Whattup everyone. I was just sitting around imagining what the world of Game of Thrones would be like if they had cell phones. SO much less confusion.
Anyway, this weeks questions are fun. Thanks to all those who submitted them. If you have anything you wanna ask me, send it my way. Either Email it to me (phatfriendblog@gmail.com) or leave them in the comments below. As always, be interesting. This column is only as good as your questions are.
So, let’s do this

You are trying to fall asleep one night, when suddenly the ghosts of Tupac, Michael Jackson, and Elvis appear before you. All three of them are there for the same reason. They each have one last album worth of songs that were never recorded, and their souls will not rest until they can share them with the world.

If you refuse, then these 3 highly intoxicated ghouls will follow you around for the rest of your life like that movie “The Frighteners” starring Michael J. Fox. Which one of these former celebrities will you help?

I’m assuming they come back looking like them and not me cause, really, who’s gonna buy that I’m any of these people. If you had the other way in mind, I call bullshit. Cause, let’s be honest, if i came back with the voice and “moves” of any of these guys looking like me, I’d get thrown in a asylum within hours.
This is pretty easy. I’d choose Tupac and here’s why:
Elvis is old and fat. No one is trying to hear some new elvis shit. He hasn’t been popular in the states since Jimmy Carter was President and anyone who would buy an Elvis record in 2013 is probably too deaf to listen to it anyway.

M.J. is already a faceless ghoul who definitely will always carry the kid toucher stigma with him. Sure, he could put an album out and tour south america and asia for millions of dollars but he’s simply too old and I’m pretty sure he’s made of balsa wood. He would definitely be the biggest money maker but I don’t think it would be fun to be him.

Tupac would be my choice cause, while I don’t give a shit about his music, his fan base is still very much alive. Not only that, but if he came back people would be like “I knew it!” and his career would be bigger than ever. Also, he died young enough that I think he’d enjoy his life. Although, he might give me AIDS with all the consequence free fucking he’d be doing. But I suppose that’s the risk of being reborn Tupac for a year.

i gotta question, do ever get free shit being an artist? whats the best free shit youve ever got?

You know what? Not really. I’m not of that level where people will give me shit cause I’m like a walking advertisement. I simply don’t have that kinda pull. The best shit, by far, I ever got was a Mini MOOG Slim phatty. Nothing else comes close to that. I have friends who have gotten free kicks, back packs , apple gear and shit like that. But, personally, T-shirts and hats I’d never wear are the extent of my bounty. On the bright side, I was given a great hat last time I was in St. Petersburg Russia that I’ve been rocking a lot. I get T-shirts the most and ,while most of the T-shirts I’ve been given are cool, I’m simply too old to be rocking shit with graffiti cartoons on it. However, I do tend to cut the sleeves off those T-shirts and use them as basketball shirts so all is not lost.

Hey Block, Just wanted to know your opinion of the, “Beast Coast” movement that’s lingering around in hip hop nowadays since you’re from New York.

That’s a thing? I feel like I’ve heard that phrase before but it sounds like something a blogger made up in order to fit all the rap coming out of the east coast right now into a nice little basket. So, even though I’m not clear on what it is, I can sorta guess. If it’s what i think it might be, I’m cool with it. I’m always happy when any new rap comes out that decent. Be it east coast or west coast or wherever.

Do the comments on your (public) Facebook page ever make you lose faith in humanity?

Dude. I’ve considered writing a long piece on this cause it’s seriously one of the more frustrating and troublesome things I deal with on a day to day basis (Yes, my life is fairly charmed). When I signed up for twitter, I immediately was subjected to a new level of trolling and basic fuckery at the hands of faceless assholes. Par for the course, as this is the internet. It was not that different than people on Myspace but it was more concentrated. However, when I finally made a facebook music page…HOLY SHIT. Twitter is like a land of evolved and sane people compared to Facebook.
Now, this is partially my fault. I could easily avoid all of this if I just stuck to the Facebook music page norms. Only posting music related updates. Not having opinions on anything and , most of all, NEVER making jokes. But, unfortunately, I refuse to take social networking that seriously. Yes, it’s an important tool for pretty much anyone promoting anything on earth but I simply don’t have it in me to not joke around. It’s my nature and all these different platforms are just begging to be used as such. I remember joining Friendster in like 1998 just so I could fuck with my friends. So, while my public Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheRealBlockhead) may serve a purpose of promotion, it’s also a sounding board of sorts. For my opinions on things but, most of all, for pointless jokes that I tweet.
What I’ve learned from this? People get offended at EVERYTHING. I’ve had 45 comment posts of fury after making a joke about Razor Scooters. I’ve had people lose their minds at me about my making fun of men who wear open toed shoes every where. I’ve had people be deeply offended when I tweeted a joke about some celebrity of questionable talent. I’d say once a month I get a private message from someone telling me that they are no longer fans of y music because of something I wrote on my facebook wall. As if I’ve been posting nazi propaganda or crazy political views.
Another thing I’ve noticed is, when I post a link to a blog post about something, and people disagree with it (which is often and expected), it’s clear they didn’t read it. For instance, I wrote a piece about how I don’t give a shit about pixar movies and the first sentence in it was something like “You are probably gonna disagree with this” and every response was “I disagree with this!”. It’s like “yeah man…THAT’S THE POINT.” So, while a lot of this can be blamed on my spotty writing skill, I do think that people simply like to be outraged…by anything and they’re just waiting to jump the gun on taking up a cause.
I’ve also noticed that the majority of the people on Facebook who flip out at me are typically from one of four places: Australia, The UK , Ohio or California. I have no clue why this is but it’s been fairly uncanny. Even more befuddling is that I know people from all those places who are lovely human beings. They just seem to be hot spots for people either don’t like jokes, don’t get jokes or people who love to get mad over things of little importance.
So, to answer your question, YES. My facebook comments make me sad and I question humanity on a daily basis.. Not cause it’s people disagreeing with me but cause of the way in which they do it. Some people can’t think outside of themselves and apply that to jokes and that’s really depressing. The amount of times I’ve had to follow up a post with “This was a joke” or “It’s not that serious” is pretty sad. So, to all of you out there who follow my twitter/facebook pages, I’ll say it one more time : PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I WRITE THAT’S NOT A MUSIC RELATED POST IS A ME JOKING AROUND. IT MAY SEEM LIKE I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THIS THING I’M TALKING ABOUT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, 98% OF THE TIME, I DO NOT CARE IN THE SLIGHTEST. I’M JUST FUCKING AROUND. EVEN IF IT’S A 1000 WORD WRITE UP ON MY BLOG ABOUT SOMETHING TRIVIAL, I PROMISE, WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE, I REALLY DON’T GIVE A SHIT.
Good? okay…let’s move on.

Have you ever fucked a porn star? I think about it but then again it goes against my morals.

Nope. I think people might assume I have cause I have few porn buddies on twitter but
I’ve never even gotten close. I’ve never even boned a stripper.
The idea of having sex with a porn star is way more exciting and frightening when you’ve never met one. They’re actually pretty normal girls (in some ways). So, like 15 years ago I would probably been scared to death to have sex with one. Partially cause I’d be scared of diseases but also cause I’d be intimidated to have sex with a girl who’s average penis size in take is 10 inches. But nowadays, it’s not as intimidating to me. I mean, I’m wifed up so I obviously would never do that but I’m just saying, doing that doesn’t carry the same stigma as it once did. Sure, porn stars fuck a lot of dudes but I was never one of those guys who would not have sex with a girl cause she’s been with a bunch of dudes. I’ve always felt dudes too hung up on monitoring their sexual partners pasts are kinda pussies. I mean, it’s one thing if she was a needle user but beyond that, who cares? To me, that kinda shit is slut shaming. Not having sex with someone over your own made up morals seems self defeating. If you’re not comfortable with it, that’s fine But don’t do it out of judgement of another person. Cause , really, you’re too good for a porn star? The irony is that most porn actresses probably wouldn’t bone any of us in real life.

Hello everyone!
Time once again for my version of AMA. Ask me anything. Really. Do it.
In fact, my question queue is getting kinda thin so I actually need more questions. Send them my way. Either email them to me at Phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. Either one works. Just a side note, if you do send a question, get creative. I’ve answered questions for years now on here so “what’s your biggest influence?” type question will be ignored. Feel free to get weird and abstract. This column can be both informative and strange…if you let it be.
Anyway, here’s this weeks batch.

