Why did you name your new single “Jack Sparrow”?
I name it that because I feel like that’s my alter ego. I just don’t give a shit about certain things. That’s the guy that will battle anyone. That’s the guy that gets drunk before a show. It’s the raw side of me. I think everyone has a Jack sparrow in them. They just have to let him out. I had put him away for a while to focus on family and stuff but once I came back out it was time to let him loose again. That’s why it’s the return of Jack Sparrow. I’m a humble dude. He’s not.
What do you think sets you apart from other rappers?
My history. I have a lot to talk about and it’s true. I feel like today it’s cool to build your talent off a lie. It’s even cool to take some one’s rap style. I still live by OG rules. I was lucky to have been up under Black Thought and Guru when I was young. I learned what not to do. These kids only can follow what’s hot. I feel like as an emcee we have a responsibility to the youth because our music is very trendsetting. So my thoughts and the way I get out my point through my music is what makes me different.
Why did you name your new album Ballads Of A Massacre?
I wanted to create a raw album. Every sword sharp, every beat gritty. It’s like having a verbal axe in a room of rappers and spitting murder. That's where the massacre part comes in. No one’s safe these days. All the rappers be holding hands and happy. You cant be in the club every day. It’s not reality. I try and make a bar for myself on this album. If I can’t listen to it over and over then it don't make it. If I wanted to make a happy album I would have called it Ballads Of Flowers. It’d probably go triple platinum.
What’s your creative process? Do you create the beat first then come up with song concepts or vice versa?
Man, life. I usually write a little bit at a time. Life is the best inspiration. I think of a line one week and another a week later. I hear cats say they do 15 songs in a week but how many of them don’t sound like shit? Or put out a mix tape in a week: when you rush your music it sounds like that. I take my time. See, I’m a pro at freestyling, but that's not something everyone should do, especially when it comes to putting out a good body of work. Take your time, you’ll sound way better. I produce all my shit so I know what I’m looking for. But the beat speaks, I write. That’s the gift of producing your own heat - you dont have to wait for someone else, and I know what I want. I get to live with the beat and make any changes to it according to what i write. But the beat is definitely first. When you hear that joint you know because your brain starts shooting out shit like an automatic.
What can we expect from BOAM?
That raw boom-bap hip hop. That shit where you say “let me rewind that”. It’s guaranteed. I’m not going to say ‘classic’ but I will say a dope body of work. I’ll let the people say what it is because people use ‘classic’ to easily nowadays, but it will satisfy those people who miss that grimy sample sound with slapping drums. I make my beats on an MPC so my drums can hit hard. So you will definitely enjoy.
