watch that movie without being drawn back into the early-mid 90’s. The deja-vu effect is strong. Not to mention, I knew a dude exactly like Telly and watching him operate in that movie was quite the mirror to reality for me.

How do the various scratches and turntable stuff make it into your songs? I’m prety sure I read somewhere (maybe on your actual blog) that you don’t mess with turntables, and I think your albums have the scratches credited to someone else. But they seem to fit so well into the song, and plus you seem to have a lot of them in your songs. How does all that get arranged? Do you produce songs with to-be-added-later scratching in mind, or is it more of an afterthought? Do you just send the final product to a DJ and say “hey, lay some scratches over this” or is it more collaborative?

The scratches are always done by other people. On my albums, it’s been Dj Signify and Omega one handling them. I have had them do all the scratches as an after thought. I leave spaces here and there, but mostly, we just go it with some sounds we wanna use and find where they work best.

When was the last time you were in Staten Island?

My first (and last time) was when I was about 11 years old when I went out there for a friends birthday party. I feel like we wanted to play spin the bottle at it but the girl turnout was so weak we opted to skip it. Looks like I narrowly escaped an all male make out session in Staten Island. I’m sure others have not been as lucky.
Anyway, I have no memory of Staten Island as a place other than driving to it and through it reminded me of being in the suburbs. Can’t say I’ll ever be going back though cause, you know, who the fuck ever goes to staten Island?

Block, your a voice of reason so maybe you could help me understand this Lil B shit. Granted, i’ve listened to maybe 15 of his songs, and I actually really like ‘I’m God’, but honestly, what the fuck? 90% of his shit sounds like Soulja Boy back tracks and people are calling him the next Kool Keith? Am I missing something? Am I imposing my personal values of what rap should be when I say that he has NO flow? Does weirdness = talent all of the sudden? I guess I’m being quick to judge here, but when basically everything I hear on YouTube by an artist is completely fucking wack, I tend to write them off… I guess I wouldn’t be as confused if people weren’t riding his dick like it was a free flight.

The Lil B thing is strange to me. Granted, I’m about par with you in terms of how much I’ve listened to him. From what I can gather, he’s got two main types of songs. His retarded “I look like a pretty bitch” songs where he kinda just chant raps nonsense that’s kinda funny or the songs where he actually raps. I’ve heard both types and neither spoke to me. The retarded chant raps are kinda entertaining I guess but more just sloppy and pointless. Like some Hip hop Wesley Willis shit. The real raps actually show some promise but I still don’t find myself getting into them. Contrary to what Lil B haters may say, he can definitely rap a little. He’s definitely not bad and the weirdness certainly helps that. However, he’s also not THAT good. People are obsessed with this dude on a level Kool Kieth never was…and Kool Keith is better in every possible way. I feel like , deep down, your typical hipster white kid can only like maybe 1 or 2 rap groups at a time. Right now it’s Odd future and Lil-b. In the past, it was Cam’ron and the Clipse.

So, as usual, my indifferent ass falls dead in the middle of this debate. I think people are hating on him too hard cause he’s getting love and I think people are liking him too much cause he’s weird. To me, I have no issue with Lil B fans or detractors.

A little side note: White music fans LOVE them a weird black dude. Always have, always will. Anytime a black artist (particularly one that seemingly comes from a rough background) comes out that is a off center version of something more typical, white people will jump all over it. I don’t know if it’s some weird deep seeded racism or just an natural appreciation but it’s something. It’s as if they feel much more comfortable knowing that the rap they enjoy isn’t coming from a “normal” black person but one that’s “more like them”. I suppose they like the idea of rap music being made by a person who wouldn’t threaten them if they met them (excluding ODB, of course, who white people love simply because of HOW crazy he was).
I dunno..that shit has always bugged me. The same way anyone who is certifiably crazy who makes music gets a pass as a “genius” just cause they’re crazy. It’s not always the case. Sometimes a crazy person is just a crazy person. I get it that your typical crazy person does have a fresh perspective and is , most likely, devoid of outside influences and that leads to a certain purity in the music. But even that untouched purity can simply just be some mediocre bullshit if the talent isn’t there.