Recently (over the past year or so) multiple “microgenres” of music have been popping up; the most popular one being “vaporwave.” It’s essentially slowed down 80s music (occasionally chopped up with some added reverb), but fans of it claim it’s some kind of social commentary on our consumerist culture or some bullshit like that as a way of justifying its simple (and imo lazy) production. I’m a fan of sampling and sample-based music in general, but I think this is just a genre full of talentless people shitting out incredibly easy to “produce” tracks in order make a quick buck by selling them on limited edition cassettes. As someone that produces sample-based music, what are your thoughts on this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU8HrO7XuiE&feature=youtu.be

It would appear you’ve made you mind up on this one, huh?
This is my first time hearing of this “genre” so it’s popularity is kinda suspect for me. Sure, it may be cool in some circles but I’m pretty sure people aren’t making money off it. Do I think it’s lazy? Well, if this song you posted is an example and it’s all just one thing looped for 7 minutes with minimal additions, then yes. it’s lazy as fuck. But what separates that from any old classic MF Doom beat? I love those tracks and the vid you posted could literally be an out take from “operation doomsday”. So, I don’t think it’s that big a deal. This genre isn’t enough of a real genre to really deserve an opinion either way.
It’s funny though cause this genre seems like the spin-off of that weird 80′s film score music renaissance that got popular when the movie “Drive” came out. This is like the boring version of that.

I hear NYC is pretty famous for it’s police corruption. Do you consider this to be true? Have you got any good examples of how New York’s finest abuse their power?

I’d say police corruption is pretty big in most major cities. NYC is no different. Outside of your basics racism and arresting people to fill quotas, I can’t say I’ve personally seen anything like that happen. That certainly doesn’t mean it’s not there though. I’m not exactly on the cutting edge of crime in the city. I spend most of my days in front of a computer listening to obscure Romanian psych rock samples. Come and get me, coppers!

Hey Blockhead, how do you pick the names for your songs? Is it totally
random, just whatever you’re feeling the day the song gets finished or
is it some super deep and meaningful shit people like me just can’t
understand….It seems like in general artists who don’t have vocals
seem to have some pretty weird song titles. Why is that? I mean grape
nuts and chalk sauce? Which one of you jerks drank my arnold palmer?
Kinda has me wondering…

It depends. More often that not, it’s one of two things. An Inside joke with myself or just the feeling the beat gave me. With the inside joke titles, it’s often just me going down a rabbit hole until I land on something that has a nice ring to it. Like, with “Which one of you jerks stole my Arnold palmer”, That started from a place of “this sounds like a song for the summer” then turned to “I’m seeing people sitting on a porch having beverages on a warm day in July” to “I’d like an Arnold Palmer (a half lemonade/half Ice tea) in that situation” to “What if someone stole my Arnold palmer?” to “Which one of you jerks stole my Arnold palmer?”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvL2CrdpUjw
“Grape nuts and Chalk sauce” came from me thinking the beat sounded middle eastern. That reminded me of falafel. I think falafel sucks. They taste like grape nuts and chalk sauce. Boom…a title is born.

But, more often than not, the title is based on the feeling. “Raining clouds” felt like a before, during and after of a major storm. “Expiration date” was based on the inevitable course of a relationship coming to a close. Stuff like that. I pretty much just try to either lead the listener to where I’m coming from or confuse them with inside joke nonsense. So, my advice would be to never look to deep into the song titles. It might not be worth it.

Question, when do you think you’ll call it quits with playing ball?
I think about this all the time. As my main source of exercise and one of my favorite things to do, I wonder when the ship will sail. I play ball with a few guys well into their 40′s and early 50′s so there is a little hope. When i used to go to the park, there would be some dudes in their 60′s there. I suppose the biggest challenge is just not getting badly hurt. Recovery time is a motherfucker the older you get. Even now, in my mid 30′s, I’m constantly a little injured. My ankles, my back, my groin. Something is always off. I’d imagine that just gets worse and worse. SO, to answer the question, I’m hoping I can be one of those 60 year olds that’s still functional enough to play with other 60 year olds. That’s my goal.

So after going to Coachella and seeing Aesop perform, my boyfriend and I who both read your Facebook/Blog were wondering how you would fare at such an event? I don’t know if you’ve performed there before, but is it the epitome of everything you hate in the world? i.e. hot, sweaty, drugged up, bare-foot, pretentious hipster indie kids who don’t know half the music they’re rolling balls to? Would you be in and out of there after your set, or would you stick around to people watch/drink/enjoy the show?

I’ve played my fair share of festivals but never anything remotely as huge as Coachella. But, the point is, I’ve seen that world on some level. My whole M.O. with festivals is typically to get in, do my show and get out. Not cause I hate everything about the festivals but cause I don’t wanna get stranded in nature. Typically, i stay at a hotel near the festival site but lots of these things are in the middle of nowhere so it’s real easy to be forgotten and left to your own devices. Speaking of devices, phones pretty much never work at these things either so that’s another issue.
There have been a few that I’ve hung out at a little afterwards. It really just depends on the accommodations. but, I’m also not really a drug guy and booze is hard to find sometimes at these events so there is rarely much for me to do at them.
But the people? I don’t have that much of an issue. Sure, many of the festival folk are not the typical type of people I hang with but they’re usually pretty nice and friendly. I’ve never had an issue with them and , really, they’re no different from people at my shows in a lot of ways. Just with way more hula hoops, glowsticks and less shoes.
For more on my festival life, here are some pieces I’ve written in the past about them. Some of these are pretty old and you can kinda see how my viewpoint evolves as I go…so don’t be put off by any harshness in the earlier entries. Of, if you’re more like me, enjoy the harshness. Either or.
http://phatfriend.com/2010/01/17/hippies/
http://phatfriend.com/2010/07/08/the-worst-show-that-never-happened-aka-fuck-quaint/

http://phatfriend.com/2010/10/25/festivals-again/

http://phatfriend.com/2012/07/19/camp-bisco-a-photo-essay/

A)Have you ever successfully worked a sample from music in a genre not typically sampled in hiphop (emo, indie rock, avant garde stuff, etc) into one of your tracks?

B)Which track off Interludes After Midnight took the longest to finish?

A) Sure. all the time. I actually go out of my way to find that kind of stuff. The problem with some of it (in particular emo and indie rock) is that I don’t like sampling current music (anything made before the early 80′s is usually my cut off). Partially cause it just doesn’t feel right (Part of sampling is taking something old and making it new. The way things were recorded in those older eras has a lot to do with what makes the sample good) but also cause I’m more likely to get caught sampling some newer shit. I’ve sampled tons of weird avant-garde music over the years as well as any genre you can think of. I’ve tried it all at some point.

b)I’d say the toughest track on “Interludes After Midnight” was “Beyond Reach”.

Mostly cause i was working around vocals and the original song was in a strange key. At least one that I must not typically work with cause finding parts to match with it was way harder than it typically is. Also, the breakdown in the middle went through many different incarnations until I felt I got it right where I wanted it to be. I typically work with lots of fluidity and rarely go back and questions choices but , with this song, I went back a bunch of times cause it felt off.

What’s up everyone, I took a travel day off monday cause I was doing shows out west so your normally scheduled “answers for questions” got pushed to today (clearly, this is very important news to all of you). Thanks to all the people who came out in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco this past weekend. I had a great time. Shout out to Quantic as well. He killed it.
Anyway, I’m back now for a few weeks so it’s business as usual. Which means a whole lotta loafing. I can’t wait. I may also start working on a new album but the thought terrifies me so we’ll see what happens with that.
Oh, of course, if you have anything you’d like to ask me, send it my way. Either leave it in the comments below of email it to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com. There are no dumb questions. Well, that’s not true at all. Most of these questions are dumb. Just try and be less dumb , if possible.
So, without further ado, let’s get into this weeks questions.

Obviously you were there for 9/11, but do you ever think about a major catastrophe hitting New York (be it natural disaster/some man-made catastrophe) where an insanely large amount of people would need to leave the area? I’m talking a mass-evacuation over a short period of time where the potential for massive delays/pure chaos over many days could ensue. I know you’re a “don’t worry about things you can’t control” kind of situation, but I’m just curious if it’s something you’ve considered.

It would be impossible for that to not cross my mind here and here. Especially with all the crap that NYC has been through over the last 10 or so years. So, while the thought has crossed my mind and the idea of leaving here for good might one day become a reality, I’d be a dip shit to be sitting around worrying about it. The deepest I’ve delved into that line of thought is thinking where I’d move if Manhattan was washed off the map. My first choice would be San francisco (I got family and friends there) and if not there, I’d try to maybe go to Montreal or Toronto. I like both those cities a lot. Outside of that, I’m more just expecting to be one of the many bodies what gets washed away when that tidal wave eventually does come and devour the city.

Has your laptop/sequencer ever failed during a live set? What did/would you do if that situation were to occur? Did Pearl Jam the band, or pearl jam the slang for jerk off juice originate first?

