Happy holidays everyone. Hope you got a gift that you liked or whatever.
This is “Answers for questions”. You ask, I answer. Right now, my question queue is running low. So, that means I need you guys to dig into your santa’s bag of gifts and ask me stuff. Go nuts.
Send questions to phatfriendblog@gmail.com or simply leave them in the comment section below. Seriously..tis the season to ask a motherfucker some random shit. I’ve long said that, once my question bag runs empty, it might be time to shut this whole things down. Don’t let that happen (unless you want to, in which case, carry on).
Here’s this weeks stash…

QUICK! I’ve been studying in NYC this past semester and I leave in about two weeks (mid/late-December). I wanted to try and do something in each borough before I left. Any recommendations? I currently have only driven through Queens and haven’t even stepped foot on Staten Island.

Ummm..it’s probably too late and , honestly, I’m a terrible tour guide. I think living here my whole life has made it hard to just give random ideas of what to do in the city. It’s like asking me “What’s your favorite line in a movie ever?”. How can I even begin to figure that out. Also, I don’t do much. I chill. I don’t go out to new clubs or check out art exhibits. I’m low key. On top of that, I don’t know shit about queens, the bronx or staten island. So, yeah…sorry…can’t be much help here. I can say that it’s okay to just skip Staten Island. Not that it has no merit but it’s probably not worth the boat ride unless you got something VERY particular you want to check out there. What that could possibly be? I have no clue. Unless you’re one of those wierdo’s who likes to see where your favorite rappers grew up and end up hanging out near fucked up projects just so you can take an instagram pic of the WU-tang mural.

back in college (early 2000s) i had a NES in my room and used to wreck both my roommates at super tecmo bowl. i was sovereign. then one night my roommate brought one of his homeboys over and that guy whipped the polecat piss out of me in super tecmo bowl. to the point i wanted to throw the controller and accuse him of cheating. it was like he stole a piece of my identity. so the question is: have you ever been “known” for something that’s part of your persona, and then come across someone who’s so much better at that thing that it ruins it for you?

Sure. I’ve had that reality check a few times (I’ve also given it to people as well, which feels great). In my case, it was ping pong. I’m pretty good at ping pong. But on a casual level. Like I’ve always been the best amongst my friends and shit like that. One time, I went to this ping pong “club”. A friend knew a friend and got me in. It wasn’t like olympic dudes but somewhat normal people playing (though there was one guy who apparently played in the olympics and he was playing people using his phone as a paddle. He was kicking everyones ass). I got matched up with some dumpy Puetro rican kid. He seemed harmless enough but, goddamn…I play a very spin heavy game. but this dude was throwing ungodly shit at me, the likes I had never even known possible. he demolished me. Not only that, I watched him get destroyed the next round. That was a rude awakening for me. Like, I never thought I was an elite talent in ping pong but I was confident that I was very good. Then , when you see how deep it really goes…man…it’s depressing.

What is your policy on tipping? Are you generous? A stickler? If you go to deli, do you tip? What about places were they literally just grab something for you, yet still have a tip jar out? What’s your criteria when determining a tip in a restaurant situation?

I tip at least 20% at restaurant. I prefer to pay cash and I’m impatient so if I end up paying more and it means I don’t have to wait for change, so be it. Only time that changes is if the service is truly awful or if the service is next level exceptional then I will react accordingly. But, 20% is the norm.
For other things, I’m a little more picky. I don’t go to coffee shops but I used to work in one. When I worked there, I never expected tips. So, in that sense, I don’t tip people who are just doing their job (and getting paid decently for it). If I’m a regular somewhere, have some familiarity with the workers, I always tip a buck and change in the jar but otherwise? Eh. Not so much.
I don’t tip at deli’s or bodegas cause who does that?
I tip delivery men about 3-4 bucks per delivery. I tip a cab driver 1-3 bucks unless it’s a long ass trip (like to the airport) then I add on a few more dollars.

what are you listening to these days?

