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Q&A
How did you come up with your stage name?
it just fit.
Has it always been this name? If not; what were some earlier names?
my first name ever was manatarms. like the he-man character. i just thought it was cool. then it was apathy. then i found out there was somebody named apathy. then it was al sharp, which is the name of a song by the beta band. then i changed it to what it is now. recently i found out there's another al sharp. i doubt he named himself after that song tho.
What got you into being an emcee?
the music i listened to and the company i kept growin up.
When did you spit your first rhyme? What was the topic? Do you remember and pieces of it?
ages ago. wish i could remember how old i was. it was on some callin out fake thugs shit. cos there's a whole lotta them where i came up. i remember the first cipher i ever took part in. i was just standin there listenin and they thought i wanted to rap so they cued me in. i had never freestyled before and i only had that one verse written at the time so i spit it. one of the kids thought i was aimin it at him and proceeded to come back at me. it didn't go very well.
What is your inspiration?
i write what i know.
At what point of your career do you feel you truly developed who you are as an artist; and what do you feel contributed to this?
it's just a constant rising up. i hope i always continue to develop and never peak. i'm never satisfied with anything really. and not just when it comes to music either. that prolly contributes more than anything else.
How many albums do you have and what are their names?
there's two albums and an EP under the name the yes yes yalls, which is me as the vocalist (singing and rapping) and twoname jenkins, ryan gilligan and greg barbone as the producers. the names of those are 'boundaries', 'why, why, why?' and 'whinehouse'. then there's a handful of albums and EPs i'm on as part of a group called dumhi, which is all produced by a cat outta philly named haji rana pinya and features whoever the hell he happens to be workin with at the time. the ones i'm on are called 'vote dumhi', 'they call me bruce', '3 seats from heaven', 'flowers' and 'indian summer'. i only rap on those tho. no singin. haj won't let me sing. haha.
At this current moment; what is your favorite part of hip hop?
the ability to take chances.
At this current moment; what do you hate about hip hop?
the people that don't take those chances.
Best Emcee now:
aesop rock. i swear he's actually some futuristic rap robot created by aliens from another galaxy.
Best Emcee 10 years ago:
andre 3000. he's prolly my favorite of all time as well.
What do you hope people would say about you as an artist?
he could do it all.
Worst Emcee now:
turn on your radio.
Worst Emcee 10 years ago:
see above answer.
Hardest part of hip hop for you?
fitting in and being accepted by my contemporaries. i'm a bit of an oddball.
Best all around hip hop song ever...
definitely somethin from the early-to-mid-nineties "golden age". i can't pick just one tho.
Finish these sentences:
Hip Hop should thank: bob dylan.
When i write i: pace back and forth and chainsmoke.
When you listen to my music: you'll be reminded of a ton of different people.
In my music; i shock myself the most when: i don't try too hard and it works anyway.
The track i am currently working on is: something very indie rockish with lots of layers and vocal effects. i'm going through a weird phase right now.
My favorite type of track is: a dark, happy place.
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What should we look forward to from you?
whatever i feel like making. it'll be a little bit of everything.
upcoming shows?
come to jersey. i do shows usually once or twice a week somewhere. stuff comin up in new york and philly as well.
upcoming songs/albums?
new yes yes yalls and dumhi albums coming soon. as well as a couple of mixtapes and an album with my man john blake. we're calling ourselves the nayno.
future collabs?
somebody tell rick rubin and el-p to holler at me.
Anything else?
plenty. stay tooned.
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