Two very different questions…
1)Yup. I had my shit die on me a couple of times. In both cases, I just had to restart it and it worked okay. Still, that dead air when performing live is never awesome. Turns out crowds aren’t into it.
Worse than that though is when my computer totally shit the bed when I went to europe. I was mid way through a tour in eastern europe and I couldn’t even turn it on. I ended up doing “Dj sets” which means I played my own songs in their entirety with a touch of terrible mixing but I had no other choice. I was lucky to even be able to do that. I’m hoping I get to go back to those places (Moscow and St. Petersburg) to do real shows at some point cause those people definitely saw some bullshit.
2)The slang came first. They’re named after it. Come on, bro. You’re better than that question.

I’m from the D.C. area and from what I’ve gathered, your girl has family in Bethesda. I live in Silver Spring and I’m around the Bethesda/NW D.C./Silver Spring pretty much 100% of the time. I’m curious as to what your general thought are about that specific area of Maryland/D.C. suburbs.

Hmm…it’s just some typical suburban shit to me. Bethesda is a very nice place. I can say that. Very Clean. Surprisingly good food. Nice people. It’s tough to call cause I haven’t been around enough suburbs in my life time to really be able to tell them apart. I mean, sure, Bethesda is definitely cleaner and nicer than , say, some spots i’ve been to in long island where dudes have filthy couches on their lawns but it’s all under the same umbrella to me. Houses with lawns, lined up for miles and everyone in cars. The nuances of different suburbs is definitely lost on me. It’s like comparing women’s purses.

the year is 2013 and there are a lot of musicians making music with electronic devices…your asr-10 dies or whatever and there are no parts to fix it, irreplaceable, no more left on the planet…so you think, i still want to make music, i don’t know completely what piece of equipment to get, but i’m only going to get one piece, it’s can’t be an asr-10, because no more exist, so, you’re going to have to get a new piece of equipment, just one, where you can make music similar to what you make now, though it might be a little different, because you are getting a new piece of equipment, it could be something you know how to use or something you’ve never used before and have to learn…… what do you get??? do you continue making music or do something else???

Well, that’s easy. I’d just use Abelton entirely. I already have shifted over to it more than my sampler in recent years so the process would be pretty simple. All I’d need to get was a midi controller and I’d be good to go. I bet you were expecting a way more complicated answer, huh? Ha! Sorry dude! I’m already livin’ in 2013, bout that lyfe and shit.

Hey Block, I grew up going in an out of the city on Metro North for as long as I can remember. Ever since I left the area people seem to often ask me if New Yorkers are as bad as their reputation, especially when they go there for their first visit, and ask me for “advice.” I’ve resorted to tell them New Yorkers are just hardcore beleivers in equally reciprocating attitude. If you’re nice, they will be nice back. You push them, they push you back, etc.

You have any sage advice you would give to anyone going to NYC for the first time? As a New Yorker for life I’m interested in your take on this.

The whole misconception of NYer’s being these relentless rude assholes is crazy. I’ve found that, in general, we’re actually pretty friendly and helpful. I think the misconception comes from people not understanding that, in NY, you just kinda handle your own business. Everyone has their own deal and we’re all just going from point A to point B. So, that means if we bump shoulders sometimes, it’s nothing personal. however, 9 out of 10 times , you ask someone on the street a non-ridiculous question, they will answer it. Sure, there are exceptions and a fair amount of crazy people roaming the streets but those are just the chances you gotta take when you go to any city.
I think the main advice I’d give people visiting NYC is don’t get caught up in things you’ve heard. The fact of the matter is , at this point, NYC is pretty safe (at least anywhere tourists would be) and , beyond that, it’s a city full of people who are either not from here or just visiting. So, you should fit right in. Just whatever you do, avoid the puerto ricans. They will knife you and take your children. Just kidding. They don’t want your stupid kids.

So, you get to create a super group of which you are a part of. Five members. You as a producer who produces half the songs, and another producer who does the other half. And then two emcees and a DJ.

2) You can pick anyone, alive or dead.

God I hate these types of questions. It’s like dungeons and dragons for rap nerds.
But, I will abide…
1) Aesop rock and Billy Woods are the rappers, Kid Koala is the DJ and the other producer would be Hot Sugar. That would be a bugged out fucking group

2)Kool g rap circa 1991 and Willie D circa 1990 would be the rappers, I’d keep Kid Koala as the dj for this group and my co-producer would be Diamond D circa 1991.

Hey Blockhead, what do you think of 808? It’s everywhere now. Sometimes it’s used really well, but I hate the sounds and often it just sucks (In my opinion).

You hate the 808 drum? I hope you’re confusing the entire 808 kit with the one sound it’s known for (the deep bass kick drum) cause then I might kinda understand. Lots of those sounds are dated but, the kick drum 808? I use that all the time. It’s my favorite low-end bass kick available. Perfect for layering under other kicks or break beats.
Also, it’s nothing new…it’s been around since the 80′s. Some people who use may make shitty music but don’t blame that on the drum sound. That’s like hating on an MPC cause some asshole makes trance hop house music on it.

What’s crackin’ people. I had a great weekend doing shows for the people of NYC, Philly and RIchmond. Thanks to all those of you who came out (especially those of you who read this blog and told me so at the shows. I love that.). I got Shows in Portland, Seattle and SF next weekend. More info HERE.
Anyway, two weeks in a row…STILL NOT SICK. Trying to set a record up in here.
So, as you probably know, this is that thing where I answer questions sent into me by my readers. I can always use more. If you have an itch that needs scratching in the form of a question, send it my way. Either leave it int he comment section below or email it to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com
Yay!

What do you think is behind the “white rap voice”? Do you think it’s just guys who don’t speak with any sort of street in their voices who all of a sudden find rap and decide to try it? Obviously the essence of it is over-pronunciation of all syllables and a general higher voice/whine, but why do you think this happens so much and with such consistency?

I think the “White voice” is deeper than that. I think that, while it’s a mixture of the things you listed (Over pronunciation and lack of street authenticity) what REALLY makes a white voice white is the whininess. A successful rap voice usually requires presence, command and something about it that sounds cool (the kids call it swagger). Think of dudes like Big Daddy Kane or Rakim. Chuck D. Even a dude with a lisp can sound cool if his voice happens to hit those buttons in your brain. Also, part of rappers sounding good is effortlessness. Whenever I hear someone trying really hard, it’s obvious. A lot of white dudes don’t have any of those qualities and , on top of that, sound like they’re struggling just to stay on beat. The same could be said about someone like Kweli. His voice is fairly weak and his flow has never sounded natural to me. So, if you’re feeling like I’m picking on just white guys, rest easy cracker. It does go both ways. But let’s not fool ourselves, it’s called “white voice” for a reason.
I think a large portion of white guys are just predisposed to having voices that don’t sound good in the context of rapping. We may be better suited for singing over quietly strummed guitars. Take a dude like John Darnielle from the Mountain goats. He’s got a serious white voice but he finds a way to use it in music so it sounds cool.
But, really, when it’s all said and done, it’s all genetics and DNA. Whites be white, yo.

This is kinda off topic but it’s tour related. So you are going to play a festival called “Lightning in a Bottle” in Temecula California in July. That’s the closest you have come to San Diego (about 30 min) that you have come in a long time. This is definitely one of those hippie rave type festivals that you mention you get billed on from time to time. Don’t get me wrong. I definitely don’t blame you for playing when and where you can and for having an eclectic fan base. I would be down to wade through the sea of tie die & glow sticks to see your live show in a minute but, this being a pretty large festival, even a day pass is almost $200. Now, I dig your music and have been a fan for a while but that’s pretty steep especially considering I can almost guarantee that your performance would be the only thing I would be in to.(Except maybe scoring some shrooms or some Molly! Hehe)Seriously though I can’t think of anyone I’d pay $200 to see except like a Doom/Aesop/Wu-Tang/Billy Woods/90′s ATCQ fantasy line up thing. Has anyone ever mentioned this to you before? OR do some harcore Blockhead fans( that aren’t of the Patchouli wearing-fuzzy pant-rocking variety) really shell out over a hundo to come see the god? I imagine playing these types of shows are good for you. Getting paid, getting exposed to new fans, and the rest but do you ever resent it? Do you wish you could be maybe opening up on a tour with a rapper you know? I just ask mostly because youve said that these shows really aren’t your thing as far as a scene goes. Or does it not matter and a show is a show?