Random shit. I have a playlist that I throw new music I like into and it’s pretty much all I listen to. I recently added joints from Wiki’s new album, some Pusha T shit, there’s a new 50 cent song I like, “Days with yen lo” still gets run, Vince staples, shirt.
Honestly, the majority of the stuff I listen to gets mentioned on this blog eventually.

ever considered making a “year end list” of your fav tracks?
I will probably do that in the next few days. Many of you will be confused and disappointed by said list.

The initials of your blog are PF (fact). Which made me think right away of PF Chang’s (the chinese restaurant chain). So here’s my question: if you could be any item on a chinese food menu, what would you be? And would you prefer to be eaten with chopsticks, reg. fork or other?
This is important.
I mean, I feel as though picking a food that’s going to be eaten is pretty arbitrary. Like if I’m lo mein or beef and broccoli, my fate remains the same. It’s not like it’s gonna be better to be chewed to death cause I’m a peking duck or if I’m sauteed bok choy.
But, ignoring that, I would want to be a steamed pork dumpling. Why? Cause they are my favorite. You could eat me with a fork or chop sticks but I’d almost prefer people use their hands. Let my brown grease drip all over your gluttonous fingers as you take me to my final resting place.

What’s one trend thats popular right now that you cant wrap your head around?
Hmm…Rapping into autotune. It makes me feel old cause I know it’s a big thing but…why? it sounds like shit. I get singing into it but rapping? It’s so fucking stupid. I’m not a fan of “extra” in general and that all just seems so extra.
Also, crazy lumberjack beards. It’s not that I don’t get them. I fully get them. As a man, it makes all the sense in the world. But what I don’t get it how much women love them. Like kissing one of those dudes must be like licking a bears asshole. But ,hey, i support them in some sense cause they promote manliness , which is a dying concept.

Not a particularly creative question, I’m just in a fatty eating mood right now!

What are you favorite types of…
-chips
-candy
-chocolate
-ice cream

God, I love junk food.
This question is pertinent to my interests.
Chips: I like to get those fancy off brand chips they have at obnoxious “health food” deli’s but, when it comes down to it, my favorite all time chips are ruffles sour cream and cheddar and tostido’s Lime tortilla chips. Those are what I can always go back to.

Candy: I like gummy candy. Gummy bears are the obvious choice. I don’t buy candy much anymore but, when I do, it’s gummy bears. Sometimes, I’ll branch out and get the gummy coke bottles.

Chocolate: I don’t like dark chocolate. Call me a heathen but fuck you are you bitter bullshit ass chocolate. Milk, ALL DAY. I fucking love a Skor bar. I may be the only man alive who does but, man, I love some chocolate covered toffee. In general, I like anything milk chocolate related. Only time I’m not into it is when it’s got nuts. Otherwise, I’m all over it. ALL OF IT.

Ice cream: I’m kinda boring. While I love me some talenti ice cream (the salted caramel is crazy), in general, I’m basic. I like strawberry or cookies and cream as my go to flavors. Also, green tea ice cream is my shit. There’s a place near my crib that makes earl grey ice cream and that shit is incredible.

I’d also like to add that chocolate chip cookies are my favorite thing on earth. That is all.

Whattup everyone. Welcome to another edition of “Answers for questions”. You ask, I respond accordingly. You got anything you wanna ask me? And i do mean anything…fire away. The only questions I’ve ever passed on were personal questions about other people and really boring questions I’ve answered already. Email me questions. Send them to phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. Get creative. Get weird.
Okay, let’s see what we got this week.

Do you feel the need to create music is outside of yourself? Are you visited by a “muse” from time to time, as some artists claim?

Nah. I’m very practical about how I make music. I sit down, get in a headspace to do it and execute. Sounds robotic and it is. If anything, I don’t buy that “muse” shit in general. I mean, I get that some people probably work that way but my guess would be that most people who speak of their work like that are full of shit or trying too hard. That said, I can see certainly how a person or event can inspire music without question but the idea of a “muse” is corny to me. Like “Hey, Cindy! Come stand in the room while I make this beat!”. It should also be noted that what I do is very different than, say, a guy who’s composing a piano concerto. So, in that sense, I could be talking entirely out of my ass.

You don’t strike me as the most sentimental, festive type of person haha, but what is your favorite holiday tradition from when you were a kid?

