Is Personal Journals a type of personal exorcism?
I guess so, yeah. There were a lot of fucked up things going on in my life and through Personal Journals I found resolve in many of them. However, demons are always sitting on deck.
Makeshift Patriot, which has received a huge amount of critical praise, is an intelligent response to the events of 9/11. How are current events affecting your song writing? Do you need distance?
Right now I desperately need distance from current events, but they are consuming my every thought. My every paranoia. What I need to do is keep providing a credible voice, so that one day my voice will have enough power to stop the predictable from happening. If I was better known when Makeshift Patriot came out, maybe it could have urged more people to speak up and question the media/government before the preemptive attack. Who knows?
Are you disappointed by the reaction/lack of reaction from other artists in relation to 9/11 and the war against terrorism?
Yes, I am. I could name names but I won’t. They have no purpose in this world except to gain attention for themselves for no other sake than to bask in senseless attention. When the bomb drops, they’ll leave their music sheets in the fire. They have nothing to do with anything that matters ever. I am not talking about Britney, of course. Some entertainment helps you escape from reality. But people in my line of work shouldn’t be playing Marylyn Monroe.
Hip Hop has rules and conventions – you've said – is it restrictive?
All rules and conventions are restrictive. So, yes. The thrill is in breaking the rules and conventions and getting away with it. Being above the law of your craft so as to expand it. (laughs) How blasphemous!
Have you listened to hip-hop in other languages (Italian or Spanish for example) – is it an art form that translates?
I have heard hip-hop in many, many languages. It doesn’t translate to the degree that I need it to, because a big part I love in hip-hop is following the train of thought, not just the passion.
Are you influenced by literature? I've read that you don't read that much, which seems surprising for a Poet.
Well, I am more of a reader than I am a poet. Out of all the reading I have done, I think I am most influenced by Hunter S. Thompson and I’ve only read one of his books.
How important is humour to you – it seems you balance some of the darker moments that are definitely in your music, with a mischief?
Humor is necessary. It keeps us going. It is the cushion between life and death. (laughs).