I can’t say I spend much time thinking about it. As far as festivals go, I’ve gotten to the point where I just suck it up and do them and end up having a good time. The thing is, while that’s not my scene, the people are generally very nice and the promoters are accommodating (except this one TIME.
While i’m sure there is a decent proportion of my fan base that is in the same boat as you, there are also others who love to go to festivals and relate my music much less to rap than someone who’s been listening to me since the early 2000′s. What I’m saying is, I do have a decent sized burner/electronic festival type following. While this surprises me as I think of my music as very much rooted in hip hop, I’m not about to be a dick about it and try and pick and choose fans. Everyone is welcome.
As for the hip hop festival idea, I don’t think it would work. My set , at the end of the day, plays better to people who are trying to dance or bug out. Hip hop crowds that stand and stare, while occasionally pumping a fist are not who I wanna play for. That may be more my personal scene (though, going to rap shows in 2013 is a fucking nightmare for me) but my fan base is something totally different, in general.

Did you ever bump into Eyedea or meet him? He’s an incredibly dope freestyler and I know he’s done some sessions/tracks with Aesop, Illogic, and that whole crew. Ever been present for a Rhymesayers freestyle?

I chilled with Eyedea around 2000. He and slug came to NYC for the Rock steady rap festival and we hung out and recorded some songs together. This is one of them:

The original version of “Bent Life” featured slug and Eyedea is another we did

Here’s a pic of him at my old crib kicking a rhyme to my inflatable doll/beer cozy

I think after that weekend, I saw him maybe once or twice again but he was a really good dude and one of the craziest freestylers I’ve ever witnessed. RIP

I know you’ve talked about not wanting to grow older and dying while you’re still young (young in the relative sense that you’re not some mentally/physically deteriorating mess with all sorts of old people problems). What do you think is the sweet spot age-wise for death? Don’t you think that you’re always going to have that self-preservation where in the moment, you won’t want to die?

I think it depends on a lot of factors. Do i have a family that needs me? Am I bored? Do i have plans for the future? In my mind, how long I’d want to live is directly related to how functional I am. If I’m ever at the point where I can’t wipe my own ass ever again, put me in a wheelchair and roll my ass off a bridge. Once that’s gone, so if your soul. But, seeing as that could happen tomorrow or in 50 years, I really can’t call it. I basically only want to live if I’m relatively physically functional. I don’t need to be doing wind sprints when I’m 70 but I’d like to be able to walk up some stairs if I need to. I’d like to not be the age that, if I trip, I might paralyze myself.
I often thought that I’d rather live a full life that ends the age of 40 than live a lame life to the ago of 80 but, as I’m nearing in on 40, I dunno if I agree with that anymore. I think a happy medium works for me. I have no interest in being an old, decrepit burden on anyone. So, if I live till 60 in generally good health and die mid-orgasm or something, I’m fine with that. Much better that than dying of starvation, half cocked off a toilet seat with a half wiped asshole cause my back gave out and I live alone.

do you say pop or soda? i think saying soda is weird, like calling kids children or cars automobiles. i hear some people in the south call all soda pop “coke” which seems ignorant as fuck. anyway pop or soda?

Pop is some midwest shit. I hear someone call soda “Pop” and , much like the words “hella” or “wicked”, I basically know where they’re from. Me and everyone I’ve ever met on the east coast call it “soda”.
The funny thing about your reasoning about why it’s weird to you that people would call it “soda” is that you’re saying that the full name of it is supposed to be “Soda pop”. Perhaps that might have been the case in the era of “Happy days” but who on this planet has called anything a “soda pop” in the last 30 years? It’s “soda” because that’s what it is…literally. Carbonation and flavored water. While “Pop” has a nice ring to it, it also sounds like something only a child should say. us grown folks though? Soda, bro. All day, every day.

Oh, side note…I wanna give a special shout out to a kid that came to my show in Richmond. He was the first through the door and walked right up to me and asked me to sign something for him. I agreed and he pulled out this:

(That’s what it looked like after I signed it)
But, yeah…Wow. In case you’re confused, that’s a pic of my that I posted on my instagram (@blockheadnyc) a few months ago for a #throwbackthursday. I was 15 in that pic…Killing it. This dude wins the grand prize for life. Props to you , guy. That made my night.

What up. Back again…Mark this day down cause I’m actually not sick! Feels good, man.
My back is fucked up though so, you know, life goes on.
Btw, I got shows in NYC, Philly and RIchmond this week. for more info, peep HERE. I’d love to see you.
Hey bro. Hey gurlll. You got any questions you wanna ask me? Well, this is your chance. Either email them to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comments below. I’m game for almost anything so feel free to get weird.
Now, on to this weeks questions…

What do you think about the gun control situation in America? Cause there’s some people making guns using 3D printers. To me that just sounds absolutely ludicrous. Any dimwit who can get there hands on a 3D printer can now potential access a gun regardless of their criminal history.

Wait…what? Who’s making guns out of 3d printers? and it’s such a widespread thing that it somehow enters the conversation about gun control? If that’s true than just abandon all hope and hide in your basement until you die of starvation. I’m not up on much but that sounds kinda farfetched. It sounds like it’s as much a problem as, say, people making Macgyver-like bombs out of gum and a toilet paper roll.
As for gun control, I’m the first to admit that I’m not very schooled on the issue. All I know is that a bunch of crazy people have been going crazy lately. Does that mean all guns should be banned? I don’t think that’s realistic. The best thing we can do is to make guns extremely hard to get. Like an adoption. Then it might cut down on the crazies going nuts. But, even then, people will find a way. This is one of those problems that, while it could be helped by a new plan, is never going to just go away. When people are motivated , they can achieve a lot. Unfortunately, that goes for people who want to do bad things just as much as people with good intentions.
I’ve always liked the Chris Rock Idea of making Bullets ridiculously expensive.

So I have been playing guitar for a long time now. I got into production trying to record my guitar sounds over a MIDI drum track. Gradually over the years, I got to enjoy the process and I started to become more ambitious about music production. I spent a lot of time developing my skills in Ableton and other DAWs and VSTs. However, I feel I have forgotten the kind of musician i started out to be. With so many different production tricks to learn and so many new genres to incorporate into my production style, my shit has turned too technical. I can’t feel the groove in my music anymore. My production ambition seems to be going nowhere. I don’t make any money from my music. I am almost 27 and there is family pressure on me to start thinking about my “real” career (I have a bachelors in engineering). I don’t wanna be the 30 year old guy who is pretending to make music (Thats how I assume other people will think of me). But there is this little voice inside of me that says that I cannot quit after coming so far and so close. There are days when spending hours on my laptop producing music seems so worthless. Yet, sometimes a song will gradually develop over months into something that even surprises me in a nice way.

I have thought about DJing for quick money. Sadly, I hate DJing that is popular in my part of the world. DJing here means mixing a few local language songs with a stupid little European house beat that drunk people like to shake their asses to. It has the perfect formuliac build up, the drop and what not. It makes me wanna puke when I am not drunk. Rarely, I end up dancing to this stupid shit when I get shit faced. Then, it makes me wanna cry the next morning. I don’t know what is wrong with me. Why am I so hung up on making good music or what I think is good music. Should I lower my standards and sell out? Should I quit music altogether and just make it a thing of my past (like my dad’s long hair phase from the 70s)? Should I take the risk and try to make “good” music even though most people don’t give a shit about it? In that case, I will probably be broke eternally for the sake of not selling out as an asshole DJ. Help.

I don’t know why everything has to be so black and white. You could get a job and still make music. Whenever people ask me for advice about being a musician for their career, I always tell them to not bother.While that seems grim, the reality is it’s simply to much of a dice roll. I’m existing doing what I do for a living because of lucky circumstances and good timing. My “talent” is completely secondary. There are plenty of people out there that are far more talented than I am that will never release anything simply because they never got that break. Or their timing was wrong.
So, I’d say keep making music if that’s what you like doing. Having a creative outlet is crucial to keeping sane. But don’t put much stock in it ever becoming a thing you can live off. It’s one of those things that, if it happens, accept it with open arms but never expect it…especially at your age. That said, I was 26/27 when I quit my last job to do music full time so it’s not impossible…just HIGHLY unlikely.
As for the DJing, I’d say if you value your sanity and you desire to not kill people, avoid it. DJing is the fucking worst for any with original thoughts towards music. Unless you’re just spinning stuff you like in a tiny lounge or something, it’s a nightmare that will make you question humanity on a nightly basis. For more on that, read this:
http://phatfriend.com/2012/02/01/no-requests/

Do you remember the stuff you dream at night ?
Are your dreams visual or are there sounds/music in your dreams as well ? what about movements and smell or taste ?
what is the most bizarre thing that ever happened in your dreams ?

I almost never remember my dreams. I don’t know if it’s cause i sleep so lightly or cause I just ignore them. When I de recall dreams, they tend to be both realistic and boring. Like I’ve literally dreamt I did my laundry. I woke up thinking “Oh cool, I don’t have to do laundry today” only to find that I hadn’t done my laundry. Mind bending stuff , I know. I’ve also dreamt of hearing some salacious gossip about a friend and woken up thinking it was real for like 5 hours. Shit like that. I certainly never have crazy, out of the ordinary things happen in my dreams. Which is too bad cause that kinda sounds like fun. Like an acid trip in your sleep.