You are correct in that assumption. I don’t give a fuuuuuuuuuck about any holiday. In general, I’m not a fan of any old time traditions.
That said, I wasn’t always an ice hearted monster. Back in the day, the christmas stocking was my favorite thing ever. Even more than the actual presents I’d get from my family. Even thought those presents were always the “good shit” , the randomness of the stocking was my favorite. Like i would get chocolate, a tear away far side calendar and some random toy I never asked for. But i loved that shit. As i got older, i realized it was a way for my mom to push her health agenda’s on me. Like I’d get a certain kind of face wash or deodorant. Regardless, the surprise of what i would find in there was the best.
Nowadays, all I care about is the food. Obviously , seeing family is nice but it’s not like i never see them. Most of my family lives relatively close to the city (with a few exceptions) so seeing them for a holiday isn’t some major event. Food, son…all about the food.

Oh heyyy, nice to see Phat Friend back. How’d the touring go, do you feel human again yet?
I think I covered what touring on a bus was like last week so I won’t repeat it.
But the tour went well. Saw some real deep hippie spots. Like the type where, if you walk through the crowd, you can tell half of them use those toms of maine rock deodorants that don’t actually work. Aside from that, nice people though.
I was only gone for two weeks but it took me maybe 2 days to feel human again, once home. All i need to do is fall back into my routine. Which isn’t hard.

What are some of your favorite music videos (visually) from the mtv days?
Ohhh…tough question. Gotta think…There is a really a wide variety. some of them are songs I don’t even like but the videos were awesome.

Drop by The Pharcyde

Come to daddy By Aphex twin

Separate ways by Journey

What you see is what you get by Xzibit

Cry by Godly and creme

Hell yeah by Dead Prez

Human Behavior by Bjork

Smack my Bitch up by Prodigy

There are tons I’m forgetting but those all popped into my mind.

It’s been 11 years, what do you think of Ass Like That by Eminem?
I haven’t listened to it once in it entirety ever but i’m gonna assume it’s as bad, if not worse, as it was when it dropped. For a guy with the talent that Em has, he’s got some songs under his belt that rival anyone, in terms of “worst songs ever made”. He’s neck and neck with 1990’s Aerosmith.

I was listening to music by cavelight and I noticed that the beginning of Forrest crunk sound a lot like Drake’s Hotline bling. Is it just me or is the same sample? That’s all, lol. Have a nice day.
It’s just you. Definitely not the same sample. This is the hotline bling sample:

Awesome song. I’ve had it for a while and when i heard drake use it I was actually pretty psyched cause it’s not a sample I would fuck with but it’s really dope.

how many hats do you own? whats your criteria for buying a new one, are there any specific teams you would avoid?
Hmmm…I own about 8 or so but like 4 of those are well out of the rotation.
As for what kinda hats I buy, i’ve moved away from sports teams the last 3 or 4 years now. Nowadays I just look for kinda obscure hats that confuse people. Like, I rock this one I got in St. Petersburg, russia sometimes. I rock a Max Fish hat. that’s this bar I go to and it looks like a yankee hat but it isn’t. Basically, I’m trying to wear hats I don’t see everywhere.
When I did wear team hats, I stuck with only baseball teams and mostly old versions of the hats. Like the Orioles, the Brewers or the Padres. It wasn’t so much about the team as it was the design and colors.

sup brahhh?
Welcome to another edition of “Answers for Questions”. You guys ask me anything and I tell you what’s up. I can always use more questions so don’t be shy. Fire away. Email them to me at phatfriendblog@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. Be weird. Be creative. The time of “What inspires you?” type questions has long passed.
okay, let’s see what we got this week from you snarky bastards.

Do you have a thing for small mammals? Maybe you had one as a kid and your parents said it “ran away” while you were at school, but you were too quick for that nonsense and realized it must have died? Are you still hurting from that lie and expressing those feelings through stock photos on a mundane personal blog?

