Cavalier is a talented soul. The Brooklyn-raised, New Orleans-dwelling artist has been the creative force behind some absorbing projects over the last decade, in particular, his 2018 album, Private Stock. A sharp writer, with a keen eye for the visual arts, his long-awaited album, Different Type Time, is due for release later this month. I recently had the chance to speak with Cavalier about the creation of the album, as well as his history with billy woods and Quelle Chris, joining the Backwoodz roster, the beauty of chance encounters and battling Nickelus F as a teenager.
Kid Acne has been a prominent figure on the UK art scene for almost as long as I’ve had an interest in art. On top of that, he’s been making rap records for over 20 years, including his most recent effort, Hauntology Codes, alongside blog favourite, Spectacular Diagnostics. We both live in the same city now and I’ve been fortunate enough to hang out with him a couple of times, so I thought it might be a good idea to turn one of our chats into an interview. So in what is my most expansive interview to date, we spoke about a diverse range of topics, including the new album, his artistic origin story, his relationship with Lex Records, the perils of keeping art and music separate, and doing magic mushrooms while travelling through a hail storm in a car with Quelle Chris.
In January we were treated to the surprise release of Pay or Dispute, the latest album from New York indie rap artist, Duncecap. Dunce has been on my radar for the last few years, not only because he’s very good at what he does, but also because he makes some truly relatable music. I thought now would be the perfect time to interview him and so, via the increasingly practical medium of Twitter DMs, we had a long overdue conversation. We spoke about a number of topics, including filmmaking, Karma Kids, vulnerability in rap and the use of writing as a therapeutic tool.
I’ve been writing about hip hop for 17 years in one form or another and during that time I’ve come across a lot of talented writers. Joseph Rathgeber is up there with the best of the best. The first time I read his work, my reaction was something akin to the first time that Jeff Beck saw Hendrix play, in that basement club in Queensgate, London. To paraphrase The Yardbirds front man, my first thought was, “Well, I used to be a writer”. Joe is the brains behind Caltrops Press, a zine which analyses and unpacks some of the finest releases from hip hop’s current crop, as well as interviewing the artists who created them. It channels the same underground energy that the records themselves do, along with the same spirit of resistance that the historic zines that came before it did. On top of Caltrops, Joe is also a published novelist and poet, as well as being one of the most erudite people I’ve ever had the pleasure of chatting with. Over the course of the last few weeks we have exchanged sporadic DMs, via the blighted bird app, which allowed me to gain some insight into his creative process, his history with zines and writing in general, as well as his relationship with hip hop. If you would like to support his work, I would advise you to donate some money to the Caltrops Press project and cop a few zines via his socials (details at the end of the interview). It becomes a more vital platform with each passing day, especially in the wake of the journalistic losses the culture has suffered in recent weeks.
As he continues his ascent to the experimental rap throne with the release of Decay, alongside Steel Tipped Dove, Fatboi Sharif graciously agreed to hit my blog with a track-by-track breakdown of the album. I also chucked in a couple of related questions about his partnership with Dove and the future for his music. The good new is that the intrigue his art demands shows no sign of dwindling anytime soon. Decay is out now via Backwoodz Studioz.
Last year, Lee Scott released his debut novel, Swan Songs. The book rightfully received a lot of acclaim from across the literary world and beyond, successfully adding another string to Lee’s bow. I recently had an extensive chat with him, about Swan Songs and writing in general, as well as his never-ending creative urge, his future plans, and finding Runcorn related gold in an L.A. record store.
Fatboi Sharif has been making some of the most compelling and intriguing rap music of his generation, thanks to a style that refuses to be boxed in by genre restrictions and critical expectations. I recently caught up with him via Zoom for a conversation which delves into the process behind his creativity, as well as his musical upbringing, his love of horror and his plans for the future. We also spoke about his most recent album, Preaching in Havana, which is out now on PTP.
Following on from my previous exploration of some of Aesop Rock’s wonderfully varied choices of subject matter, and the subsequent comments and albums that have offered up even more material, I have decided to delve once more into one of the more intriguing back catalogues in hip hop. Last time my picks included doomed fantasy romances and canine-led rescue attempts, while this time round topics range from forced vegetable consumption to the ever-looming spectre of back pain.
Back in October I found myself in London at the same time as Fielded, who was in town to perform with installation artist, Naama Tsabar. I took the opportunity to sit down with them for an interview, where we spoke about their new EP, Young Medusa, as well as displaying vulnerability through art, keeping things varied and learning to enjoy the act of collaborating.
Following on from the crushingly moderate success of my Q&A with Forest DLG, which took place after his name change, I’m now back with another question session with the artist formerly known as Ded Tebiase. The Village Live producer recently announced he was ditching the moniker that had been attached to his work since the beginning, in favour of the arguably improved and definitely more intriguing, Galloping Ghosts. As with the Forest DLG chat, this is not a place for serious journalistic integrity, but more a light-hearted probe into the name change and his feelings regarding supernatural things. When you’re done reading, make sure you go and stake a claim for his new project alongside vocal duo, Horned Hannes, which is out now on Village Live Records.
gingerslim 