Do you maintain a library of samples to use for songs or do you just keep it in your head and pull out records when you need them?

Over the last few years I’ve been sampling way more mp3′s (cause buying the records I’d need to sample would cost way too much so I download from rare music sites). Because of this, I’ve been able to come up with a highly organized system for possible samples I might use. Everything is in I-tunes. I organize them by type of sample (drum, something I’d use as a layer, or a main part ) and by what instrument they are. But that I mean I mark off the sample as “Piano” or , if it’s got multiple sounds I’d write “Horn/percussion/bass”. That way, when I’m making a beat, if i need a certain sound, I can just go through that section of my files and hopefully find something that works. This also helps with keep track of what I’ve sampled in the past so I don’t resample the same thing.
Before I did this whole I-tunes thing, I used to stick post it notes on records saying what songs on the record were good and what instruments they were. This is just a much more organized and upgraded version of that.

Seeing how women have decided to own the word “Bitch” (“I’m the baddest bitch in the room”), and calling someone a “Ho” doesn’t quite have the same impact it did 20 years ago (I blame this entirely on the Rap music), what is the most offensive word you could call a female in 2013?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate gay people either… but those last two are hard to give up if you’ve used them once. (no homo?)

“Cunt” is clearly the winner of the offensive woman word(unless you’re in the UK where they use it like we use “Jerk”). I’d imagine they don’t wanna be called “twat” either. But, really, it’s more how you say it than what you say. I could playfully call a girl a cunt and get away with it but if I stress the word “Bitch” right , it will cut deep. Honestly, I think, more than any of those words, calling a girl “fat” will get the biggest rise out of them. Even worse “Fat cunt”. Hell, some girls lose their shits over being called “thick” and that’s typically a compliment. Any time you attack someones insecurities, that’s what’s gonna set them off. I do think it’s funny to call a really skinny girl a “fat bitch” though cause it’s such a curveball. Same with calling a group of guys “dykes”.

As for dudes, it’s the same thing. If someone calls me a “fag” or a “cock sucker” or “asshole” I can’t really say it’ll get much anger out of me. It’s just a word. It’s all about context and what the person is saying. I’m a straight white male so it’s basically impossible to offend me. I’m only offended by some shit where the persons attack either has merit or is so off base it’s makes me think the person is slow. But no single word is gonna set me off ever.

So what great rappers do you think have fallen the farthest from grace? Either from making one great album and never matching it or having a reign of greatness and then just slowly becoming a pathetic shell of their former self.

I mean, it’s gotta be KRS-One , right? In a world full of formerly great old school rappers who are now totally mediocre, he seems to take the cake. Not only did his rapping wear thin but he just seems like a crazy old cult leader now. Anytime I see a current interview with him he’s just rambling on about some bullshit that only norwegian break dancers would ever care about.
The thing is, old school rap dudes love to talk. They have some crazy stories and,if you’re a fan, that kinda shit is awesome to listen to. But once the stories end and the life lessons begin, you realize that lots of these dudes are just bitter old assholes trying to stay relevant. I con’t even blame them as the nature of life as a musician can be pretty brutal. But, the fact of the matter is, we all fall off eventually.

What up. I’m still recovering from a two day hangover after playing a fun show in Denver this weekend. Special shout out to all those who came out.
But, now I’m back in NYC. Laying in bed typing this like it’s my job. Bout’ that work, yall!
Anyway, if you have any questions you’d like me to answer, about anything, send them my way. Either leave them in the comments below or email them to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com. Both those methods have been proven to be successful.
Okay, let’s jump into this weeks bag of crap…

So, you were “recruited” by an intelligence agency to go on 2 time journeys to the past, and your mission was to kill 2 historical figures when they were still infants. You could go as far back in time as 10.000 years.

Who would you choose?

Man, if I’m the guy they pick for that job they must really be at a loss. I’m the type who would be so jet lagged by time travel I’d end up needing like two weeks to just get in the right state of mind to even begin to be ready to kill an evil infant.
#1…Well, hitler seems like the obvious choice. Aside from getting a nice trip to Austria out of it, I’d save the world from his utterly mediocre art, as well as him killing all those jews.
#2 would be Jesus. Not because I would want to kill jesus but I would like to see how years and years of bible retellings and interpretations would explain a baseball hat and sneaker clad man from the future came and killed a baby. Honestly, just to see how the bible would describe a baseball hat alone would be amazing. I’m sure their explanations would make it all worth it in hilarity.

oy block, whats the status quo on sampling in the music business nowadays, or for you in particular? i get that to some degree you might wanna keep some of that on the hush but do you generally pull from old obscure records or from your friends work or do you warp copyrighted stuff til one cant tell what it was or just whatever youre feelin that day? what influence has the internet had on your sampling diet?
and how the hell did you get the insomniac olympics sample to sound the way it does? the lady singin crazy vowels out some hole in her head?

It’s kinda on some don’t ask don’t tell shit for me. I’ve given up sampling dollar bins records cause they’re all either too famous (at least in the sense that it’s major label music that never got popular) or the crates have been ravaged to the point where there’s not much left. So, Nowadays, I just look online at a handfull of rare music blogs and download those albums. Not only are they free (it’s not like the artists were seeing any money from some asshole record collector selling the same records for hundreds of dollars) but they’re the kinda stuff that can slip under the radar. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m not very famous. I don’t sell enough records for people to come looking for me. The only time it’s an issue (in general) is when a song gets in a commercial or tv show. Then the level of scrutiny can rise. In those cases, things either need to be cleared or replayed by live instruments.
as for the insomniac olympics vocal sample, it’s simply sped up with a heavy guitar amp effect on it.

I get asked about twice a week as to the origin of that sample and I have 100% no idea. i made that beat in the 90′s. I wasn’t paying attention to records back then.

Hey Blockhead, I just read this:
http://potholesinmyblog.com/the-trouble-with-macklemore/

If you don’t want to read it, the article questions whether Macklemore is bad for hip hop and is a dilution or deviation from the genre’s roots. While my initial reaction is to agree, I also don’t see the difference between him and, say, Atmosphere or Doomtree. I’ve listened to Atmosphere in the past; I have never really felt Doomtree. I get that they’re talented, but they’ve just never really done it for me. Macklemore seems kind of similar–he’s a decent rapper in terms of technical skill, and he’s been grinding for a long time, but I just don’t feel the overall vibe.

What is the difference between watering down hip hop and respecting the genre, as a white participant?

Lemme just preface this with this:
First off, by all accounts of people I know, I’ve heard Macklemore is a good dude. That’s one thing. I’ve never met him, I honestly have heard maybe three songs he’s ever done and it wasn’t the kinda shit I like so I didn’t look any further into it. Clearly, I’m not his target audience as , not only do i own a penis, but I’m also an old person.
Now, to answer your questions…
1) He’s just another white rapper to me. No better, no worse. There are literally hundreds of rappers just like him out there. That said, He’s certainly more of an artist than Mac Miller. Still, he’s not bringing anything new to the table other than being a name that people are checking out. Slug has BEEN doing that style better for over a decade. I respect his grind though and he has been doing this since the days of fast rapping.

He’s in a position now where people will listen to him. I appreciate that he’s taking advantage of that and trying to make songs about real issues (other than hitting the thrift store). So, no, he’s not worse for hip hop. He’s just another white dude rapping in a world full of white dudes rapping. Sand to the beach, bro, sand to the beach.

2)Neither of them would ever have the success Macklemore has had because neither of them would ever make a song like Thrift Store. That’s not a diss. It’s simply not in their repertoire. Had Macklemore not made that song, he’d still be a very popular underground rapper. Now he’s a super star. Part of the reason he gets shit from people is for that very fact. He was an underground rapper who made a catchy song that blew up. While Aes and El could possibly make a catchy song that might reach outside their hardcore fan bases, they’re both waaaaaay too abstract for that song to ever reach a “Thrift store” level of notoriety. For that reason alone they’d never be under the same kind of scrutiny that Macklemore is/has been. They’re simply a different breed of artist.

3)I’d like to think we’re past the point of thinking about this in a “white/black” kinda way. It’s not like there aren’t artists of all races that don’t make shitty hip hop music. A white rapper making a jokey, silly song that people in cubicles like is far less offensive to me than that same white rapper doing a corny song about the four elements. That shit is beyond played out. We’re past that. At this point, people just gotta put their heads down and make the music they make. Most of the kids making music today are so far removed from an era where “respecting the genre” was even a thing that it’s a non-issue. The only people who still REALLY care about that shit are the boom bap dinosaurs who can’t keep up with the times. I’m not gonna front like I don’t get a little mad when i hear a new Black Eyed peas song but, at the end of the day, people are gonna do what they want to do. If you’re consciously worried about “watering down the culture” while making music, you probably shouldn’t be making the music in the first place.