You got me. It’s actually a sexual thing. I just like small furry things in an erotic way. Sue me, bro!
Just kidding.
I simply like pictures of cute animals that aren’t cats or dogs. When I started doing this column for my blog, I decided posting a pic of a cute animal every week would lend to the continuity. In reality, I doubt I’d wanna even touch most of the animals whose pics I post (I’m allergic to lots of animals). But, in photo form? Those are my dudes. But thanks for reading so deeply into something that could not be more shallow.

So I’ve noticed that older countries tend to have (but not always) country capitals which are also their largest respective cities (Tokyo/Japan, Cairo/Egypt, Paris/France etc.) whereas newer countries tend to have capitals which are not (Canberra/Australia, Brasilia/Brasil, etc.). Anyways, how do you think NYC would be if it were also the nation’s capital? Like, if you took Washington D.C. and and almagamated it into your city?

I think it would be exactly the same. It would just be a title. It would be impossible to make NYC MORE a focal point of the USA so calling it a capital wouldn’t add or detract from that. It’s not like Albany was all of a sudden popping off cause it’s the capital of NY. It’s just a name.

If you had a son, what are the odds that his name would Kristaps Simon?
Pretty low. He would be Dominique Wilkens Simon, obviously.

I know you’ve talked before about in the past wanting to do an album that was just rappers rapping over your beats. Is that still something that interests you? Seems like you’ve got plenty of friends and associates who are great rappers to make it happen with. And if so, these days, who do you think you’d like to get on an album like that if you were to make it happen?

This is 100% something that interests me and I’m actually starting to put together a game plan to make such an album. Problem is wrangling the rappers. Obviously there are friends I’d have on it but the hard part would be reaching out of my friend zone and getting people I don’t know, who I want to work with. Because this is actually starting to happen, I don’t wanna give anything away but just know it’s in the works on some level.

would you ever go to a fan’s house or go out to eat/hang out/etc. with a fan if you had more than one day in any particular city (not talking about a girl wanting to get down)? I feel that could be horribly boring and uncomfortable or incredibly fun and you’d learn a lot about the city you’re in. Probably nothing in between. Do fans ask you that?

I don’t think I would just go chill with some random fan. That’s weird. I talk to people at my shows and hang out but I think it ends there. I get asked to go smoke weed all the time and I decline cause a)I don’t smoke weed b)I don’t wanna go anywhere with some random dudes I don’t know. At best , I’ll kick it with the promoters a bit or maybe some of the other artists on the bill.
But, if i was in a city for a few days with nothing to do? Who knows. Fortunately, that doesn’t really ever happen cause I’m rarely in a city for more than a night.

Q for a, have you noticed Aesop’s influence on any newer artists, examples?

Have you ever picked up on your own style being copied/paid homage to?

Sure. In my demo reviews I hear Aesop’s influence all over. Not so much his newer style but his older style. People try and sound like he did 15 years ago today. It’s kinda funny, actually.
As for people copying/paying homage to my style, I rarely see it. I mean, there are times here and there where a mood reminds me of my stuff but I have yet to head anyone that made me stop and be like “whoa…he sounds like me!”. I’ve met a lot of people who tell me I was a “huge influence” on them but when I hear the music, I don’t see the similarities…which is a good thing. Being influenced by someone should not mean “I sound like them”. It should mean you heard what they did and applied that to your own style.

Do you call yourself Blockhead because your head is blockish?

Yup. That’s the origin. When I was younger, I was a rapper and it was the era of self depreciating names. My head was always square (at least my jaw was), so I went with that and it stuck. Now my head is far more oval but such is life.

Does it bother you when Spotify puts up other artists with the name “blockhead” on your page? You have some weird old singles attributed to you….
Man, I go fucking nuts when I see that. Like, I straight up black out and start punching strangers.
Nah, I don’t even have spotify so I have no clue what’s there. Someone alerted me recently of one and I actually tweeted them, they responded and fixed it. So, hey, who gives a shit?
The thing about my moniker is that it’s somewhat common. There’s a some hardcore band from the DC area that’s been throwing shows for years that has somehow linked in with my bandsintown.com profile so I’d imagine more than a handful of people have seen them thinking they were gonna get me. Oops! Read the fine print guys and know the artist you’re listening to. If you hear a song on spotify with my name on but it’s some emo thrash japanese pop song, assume it’s not by me.