How did you start rapping?
I started with poetry. I feel that a lot of people don't read anymore. They'd rather listen to a voice than to read it and have the images set in their minds. So, I began rapping. I figured if I verbalized my work, it would add more presence to it
Who are your musical influences?
2Pac Shakur — I don't care if he's not the most “lyrical” musician. However, how he pours his emotion out to his listeners is what really gets me. Not to mention, his work has more poetic value than a lot of these rappers. He too, was a poet
Redman — I always get some sort of comical vibe from him when I listen to his music. I also like how he adds emphasis to words a listener would not expect him to do. For example, in his song Funkorama
"My funk prognosis make my brains comatose, one hundred percent funk runs blood straight through your nose."
Just listen to the way he says “brains”, “comatose”, and “percent.”
Eminem — This guy influenced me because I can say a rap lyric that sounds dementedly lyrical, and I won't give a f** who it offends. Eminem somehow made “I don't give a f**” a motif in his work
Tell us how Permafrost came about
Oh, lol. Well, one of my friends made a song on that instrumental. I liked the instrumental so much that I thought to myself, “Let's see how well I can do on this.” It was already titled Antifreeze, so I took that it to the next level and titled it Permafrost. I'm a writer. I just come up with very creative ideas, especially when I'm preoccopied with school or work, lol. I'll make a song about how I feel, or a crazy idea I came up with
How do you feel about your ranking?
I'm surprised that I was given that many votes. Artists are their own worst critics. I'll never say I'm good enough. I can say I'm sk**ed at rapping, but I'm not perfect, you know?
Do you have any other projects in the works as of now?
Yep, and my second album will be titled “Green Tea and Piece of Mind.” I already wrote the track list for it. I know what I'm going to rap about for each song — well, most of them
What do you have to say to your fans and your voters?
I truly appreciate their feedback. I truly appreciate their constructive criticism. I think Rap Genius is the place to be in terms of interacting with other producers and musicians. Also, the members who are adept at giving critiques. They always manage to point out an imperfection — a flaw of a work. I always see to it that I continue practicing and that I improve on that flaw. I thank them all
Where do you want to eventually end up in terms of your music?
I just want to be remembered as the man who had something important to say; I want to be remembered as the man who was one of a kind. Songwriting is just another outlet for me. I just love to write