If you had the opportunity to become the new host for a reboot of any of these formerly popular TV shows, which one would you choose?

1.) The Man Show
2.) The Jerry Springer Show
3.) Fear Factor

I think all three of these shows had cool things about them.
I never watched much fear factor but, when it’s on, I’ll peep it cause it’s usually very entertaining.
Springer is a classic but it’s gotten out of hand. It also has to compete with Maury , which is way better cause he figured out a show of maternity cases will always be better than fake redneck love triangles.
The man show could have been awesome but it fell too deeply into the mind of adam Corrola. Funny guy but also incredibly annoying. Jimmy Kimmel, to me, is way funnier and has proven that his ideas have more longevity than any bit corrola might come up with about fixing cars or whatever. The second run of it was a different show but it feels like they weren’t allowed to spread their wings and do what they wanted to do.

Of the three, I think , if done right, Jerry Springer would be the one you could improve on the best and the quickest. Simply by going back to the roots of the show and finding ridiculous people who do ridiculous things. The catch would be it all has to be real. That show took a hit when it started becoming redneck dinner theater. Sure, real stories may result in less fist fights but it would be way more compelling, in my opinion.

Have you ever had anyone tell you that you dont make actual music because you “steal” music from other artists and put it together to claim it as your own? If so, what do you say to them, and if not, what would you say to them if anyone ever told you that?

I’m the first person to admit i don’t really feel like a musician. I make music but not in a traditional way No one’s ever said that to me directly (though it’s certainly been alluded to) but I’m not gonna blow smoke up someones ass like I’m fucking Beethoven when that’s simply not the case. I sample. Not everything is a sample but most of it is. I’m fully aware of this. If i couldn’t sample, my music would take a serious hit. That’s a fact.
If someone said that to me I’d probably halfway agree but add in that the final product of what I make is never anything like the source material. Also, that doing what i do is not as easy as it seems. Especially to a person who has no reference points to the kind of music I make. But, when it comes down to it, I can’t play any instruments or read sheet music so , you know, I can understand how a musician might be bothered by that. At the same time, it’s 2013 so they should really be used to this shit by now.

I used to work at a restaurant called the Old Spaghetti Factory. We served shitty pasta and all kinds of bland shit, thus white people loved us. Over my tenure I noticed a disgusting/weird trend (or what I thought was gross). White people would very often order a glass of milk to go along with their Spaghetti, Chicken Parm, Fetuccini Alfredo etc…This is nauseating as fuck to me. What are your thoughts on this? Are there any other weird culinary pairings you partake in?

That’s disgusting. I can’t say I’m familiar with the practice of drinking a glass of milk with dinner but I’m also not a cornfed savage. To me, that kinda thing sounds extremely middle american to me. I could be wrong but I don’t know anyone who has even drank a glass of milk since grade school. All the pussies i know are probably lactose intolerant anyway.
As for weird(white) culinary pairings I partake in…I guess the only one I can think of is that I love Mayo. I know it’s not a strange thing to like but there are a large group of people out there who (wrongly) think mayo is revolting. One of my favorite things to eat back in the day was: take a breaded chicken cutlet, slap some provolone on there, place that between any type of bread and slather it with mayo THEN microwave it. Now, everyone on earth has told me microwaving mayo is a terrible idea but if you do it for like 45 seconds (until the cheese melts) it’s harmless. I know this cause i’ve done it a billion times and the result has always been a joyous snack. Also, if you eat it quick enough, the microwaved bread doesn’t get rubbery. In fact, it’s down right fluffy and soft for a minute or two.

Freshly back from Europe. Feeling like a tired shell of a man but I shall proceed.
Thanks to all the people who came out to all those shows. I had a great time and there is something kinda special about being told “I read your blog!” in somewhat broken english that warms my heart. Not even joking. That shit is awesome.
Anyway, you know the drill. you send me questions, I answer them. If you have a question, feel free to send it my way. Email me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave the question in the comments below. Go nuts.
Here are this weeks queries.

Blockhead, you seem to be an expert of all things TV related, so I think I need your advice. I am still rocking a TV from the early 90s. I’m talking about something that was not even top-of-the-line when Super Nintendo was around. The only things I have hooked up to it is a DVD player and an original X-Box. I watch a lot of movies and cable series now, so I really need to step up my TV game. What type of TV should I get? My only requirement, is it has to be something that I could carry myself, if I ever have to move it. I can afford anything that size, so price is sort of not an issue. Should I get LED or Plasma or LCD? What brands do you think are best?

This will blow the minds of the few people who would actually care about this kinda thing but, for all the TV I watch, I’m still rocking an old school boxy ass tv. Granted, it’s a good model and has a large screen but I’ve never owned a led, plasma or lcd tv in my life. To be honest, as great as things look in high definition, it’s really never been that big an issue to me. I can see things fine on my TV. It’s not like I just sit around watching nature specials all day…or porn (what’s what my computer’s for). Sure, HD sports looks better but it’s not like TV’s that aren’t HD are the equivalent to watching TV through a fog. I have plenty of friends with huge, hi-def flat screen Tv’s in their cribs and it simply never looks THAT much better to me. Keep in mind, I’m also epically lazy when it comes to buying new things (I’ve had the same sampler since the mid 90′s) and I probably need glasses but still, I’m the wrong person to ask about this regardless.

I have to ask, what’s the story behind the video for The Music Scene? Trippiest thing on the internet! So just wanted to know how it came about, were you involved in production and what you think of it?

I wish I could tell you some exciting story that adds to the lore of that video but I’m afraid the reality is much more sterile. Ninja Tune emailed me and asked if it would be cool if they commissioned an artist to make an animated video for that song. I said “sure” and totally forgot about it. In the past, I’ve never really given that much of a shit about my videos. Some were okay but I was never hands on in the making of them so they didn’t really resonate with me, as the guy making the music. Because of this, when they asked about the video, I was really didn’t put any thought into it or have high hopes.
Fast forward five months later, I get an email from my manager with a youtube link and “Have you seen this!??!” written above it. That was the first time I saw the video. I had completely forgotten it was in the works and I can honestly say I’ve never been more pleasantly surprised in my life.
I’d like to tell you that the artist and I collaborated and came up with the concept together but nope…it was all him. Outside of him incorporating some of the artwork from “The music Scene” album, he did everything. fucking amazing job though. All I did was make a song and he did the rest.

In the last 6 years I have moved from Columbus to France, back to Columbus. Then to Rochester, NY and I am now in Los Angeles. In 4 months time I am moving to Boston. All of these moves are partially professional and partially because of my relationship. In know you love the NYC.
1) Can you imagine any scenario where you would have to move every year or 18 months?
2) Would you be willing to move across the country on one or more occasions to support your gf?
3) Do you have an opinion of dudes who end up following their girlfriends all over the places or vice-versa?
4) I know it’s been a minute since you lived in Boston. Do you have any 10 to 15 year old advice for somebody heading to that town?

1)Never. Not ever ever ever. I’m tied into NYC by the facts that I own a house here and I don’t know how to drive a car. That latter fact limits me a lot , in terms of places I could function. But I like it that way.
2)I love my girl and this would never happen cause she’s never leaving NYC either but, again, the answer would be no. Partially for the reasons stated in answer #1 but also cause , if that were to happen, it just wouldn’t be meant to be. My life plan is living in NYC.
3)I mean, it’s really something that can only be judged situationally. If you work a profession that allows you to move all over and you don’t mind it, then it’s fine. If you’re constantly leaving a situation you like to appease someone else’s career while you’re floundering, then it’s not okay. Honestly, I wouldn’t wanna date someone who constantly needs to move but, hey , that’s me.
4)It’s been almost 20 years and I hated it back then. I’ve traveled a lot since then and realized, Boston isn’t that bad, it’s just not a “real” city. It’s a cute town. There’s good food there…that’s always nice. I’d say just get used to leaving bars at 1 am and those awful fucking accents. Aside from that, I’m sure it kicks the shit out of Rochester and Columbus, as far as quality of life goes.

What are you’re feelings on tattoos? Do you have any? I feel as if it has become more trendy within the past few years to get them. Also, do you find tattoos on women sexy?

I have no tattoos. I don’t think I’d ever get one. I’m just not that type of guy. I’m a very “take it as it is” kinda person so I’ve never felt the need to add on to my person. I don’t wear jewelry, pierces, watches or cologne. I just don’t need that extra shit. Also, the idea of something permanent on my body doesn’t sit well with me.
When i think to how dumb I was just five years earlier, the idea of the kinda shit i woulda had tatted on myself when i was in my early 20′s is chilling. I’d probably have a fucking Organized Konfusion tattoo on my arm or some shit. Speaking of which, if i can give any young tattoo curious people some sound advice, it would be to avoid all things musical. your taste will not be the same in 10 years. You will regret it. I promise you that.
As for my thoughts on tattoo’s, I dunno. Some are cool. Some are lame. Some people look like they were born to have them other look like they’re trying way too hard. I’d say more people fall into the latter category though. Especially recently as it seems like everyone is getting them. Like huge pussies are getting tattoo’s and that seems like it’s counter productive. The second Justin Beiber got a full sleave, Tattoo’s definitely somewhat jumped the shark.
I don’t think girls with tattoo’s are particularly sexy or unsexy. Depends on the girl. It’s rare I’ll find a tattoo on a girl amplifies her hotness though. If she’s hot, she’s hot. and if she’s plain, no tattoo is gonna make her look that much better to me. I’m not a fan of girls with full sleeves and crazy amount of tats all over though cause it makes me think they have stinky vaginas. I have no science connected to that theory at all, it’s just a vibe i get.

If you take off you’re hat, how much hair is there?
I dunno. I never weighed it. (See what i did there?)

Not to sound like a vinyl nerd but I really cant get behind buying anything but. It’s just so much a better experience having a large format that sounds superior with big artwork to look at. I will buy a CD if that’s the only format avaialble but I will avoid, at all costs, buying a digital only copy. It really me that you are only buying a liscense to play the music. A liscense with all sorts of limits and regualtions attached.Regulations that don’t benefit artists as much as the music providers.

What are your thoughts on people like me? Am I a spoiled music nerd that expects too much? I know vinyl is expensive and no one wants to be stuck with crates of unused merchandise but is it too much to ask for a least some limited release wax? Does it make me an entitled asshole to want something more than a limited license to download and transfer music in exchange for my hard earned money. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on music over the years and I will spend thousands more but I will not pay for a download.

I mean, yeah, you’re a bit of a spoiled music nerd with unrealistic ideals for music in 2013. That said, it’s not a bad thing to take music seriously and enjoy it in a fashion that generation before you used to. One of my biggest gripes with how music is consumed nowadays is that it’s all so fleeting. The days of taking an album home from the store, opening it, looking at the art work, and playing it while you read the liner notes are long gone and that’s unfortunate. I certainly felt closer to the albums and the artists due to that process and I feel it does make for a better feeling of the music in general.
So, I get it. It’s admirable to be that guy in 2013 , while most people’s idea of listening to an album is skimming the first 30 seconds of each song on spotify. But I think the problem with it is you can’t expect everyone (or anyone really) to feel the same way. So, basically, it’s cool that you do that and feel strongly about it but you also must understand that most artists don’t press vinyl for a reason…cause they lose money. I’ve noticed a shift in that lately , which is good, but it still doesn’t mean most artists are going to be doing vinyl runs of their albums. Also as a person who pretty much only listens to music via my IPOD, mp3′s can be your friends. You’re taking too strong a stance against something that isn’t harming anyone. After all, if you genuinely like music, who cares what form it comes in , as long as you can appreciate the music itself.

Hello Everyone. I’m writing this from a bed in Vienna right now. It’s who they fuck knows O’clock right now in the US as i tend to lose track of time when ever I’m overseas. Anyway, being the reliable man I am, I’m not gonna let a little week long tour in europe stop the me from writing my stupid fucking blog. I may miss a day this week…Or not. Really depends on the internet connections in Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. But, for today, I come with the regularly scheduled program of answers for questions. As always, if you’d like to ask me anything, I’m an open book. Leave questions in the comment section or email them to me at Phatfriendblog@gmail.com. Both those methods work perfectly.
Anyway, I’m gearing up for a full day of eating great viennese food (schnitzel and sausage like WOAH) so here are todays answers for questions….

I understand the correlation between the title of your blog and the header picture but is there an interesting story behind why you chose the title ‘Phatfriend’ besides just liking the picture so much? 

The picture came waaaaaaay after the blog name. I had been sitting on the name for a while. I just always liked the idea of taking the term “fat friend” and rappifying it. Initially, I thought “Phat friend” would be a great band name or even just a song title but it was too silly for anything I’d ever put out (which is saying a lot considering the silly ass song titles I’ve chosen in the past). When I decided to make this blog, it was a no brainer for me. This blog is mostly me being stupid and the tagline “Sweeping generalizations and unicorns” was too long for a blog name. So, it would only be right for me to have a name that sets the stage for something a little more light hearted than someone who only knows me through my music might expect. Cause , after all, I am your Phat friend. Then I found the picture through a random google search and it was like the star aligning. Shit was magical and musical, dun.

from what I gather a large part of the artists you have worked with you’ve formed a personal relationship with beforehand. Has there been anyone in your career you didn’t know before giving them a beat, and possibly even excited to work with before you became good friends?

It’s rare that I’ve worked with anyone out of the blue. In most cases, it’s been people I knew fairly well or people I sought out to work with. Cage is probably the only guy I worked with who I was a fan first. I was a huge Cage fan from the 90′s so when I got to do some beats on “Hell’s winter”, that was pretty exciting.
On the other side of things, both Lo deck and despot approached me for beats and I had no idea who they were. But, after meeting them and seeing what they were about, I ended up working with both of them a decent amount and becoming friends with them. That kinda thing is way more likely than me working with some super star who all of a sudden becomes my close buddy.

Say one day you woke up, felt like you needed a break from your surroundings, home, family, friends and you just decide to run off to another place, hitchhiking kind of.. What would be some things you’d take with you?

Honestly, my laptop and my iPod. Well…and my clothes. I’d hate to be one of those hobo motherfuckers who stinks all the time and wears the same frayed up pants for a year straight.
That said, I wouldn’t ever do some shit like that. It’s way out of character for me as I’m not a person who’s typically overwhelmed or emo about anything. Also, I love my amenities. Skipping town to live the life of drifter, for me, would become basically a hopscotch from starbucks to starbucks to find a good wireless connections. Fuck that shit.

given the age you are (and I am right behind you so not an insult) whenever you and your girl go to family functions do you get hounded about getting married and having kids?

Shockingly no. My mom will make little comments here and there but she’s not one for pressuring me over shit like that (even though i know, deep down, she wants a grandchild immediately). My girls parents , I’d guess, are maybe more antsy about it (I honestly wouldn’t know, I don’t speak to them like that) but they’ve never said anything to me about it. Luckily for me, my girl has an older brother who has a fairly new kid so that most likely took some heat off of me.
I’m at a weird age where I either should have a kid or I should be gearing up towards a kid but, to be honest, I can’t say I’m exactly dying to do that right now. I enjoy my freedom too much and my job involves tons of traveling. A kid would certainly change that. Also, babies , when they’re not being cute, are kind of disgusting.

I’ve noticed lately (on twitter) that a lot of guys talk about girls with “daddy issues” Things like “if you have daddy issues hit me up” stuff like that along the line.. What do they mean by that? What is about girls with daddy issues that’s attractive? Or even a good thing? Have you had any experiences with girls like that?

Fitting follow up to the previous question.
Umm…daddy issues are everywhere. They can range anywhere from a girl who’s too obsessed with her dad to a girl who hates her dad to a girl who was abandoned by her dad to a girl who had sex with her dad. Basically, anything that may occur between a father and daughter that eventually results in the girl acting a certain way (either negatively or sexually). Like, I’d say most porn stars most likely have daddy issues. I’m not a doctor and have done no research on that, but that’s an assumption I’m willing to stand by.
The fact of the matter is that most girls do have daddy issues in some way. How could they not? Surely their dads have played a significant roll in their lives. I bet most guys have mommy issues as well. But , typically, when someone is being referred to as a person with “Daddy issues” they usually just me “oh, she’s crazy” or “oh, she’s a slut”.
Why do some men find this attractive? Perhaps cause a lot of guys are deeply into crazy sluts. A lot of those types of girls are willing to do some crazy shit sexually or they’re lunacy is attractive to guys who like trouble. I find guys who specifically go after girls like this to be kinda low lives….It’s seeking out damaged goods so you can take advantage of them.
Have I experienced girls like this? Of course. Any guy who has been single and sexually active for any amount of time has. I’ve always been repelled by them though so I can’t say I’ve even been in a relationship with a girl who’s daddy issues were above average. I’ve sure as hell boned a few though and, while they were an experience, I can’t say i miss them.

Who is your favorite current and past NBA player and which one-five (past or present) players would you let Methodman torture and why?

Player #5)
I’ll fucking sew your asshole closed, and keep feedin you and feedin you, and feedin you, and feedin you.
 
Not that you would actually want Methodman’s imagination running wild in real life. 

This question makes very little sense but I’ll play along.
My favorite basketball player of all time is Dominique Wilkins. Currently, it’s hard to gauge cause I play fantasy basketball so it skews my opinion of players. I do think kyrie irving and James harden are the two most exciting players to watch though. now as for this retarded method man angle…I’d let Chris “The Birdman” Anderson so all of these cause I feel like he’d do each with one the proper amount of zeal.

What’s really good everyone?
I’m on the verge of yet another fucking head cold so, admittedly, I’mkinda in a crappy mood. How this will translate into this post, we shall see. My guess? I’m gonna be kind of a dick but , hey, you never know. Regardless, i still love you all like my unborn seeds and I’m always accepting of any questions you may have to ask me. So, if you got any questions, send them my way. Email them to Phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comments below.
But, for now, let’s get this shit over with…

What are your views on freestyling? It seems to me that sometimes when a rapper is “freestyling” their rhymes are just too tight. Like, there’s no way they are making something up this complex on the spot. I saw Del, who has been in the game forever, freestyling on tv the other day and while it was decent, it was nowhere up to par with the rest of his recorded work. You could tell he was making it up on the spot. it felt real. Now when I have seen certain people on Pitchfork selector, let’s use the El-P/Despot Selector, as a reference. Both of their verses are really tight, like so tight, it didn’t seem like it was made up on the spot. I know there was something back when their records dropped when El and Killer Mike were both on Sway’s show and they both kind of politely refused to freestyle on the spot. On Selector though, it’s supposed to be “freestyle”, but it made me wonder if they had some extra time to prepare for it and thus were not really doing it off the top of their head. Not to knock Despot/El-P, both are amazing rappers and El is up there with my favorite rappers of all time. I could care less if it wasn’t truly freestyle, dude can do no wrong in my book. I guess what I am getting at is, it possible to rap that tight off the top of your head? Can you tell when someone is freestyling and when some of it is pre-written or partially written?

Another good example is the recent “Art of Rap” doc. Some of the dudes on there go on for a couple of minutes(Kanye and Eminem for example) and it just sounds too good to be true. What do you think, are these guys just truly that mind boggling amazing at freestyling? or is there a grey area where it is hard to tell or where because of the situation they might have a little extra time to prepare because it is not technically a battle, and they know it is coming and have time to prepare?

What you’re trying to decipher is the difference between a written and a rhyme that’s off the top of the head. 98% of the time, when a rapper is kicking a verse on a radio show that seems to be good to be off the dome, that’s because it’s not. The term “Freestyle” used to mean just going off, unprepared but over time that’s changed. Most of the time people just kick an obviously pre-written verse (that, under no guise they are trying to pass off as a freestyle) or they go off the top and it’s very clear that’s what they’re doing.
That said, there are a select few rappers out there who can actually rap off the top of the head so well that it could, conceivably seem like a written. Contrary to popular belief though, it’s way rarer than you think. Older battle dudes like Supernatural and Juice were two guys considered some of the best freestylers. If you listen to those two dudes and see what they did, then compare other who kick so called “off the dome” raps, you will notice a difference.

There’s just a limit to what the human brain can do. If a persons verse is full of well set up punchlines that lead into other punch lines and intricate flows? It’s probably a written. I’ve heard stories of guys like Mikah 9 ( from Freestyle Fellowship) doing insane shit off the dome but I’ve never witnessed it personally. Though, I tend to believe it cause that dude was somewhat of a sick genius.
So, to answer your question, if it feels to good to be true, it usually is.
The same applies to battles. It seems, as battling has picked up popularity, there have been less off the dome rappers than ever. Shit like grind time is all written and practiced verses.

hey, blockhead. if you had no other choice, would you rather only sample metal or techno music to make your beats? hopefully this will never happen, but you’ve got to be prepared for the worst situations.

Hey blockhead, if you had to only eat one food ever again would it be liver or pig balls?

Hey blockhead, if you could only wipe you ass with one thing would it be a flaming , oily rag or your mom’s face?

hey blockhead, if you had to kill your newborn child, would you rather stomp it to death or punch it to death?

Listen, I take all questions. I’m not offended by anything but these “would you rather” questions where I’m offered two things I’d never do under any circumstance are fucking corny. Not cause of what they’re asking but cause these’s no wiggle room in the responses. Both answers are me being like “well, that would suck but I guess i choose this cause of that”.
So, I choose Heavy Metal cause at least there would be downtempo parts.

Hey Blockhead, How old were you the FIRST time you ever moved out of your parents house? How did you feel? Where did you move to? and did you end up moving back?

I had an unusual situation with that as I moved out of my parents house around the time I was 20…but I moved into an apartment in the building I grew up in (my parents owned the building). So, in a way, it was like having my own clubhouse. It didn’t feel like much cause I hadn’t truly left the nest. I paid a meager rent and pretty much had tons of fun there for about 5 years until my mom got sick of me sneaking into her house and eating all her food (as well as losing money from my low rent) and I moved out to my own apartment around 2002. 9/11 bought the prices down in downtown NYC heavily and I jumped on a deal for the apartment I still live in to this very day.
A side note, I’ve noticed, more than most cities, people will live with their parents for a long time in NY. It’s mostly cause rents are so high and location is so important. I was one of my first friends to have my own place (even though it was still in my childhood building). To this day I have plenty of friends who have moved out , moved back in with their parents and moved out again. That’s just kinda how it is out here.

This one may be a shot in the dark Block, But do you know by chance what Cool Calm Pete is doing? I only ask because maybe you ran in the same circles or something once, I’m a huge fan of his early work but it seems after 2009 he hasn’t really produced anything other than those hour long mixups, I am simply curious if you ever knew him or know what hes up to, He seems like an elusive dude.

I actually ran into Pete at a bar a few years ago. He seemed to be doing well. he definitely had a super hot girlfriend (props on that, bro!). We spoke for a little bit and he said he had been doing design work so the music had kinda fallen to side. It happens. It sounded like he was actually really successful so it would appear he made the right choice. It’s not easy to maintain inspiration when you’re getting little in return for your endeavors. Luckily for Pete, he actually had a serious skill to fall back on so he’s doing better than 99% of the rappers he came up with. Pete’s a really good dude though and I was happy to see he was doing well in life beyond the music.

when youre on a bigger tour, like your next one in march, what are you doing apart from the shows? are you mostly chilling in the hotel, do you just walk through the city or do you have people you know at most of the places? or is it a mix of all three?

The misconceptions of touring are deep. I think people feel like it’s a lavish party that only stops for that hour you’re on stage. Truth be told, it’s pretty fucking lonely and boring. I don’t tour with anyone (meaning, I’m a one person act) so I generally just arrive in a city, check into the hotel, loaf around there for a bit then go do soundcheck at whatever venue I’m playing at. This is one of those things where you’re given a window of time to show up and it almost always results in waiting around…for hours. In fact, many times, I’ve gone for a soundcheck, waited for hours and then I’m told “oh, it’s cool…you don’t need a soundcheck…”.
In the typical city I’m not familiar with, I’ll basically just go from the venue to the hotel and that’s it. Aside from eating dinner with either the promoter or the other acts performing that night, I’m pretty much on my own. To be honest, some of the most boring times of my life have been spent backstage at in a city where i don’t know anyone. Just chilling there, alone, eating hummus and carrots until i have to perform. Those nights suck. It’s kinda the reasons I’d rather just chill behind the merch table on most nights. At least there is activity out there and I can talk to fans.
There are a few cities in the country where I actually have some friends though and , when I’m in those, I chill with my friends as much as possible. Before the show and after the show.

As a self-employed producer how do report your income at the end of the year?

How much goes “under the table” so to speak?

Timely question.
I pay a shitload of taxes. Because most of the money I receive isn’t taxed up front, what i usually do is just pay “estimated taxes” over the year. Pretty much just trying to guess what my income for that year will be based on what i made the year before. The problem with that is that my yearly income jumps all over the place. Some years are great, others are not. I forget what the actual form is called that I fill out but I have an accountant so , it get’s handled.
As for write offs…everything. Travel (if i spend a penny on anything while on the road, i write it off), most things in my home (internet, phone, cable) cause i work from home, clothing, anything I apply towards my music (this could be a usb wire, musical equipment, or even a record). Basically, if it can be somehow described as an expense , I’m writing it off.

As for “under the table” stuff, I’d rather not speak of that in a public forum. So, for the sake of this answer, every penny is accounted for. Obviously.

How hard is Despot fucking with everyone in this interview?

He’s actually really like that. That’s part of his majesty.